Bike-Safe Neighborhood with LINK VT, Wednesday, May 6, 6:30 PM

This bicycle week, come join a discussion about bike safety from a neighborhood perspective.  Learn steps you can take to slow traffic on your individual block and make walking and biking safer, especially for children and other vulnerable users.  Learn how these changes can benefit you and your loved ones' health, save you money, and even lower our taxes. 

Dr. John Raser is a family physician and local community health advocate based in St Johnsbury.  He has served as leader and consultant for active transportation advocacy, safe routes to school, and transit-oriented development efforts.  He currently serves on the St Johnsbury Bicycle Pedestrian Committee and Board President of the non-profit community bicycle program Link Vermont. 

For more information, contact Megan Robinson at mrobinson@stjathenaeum.org or 802-748-8291.

This event is free, ADA accessible, and open to the public.

Energy Savings Help: 1-on-1 Consultations with Efficiency Vermont, Friday, May 1, 2026, 10 AM-Noon

Are your energy bills high? Stop by for a one‑on‑one conversation with an Efficiency Vermont representative to learn how you can lower your energy costs and find out whether you qualify for income‑based services, such as free appliance replacement.

For more information, contact Megan Robinson at mrobinson@stjathenaeum.org or 802-748-8291.

These consultations are free, ADA accessible, and open to the public.

The Light Pirate - Vermont Reads Book Discussion with Dr. Alan Berolzheimer, Thursday, April 30, 6:30 PM

Join Dr. Alan Berolzheimer, Vermont Humanities scholar, as he leads a community book discussion of the Vermont Reads book The Light Pirate by Lily Brooks-Dalton. Named after a catastrophic storm, Wanda is born into a world that’s rapidly changing. Rising sea levels and devastating weather patterns transform her coastal Florida town. As she moves from childhood to adulthood, Wanda adapts to this remade landscape, finding adventure, love, and purpose in a place largely abandoned by civilization. 

Told in four parts—power, water, light, and time—The Light Pirate  is a meditation on the beauty and violence of an untamable wilderness. It considers the dissolution of the human-made world, and helps us see how human connection, adaptability, and a little bit of magic might guide us to a new future.  

Copies of the book are available at the Athenaeum circulation desk to read before the discussion.  

Contact Megan Robinson at mrobinson@stjathenaeum.org or  802-745-1392 for more information. 

Vermont Humanities Scholar Alan Berolzheimer has directed the book publishing program of the Vermont Historical Society since 1998. He is also the project historian and assistant director of The Flow of History, a Teaching American History program providing professional development activities to Vermont teachers. Alan received a Ph.D. in 20th-century U.S. History from the University of Virginia in 1996. He lives in Norwich.

Vermont Reads events are sponsored by Vermont Humanities supported in part by the National Endowment for Humanities.

This event is free, ADA accessible, and open to the public.

RSVP Here

Athenaeum Film Fan Comedy Series-- Team Comedy: Abbott and Costello, Laurel and Hardy, Three Stooges, Tuesday, May 12 6:30 PM

Join the Athenaeum Film Fan Club for our monthly comedy movie with free popcorn and soft drinks.  This month features America’s favorite comedy teams. With an introduction by host Damian Ryan. 

There has been no shortage of comedy acts in American history, but perhaps the most famous and popular of them all is The Three Stooges, an act that has become synonymous with slapstick. Three bumbling but likable fools getting into all sorts of trouble due to their inability to think or behave properly, Moe, Larry and Curly quickly became a hit in comedy shorts on screen. Even as other similar acts like Abbot & Costello went on to make full length films, the Stooges continued to star in shorts.

By the 1920s, English comic Stan Laurel had been in dozens of films and American Oliver Hardy had appeared in hundreds, but it was not until they formed a duo together in 1926 that they began to truly be noticed. Once they did, however, Laurel & Hardy became one of the most famous comedy teams in American history, with a career that spanned 4 decades and included over 100 combined shorts and feature films. Even today, nearly 60 years after their last performances together, Laurel & Hardy are still popular, alongside legends like The Three Stooges and Abbott & Costello, and their routines are still watched across the globe.

Ironically, one of America’s most famous comedy duos, and the performers of the country’s most famous skit, came together in part because Lou Costello had already failed to cut it in the film industry. In fact, Costello had appeared in a Laurel & Hardy film in 1927 before meeting his partner, Bud Abbott, on the burlesque circuit in New York City. 

