An Afternoon with Abigail Adams and an Evening with Our Donors

We recently had the pleasure of hosting one of our favorite gatherings to date. On July 11th, the afternoon began at Tufts Library, where actress and playwright Laura Rocklyn brought Abigail Smith Adams to life for a free public performance. 

Cathy Torrey, Chair of the Board of Library Trustees & Laura Rocklyn in character as Abigail Smith Adams

Set in 1788, just as the Constitution had been ratified and the first Presidential election was on the horizon, Laura's portrayal invited the audience to look back on Abigail's remarkable life at the center of the events that shaped a new nation. Laura has performed with regional theater companies across the country and writes one-woman historic character portrayals for audiences around the world, and it showed. The Multipurpose Room was full, the questions afterward were thoughtful, and attendees left excited to dive into their gifted copies of “A Founding Mother”, authored by historians Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie.

A Founding Mother

In time for the 250th anniversary of the birth of the United States comes a sweeping, intimate portrayal of Abigail Adams—wife of one president and mother to another—whose wit, willpower, and wisdom helped shape the fledgling republic.

From there, we moved to The Patio for an invite-only happy hour honoring the donors who make everything we do possible. Our friends at Fuel America generously sponsored the evening, providing live music and delicious food, and the drinks and appetizers kept the conversation going well into the evening. We were honored to have Mayor Mike Molisse join us, along with friends and supporters from across the Weymouth community. It was a chance to simply say thank you, in person, to the people whose support keeps our libraries thriving.

The Patio Wine Bar overlooking Tufts Library & Weston Park

Events like this remind us why we do this work. Great programming, free and open to the community, exists because of our donors. We're grateful to Laura Rocklyn for a memorable performance, to Director Amy Rosa and the Tufts Library staff for their partnership, to Fuel America for their generosity, to The Patio for hosting us, and most of all to our donors and guests who came out to celebrate with us. 

Here's to more opportunities to come together for a great and significant local cause. If you'd like to support the Weymouth Libraries Foundation, we'd love to have you join us!