Festival Workshops

Music Together, Workshop Tent, 10:00 – 11:00 am, free

Julie Quimby of the Pakachoag Community Music School invites you to share the joy of music here at the library with your baby, toddler or preschooler. Julie will lead you in discovering developmentally appropriate musical activities to introduce the internationally recognized Music Together program. Activities include singing, instrument play, rhythmic chants, and movement activities. Come participate with your child in this fun and engaging class! To learn

Creative Writing Workshop, Workshop Tent, 11:00 am, free - “Creative Writing with a Message” How do you pass a message along, but still keep your creative writing project entertaining? Shiko Gathuo will use her book, Tay and the Form 1’As at St. Claire’s, (first in a series) to illustrate how a writer can teach through their stories. Based in a Kenyan boarding high school, the series tries to break the myth of “African children” as a generic class of people that lives under the same conditions, and brings home the message that even though most of Africa’s children live in poverty, they nevertheless, dream about and aspire for the same things as their counterparts around the world. Readers will learn global geography, history, politics, economics and culture while enjoying its primary goal of entertainment.

Watercolor Painting Demonstration, Workshop Tent, 12:00 Noon, free

JoEllen Reinhardt will demonstrate the art of water coloring painting. Watch and learn about the materials and techniques that JoEllen uses to create stunningly realistic paintings and portraits. JoEllen currently teaches at the Worcester Art Museum.

Poetry Workshop, Workshop Tent, 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm, free.

The Poet's Asylum workshop will feature a 5 or 10 minute writing prompt followed by critique of one poem that a poet is working on.   Participants are encouraged to bring one poem they are working on that may need work.   The maximum number of participants is limited to 8 to 10 people so that individuals can get the attention they need.  The workshop will be conducted by Poets' Asylum co-host Dave Keali'i.

Watercolor Painting Demonstration, Workshop Tent, 2:00 pm, free

Mark Waitkus is a nationally-recognized sports watercolorist. Mark gathers inspiration for his art from historic stadiums, legendary teams, and memorable moments in sports. His expressive brush strokes and use of color bring his watercolors to life. His clients include the Boston Red Sox, St. Louis Cardinals, and Detroit Tigers.

Making a Hypertufa Trough, Workshop Tent, 3:00 pm, cost $15, limited to 8 participants

Lisa Terry will teach you how to make a hypertufa trough that can be used for container planting. Hypertufa is a lightweight, manmade stone created to look like weathered Tufa stone that is easy and fun to make. It is perfect for creating garden sculptures, troughs, and planters - your imagination is your only limit. It looks like rock, can be cast into almost any shape, is environmentally friendly, very lightweight and can withstand harsh weather conditions.