This event is free, ADA accessible, and open to the public.

The Librarians Free Film Screening with Indie Pop-Up Lens, Wednesday, April 22, 6 PM

Indie Lens Pop-Up, presented by ITVS, INDEPENDENT LENS, and St. Johnsbury Athenaeum will host a special screening of “The Librarians."

“The Librarians” follows a courageous network of besieged librarians as they unite to examine how book restriction policies are shaping library collections.

When lawmakers seek to review a list of books, librarians find themselves on the frontlines of a national battle. Across the U.S., librarians face the impact of uniting against library collection standards that include restrictions on race-related and LGBTQIA+ content. Drawing on historical context, The Librarians explores the broader implications for education and public life.

Filmmakers: Kim A. Snyder (director/producer), Janique L. Robillard (producer), Maria Cuomo Cole (producer), and Jana Edelbaum (producer).

This event is free, ADA accessible, and open to the public.

Bringing Up Beaver- Saturday, April 18, 10 AM

Licensed volunteer wildlife rehabilitator John Aberth presents on his book, Bringing Up Beaver, a lively and engaging account of one human’s relationship with a wild animal.

On May 10, 2020, an orphaned beaver kit was found in St. Albans, Vermont and handed over to John Aberth, a licensed volunteer wildlife rehabilitator. Over the next two years, John raised the kit, whom he nicknamed "BK," and prepared him for release back into the wild. During that time, John and BK developed a special and unique bond, which John documented in a daily diary. That diary became the basis for Bringing Up Beaver, a lively and engaging account of one human’s relationship with a wild animal.
Bringing Up Beaver is more than just a feel-good story about human encounters with nature. Full of fascinating observations about beaver behavior and biology, Bringing Up Beaver also documents the unique challenges and obstacles to be faced and overcome in rehabbing a wild beaver kit. Populating the story are plenty of other wild creatures that John encounters in the course of his journey with BK, including other beavers—one of whom became BK’s mate—as well as hawks, owls, mink, and weasels.
For anyone who has been charmed by a beaver's "smile" or enjoyed books like Fox and I and Eager, Bringing Up Beaver is a must read that will give us a new perspective on the wildlife and natural world all around us.

John Aberth is an author and historian who lives in Roxbury, VT. He received his Ph.D. in Medieval History from the University of Cambridge in England and spent twenty years as a professor of history, publishing ten books. Upon his retirement, he received his license from both the Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to rehab both birds and mammals, training at the Vermont Institute of Natural Science and apprentecing with head wildlife keeper, Allison Stark. He now specializes in the rehab of raptors—namely, owls, hawks and falcons—and also in some mammals, including beavers, bobcats, coyotes, minks, and weasels.

This event is free, ADA accessible, and open to the public.

Music in the Gallery Concert Series –Tom Stamp, Friday, April 17, 1 PM

Singer and guitarist Tom Stamp grew up listening to the music of the 60s and 70s: folk, rock, country and blues. Tom brings all those influences to the stage, playing a mix of time-tested classics and under-the-radar gems.

Join us for our series showcasing impressive and diverse NEK musical talent. You'll encounter new and familiar performers in the spectacular setting of the Art Gallery on the third Friday of each month at 1 pm.

Upcoming Artists:

May 15  Sue Persson

June 19  Jon Speer and the Meld

These concerts are free, ADA accessible, and open to the public.

Jazz Pianist David Childs in Concert, Thursday, April 16, 6:30 PM

David Childs brings his special talent of creating playful, spontaneous jazz performances of well-known classics and standards. A favorite performer at the Athenaeum, Dave charms and entertains his audiences while offering impressive improvisations.

Dave Childs has been working as a pianist for 30 years. At seven years old, he began playing piano, started French horn in grade school and the drums in junior high. He spent his last summer of high school in Europe where he traveled and played drums in a big band. Dave attended Berklee College of Music in Boston and has been fortunate to study under such jazz luminaries as Steve Allee, James Williams, and Donald Brown. In the mid-1980’s, Dave spent several years traveling and working as a pianist in the Far East.

Dave has shared the stage with jazz greats Jimmy Heath, Eddie Bert, James Moody, Lionel Hampton, Larry Ridley, Roswell Rudd, Dick Oatts, Bill Watrous, and the Nelson Riddle Orchestra, to name a few.

