100th Anniversary Events Brochure

Celebrating 100 years! 1923 - 2023 
Centennial Donor Fund Drive! 
We are seeking 100 donors to donate $100 to our Centennial Donor Fund Drive. All Donors will be 
acknowledged on a special Centennial Donor poster in our Library’s front lobby. 
 
Your donations help to support the purchase of library materials including picture books and early 
readers for our youngest patrons and large print and audiobooks for our seniors and bestsellers, 
DVDs, museum passes and more for everyone in-between! 
 
Donate by cash, check or online. Thank you for your support! 
Library Fair 
Saturday, May 20 
10:00 am—2:00 pm 
(see inside for more information) 
May 22, 1923 meeting to incorporate the Waterford Public Library. Its first home was in the First Baptist Church in Jor-
dan Village. 
 
September 1924, the Town of Waterford made its first appropriation of $100 to the library. 
 
1927, the Nevins family gifted a lot on Great Neck Road where a new library would be built. 
 
September 8, 1928 marked the formal opening of the new library building, now known as the Jordan Park House . 
 
July 1931, the library receives a check for $12,000 from Mr. Edward S. Harkness to establish its endowment fund. 
 
December 1959, the Trustees purchased the library’s current property on Rope Ferry Road for $7,000. 
 
February 25, 1966, the new 16,500 square foot building at 49 Rope Ferry Road opened to the public. The size of the 
opening day collection was 16,000 books. Construction was partially funded by a grant from the CT State Library. 
 
August 1976, the library opened the new wing of its expanded and remodeled building while construction continued to 
modernize the original portions of the building. 
 
Today the library offers 25,000 square feet of space to house a collection of over 80,000 physical items. In FY2022, the 
library had 82,368 visitors, circulated 125,915 physical items and 21,463 digital items.  
A Brief Timeline of the Library’s History  
4 9  R o p e  F e r r y  R o a d  W a t e r f o r d ,  C T  0 6 3 8 5  
8 6 0 - 4 4 4 - 5 8 0 5  www.waterfordpubliclibrary.org  
Sponsored by 
100th Anniversary Events 
FEATURED PROGRAM: 
Thursday, May 18, 7:00 PM IN PERSON 
We've Come a Long Way, Ida May: The Waterford Library at 100  
Waterford has had a public library since 1923 when an association was incorporated by a 
small group of interested people to provide library services for the town.  Join us as we 
celebrate the 100th Anniversary of the Waterford Public Library with a talk by Municipal 
Historian Robert Nye who will present a talk on the history of our beloved library through 
the years.  Registration is suggested.   

Tuesday, May 16, 7:00 pm ONLINE 
Illustrated Lecture: Anything Goes: American during the Jazz Age 
An entertaining overview of the 1920’s, showcasing world events, political 
events, prohibition, organized crime, as well as the style, fashion and trends of 
the Jazz Age. Our speaker is Christopher Daley, a history teacher and published 
author from Massachusetts. Registration is required for this Zoom event. 
Tuesday, June 6, 6:00 pm IN PERSON 
Zelda, a Play  
Zelda Sayre Fitzgerald is often known as the insane flapper wife of F. Scott Fitz-
gerald, author of The Great Gatsby.. However, she was more than just the beau-
tiful muse and wife to one of the greatest authors of the 20th century. This orig-
inal play written and performed by Rita Parisi, will pay tribute to an often mis-
understood woman; a woman who was also a mother, an accomplished dancer, 
an exhibited artist and a published writer. 
Tuesday, May 23, 6 pm IN PERSON 
Lecture: The Tribal ‘20s 
The 1920’s was a decade of paradox: a revolution in manners and morals 
that touched everywhere in America, and a conservative reaction evident 
in the rise of the KKK, the Scopes and Sacco and Vanzetti Trials, and the 
supremacy of the corporation. In these ways, the Twenties were remarka-
bly like our current times. Our speaker is Dr. Stephen McGrath, professor 
emeritus of history at CCSU. 
Saturday, May 20, 2:00 pm IN PERSON (Join Us After the Fair!) 
Concert: Between the Great Wars: American Popular Music 1918-1941 
During this period the radio was broadcasting an eclectic mix of different 
sounds and a variety of musical styles including music from traditions as 
diverse as Gospel, Country, Blues, Vaudeville, Jazz, Swing and others.  Pop-
ular songwriters included Irving Berlin, George M. Cohan, the Gershwins, 
and Jimmie Rodgers. Local musicians, Rick Spencer and Dawn Indermuehle, 
present this program of American songs from one of the most interesting 
and dynamic times in our history. 
Additional 100 Year Anniversary Events 
Performance by Steve Elci & Friends at 10:30 am 
Petting Zoo, 10 am to 12 noon 
Face Painting, 11:30 am to 1:00 pm 
Nickelodeon Barbershop Quartet performance 12:30 to 1:30 pm 
Free Games -- Touch-A-Truck -- Indoor Crafts 
Book Sale for All Ages 
Free popcorn & cotton candy while supplies last! 
Saturday, May 20 
10:00 am - 2:00 pm 
Join us outdoors (or indoors, in case of inclement weather) for the following activities: