One quick ask: In two weeks, we’ll be featuring Glow Big or Go Home; an issue all about local homes decked out for the holidays. If you know a house that should be included, please send me a note at [email protected]

Two fun holiday highlights to kick off the month:

Letters to the North Pole
Now through December 10, drop your child’s letter to Santa in the red North Pole mailbox outside the Avon Senior Center. Include your child’s name, age, and school, along with a self-addressed envelope. A short but, personalized reply from the North Pole will arrive in time for the holidays.

Greenhouse Train & Trolley Show
The popular Train & Trolley Show returns to Elizabeth Park for its second consecutive year. Visit December 5–18, daily from 11–4 (closed Mondays). Admission is free and open to the public.

Blue Back Square, a shopping and dining mecca featuring spots like Barnes & Noble and Crate & Barrel (apparently, if you don’t have an ampersand in your name, you can’t “sit with us” a la Mean Girls rules), has been open since 2007. But do you know how it got its name?

The name is a nod to Noah Webster’s 1783 textbook, The First Part of the Grammatical Institute of the English Language, which was nicknamed the Blue-Backed Speller thanks to its distinctive blue cover. More than just a spelling book, it became the gold standard for teaching reading, pronunciation, and moral lessons in early American classrooms.

Webster used the book to help shape a uniquely American identity, right down to how we spell words. Think color instead of colour, or theater instead of theatre. It was a runaway success: by the late 1800s, the Blue-Backed Speller had sold more than 100 million copies, without the help of TikTok or Instagram reels.

The book laid the foundation for Webster’s later (and more famous) work: Webster’s Dictionary.

Today, the Blue-Backed Speller’s legacy lives on in Blue Back Square, not just in name, but in spirit. The square is home to public art and murals, regular community events, and is anchored by the Noah Webster Library, continuing a tradition of learning, gathering, and civic pride, with a little retail therapy thrown in.

📜Did You Know?
By the late 1800s, the Bible was the only book to sell more copies than the Blue-Backed Speller.

🔍Valley Trivia
Noah Webster’s passion for education went beyond spelling and dictionaries, he even helped found a college. Which college did he help establish?

A) Yale University
B) Amherst College
C) Dartmouth College
D) Wesleyan University

Find out in next week’s issue!

Here’s what’s on deck this week around the Valley — mark your calendars!

Look for icons to find your crowd: 🎈 kid-friendly • 👤 adult • 🌞 all ages

Library Events

Discover what’s happening at your local library. Registration may be required—check with each library for full details and other events.