Over the years, Dave has been featured on a variety of recordings including three of his own full-length CDs, including a jazz trio with sax and bass. 

Dave’s interest in a variety of musical genres has led him to various positions as a church musician, including at Hastings on the Hudson Lutheran and Rowayton Methodist Churches. For over 6 years, Dave has been the pianist for the Unitarian Universalist Church of Greater Bridgeport where he combines jazz, classical, pop, folk, and world music for services and other events.

In addition to performing, Dave teaches piano at Fairfield University and the Cider Mill Conservatory in Wilton, Connecticut.

This event is free, ADA accessible, and open to the public.

Athenaeum Gala Thursday, May 14, 6:30 pm

Go to the Gala page HERE

Freedom to Read Panel Discussion (preregister): Wednesday, April 15, 6 PM

Join us for an engaging and timely conversation on the state of intellectual freedom in the United States. This special Freedom to Read Panel Discussion will take place just before the free screening of The Librarians on April 22, setting the stage for an evening centered on access to information, the power of stories, and the challenges facing readers and libraries today.

A diverse group of panelists will explore the current landscape of book challenges, censorship pressures, and the ongoing fight to protect the public’s right to read. Their perspectives will illuminate both the obstacles and the opportunities shaping intellectual freedom across the country.

Our panel will include :

St Johnsbury School Librarians: Christine Owens & Caitlin Wallingford

Tunnel Books Owner: Merlin Heima

Vermont Author: Jo Knowles

Moderator: Loralee Tester

Youth Moderators: Donley & Florie Johnson

This event invites everyone who cares about open access to ideas to listen, learn, and join the conversation. The event is free, ADA accessible, and open to the public.

Register here: https://bit.ly/4bAD71w

Athenaeum Film Fan Club Comedy Series- Mon Oncle. Tuesday, April 14, 6:30 PM

Join the Athenaeum Film Fan Club for our monthly comedy movie with free popcorn and soft drinks.  This month features three silent film comedies. With an introduction by host Damian Ryan. 

Mon Oncle is a 1958 comedy film directed by Jacques Tati. Mon Oncle won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, a Special Prize at the 1958 Cannes Film Festival, and the New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Foreign Language Film.

The film centers on the socially awkward yet lovable character of Monsieur Hulot and his quixotic struggle with postwar France's infatuation with modern architecture, mechanical efficiency and consumerism. Like most Tati films, Mon Oncle is largely a visual comedy: color and lighting are employed to help tell the story. The dialogue in Mon Oncle is barely audible, and largely subordinated to the role of a sound effect. The drifting noises of heated arguments and idle banter complement other sounds and the physical movements of the characters, intensifying comedic effect. The complex soundtrack also uses music to characterize environments, including a lively musical theme that represents Hulot's world of comical inefficiency and freedom.

This event is free, ADA accessible, and open to the public.

PoemTown Reading and Reception, Saturday, April 11, 4 PM

Twelve poets from the more than 100 who submit poems this year will share their poems at this year’s PoemTown St Johnsbury Reading and Reception. Many of the poems will address the 2026 PoemTown theme, “Voices.” All are invited to stay for a reception and poet meet-and-greet.

PoemTown St. Johnsbury, an annual celebration of National Poetry Month in April, is a collaborative project of Catamount Arts, the St. Johnsbury Athenaeum, and Discover St. Johnsbury.

This event is free, ADA accessible, and open to the public.

Stonechat: Poetry Reading with Mary Elder Jacobsen, Saturday, April 4, 3 PM

Join us in the Athenaeum Art Gallery for an afternoon poetry reading by Mary Elder Jacobsen, who will be sharing selections from her debut collection of poetry, Stonechat (Rootstock 2024), along with – aptly - a few new art-inspired poems. 

Mary Elder Jacobsen lives, writes, and plays in Calais, Vermont. Her work has appeared widely in print, online, and on the air.

For more about Jacobsen and Stonechat, visit the website of Mary Elder Jacobsen.

Register Here

This event is free, ADA accessible, and open to the public.

Rain or Shine: Vermont’s Changing Climate--Wednesday, March 25, 6 PM

Ever wonder why Vermont’s weather feels different these days? Presented in collaboration with the Fairbanks Museum, this talk features Megan Duncan, a member of the Eye on the Sky team and an expert on extreme precipitation and flooding. It explores the science behind our changing climate—from warmer temperatures to shifting patterns of rain and snow—and shows how these changes are affecting our rivers, forests, and communities. The talk also considers what this could mean for life here in the Northeast Kingdom and the landscapes we care about. Participants will leave with a sense of connection to the land, the science, and the community as we navigate climate change together. 

Contact Megan Robinson at mrobinson@stjathenaeum.org or  802-745-1392 for questions. 

RSVP Here

This event is free, ADA accessible, and open to the public.

In support of Vermont Reads.

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Car Terminology with Rowley Wrench, Saturday, March 21, 1 PM

Gain confidence around cars by learning the essential terminology every driver should know. This introductory session breaks down common automotive terms in a clear, approachable way—perfect for beginners or anyone looking to strengthen their understanding of how vehicles work.

Weather permitting, the class will include a hands‑on demonstration where participants can see components up close.

Rowley Wrench empowers women and other marginalized communities historically excluded from automotive spaces by making car care education accessible, hands-on, and community driven. Find out more at their website: www.rowleywrench.org

Register Here

For more information, contact Megan Robinson at mrobinson@stjathenaeum.org or 802-748-8291.

This event is free, ADA accessible, and open to the public.

Music in the Gallery Concert Series - Bob Amos on Friday, March 20, 1 PM

Acclaimed Vermont songwriter has had songs at the top of the national Folk, Americana and Bluegrass charts. Over a 35-year career, he has recorded 12 albums and has toured extensively throughout the USA and Europe. In 2023 Bob's Vermont-inspired song "The Hills That I Call Home," recorded with his daughter Sarah for their Ever Onward album, reached #1 on the Folk Alliance International chart. In this special performance at the Athenaeum, Bob will play a variety of original songs written over the course of his long career. 

 Join us for our series showcasing impressive and diverse NEK musical talent. You'll encounter new and familiar performers in the spectacular setting of the Art Gallery on the third Friday of each
month at 1 pm.

Upcoming Concerts

April 17  Tom Stamp

May 15  Sue Persson

June 19  Jon Speer and the Meld

 The concerts are free, ADA accessible, and open to the public.

ATHENAEUM HALL EXHIBITION: Ice Shanties: Fishing, People & Culture, March and April 2026

Ice Shanties: Fishing, People & Culture is brought to the Athenaeum by the Vermont Folklife Center. The exhibition features the structures, people and culture of ice fishing seen through the lens of Vermont-based Colombian photographer Federico Pardo, and through interviews by Vermont Folklife.

The exhibition is free, ADA accessible, and open to the public.

Upcoming Hall Gallery Exhibitions:
A Self-Love Journey by Sedricka Morris (May-June)
Photographs by Bob Jenks (July-September)
Stereoscopes (October-December)

Needle Felting Workshop, Monday, March 16, 10 AM

Learn how to needle-felt a wool leprechaun! Space is limited. For teens through adults. Free and ADA accessible. To receive a registration link, email Kristen Langlais at laughingcrowfarmvt@gmail.com

This event is free, ADA accessible, and open to the public.

Puppet Kabob- Snowflake Bentley, Saturday, March 14, 10:30 AM

The story of The Snowflake Man is inspired by Wilson "Snowflake" Bentley, the self-educated farmer and scientist who attracted world attention when he became the first person to photograph a single snow crystal. 

The Snowflake Man swings audiences into the historic 1920s through creative storytelling, intricately designed Czech-style marionettes, and a striking pop-up book of water color scenery. This UNIMA-USA award winning show combines art, science, and a little known piece of American history to magical effect!  This event is free, ADA accessible, and open to the public.

“The incredible attention to detail, both visually and in her performance style, demonstrates Sarah's mastery of storytelling in this charming show!”     
- UNIMA-USA

This event is free, ADA accessible, and open to the public.

Thirty-Eight: The Hurricane That Transformed New England, Thursday, March 12, 6:30 PM

Stephen Long tells the story of New England’s Katrina, focusing on the devastation to the region’s forests and the daunting challenge facing New Englanders still in the throes of the Great Depression. Long is the author of Thirty-Eight: The Hurricane That Transformed New England (2016).

“A wonderfully written account of an ecologically and socially transformative event that continues to shape the development of New England’s forests and serves as an important point of reflection on disaster preparedness and appropriate management response.”—Anthony D’Amato, University of Vermont

This event is free, ADA accessible, and open to the public.