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There’s something for all ages at the seventh annual Literacy Expo Night to be held from 6 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, March 26, at Plymouth Community Intermediate School, 117 Long Pond Road. Rebecca Hamel, the school’s library media specialist, said the event is open to and welcomes the public, not just families with students at the school.
As a member of the school’s Literacy Support Team, which focused on supporting literacy across the curriculum, Hamel once attended a conference led by Dr. Julie Meltzer. Since then, the team took up the motto, “Literacy is not one more thing added to the plate; literacy is the plate.”
The team’s mission, according to Hamel, is to provide professional development and literacy strategies to support all teachers.
“We’ve done professional development, we do strategies in the classroom, supporting teachers, and trying to get students to understand what reading in math class looks like, what writing in math class looks like versus writing in civics,” she said.
She said Principal Brian Palladino has been supportive of the team’s work. Seven years ago, the idea took root for an expo to inform the public about the literacy team’s efforts. Starting with authors coming and giving talks to students, the event morphed into what it is today, which includes much more.
Madde Mahoney, the children’s librarian from Plymouth Public Library, will read stories to little children at the event. Book Love, the local Pinehills store, will have its books for sale, and 12 local authors will have tables displaying and selling their books. Scavenger hunt clues will encourage people to walk around and engage with the local authors and their books.
People can check out theshows at Blake Planetarium that Steve Davies will be running through the evening. Ed TV will also have a demonstration. Hamel said this district-wide program teaches kids how to film, edit, use the green screen, and many other aspects of making television.
Student work from all three grades of the intermediate school will be on display. And important programs and resources will be present, such as Plymouth Area Prevention, which works with teens to inform them about addiction and other issues. There will be raffles and free giveaways as well.
The food truck South Shore Smokehouse will be parked nearby. The whole event is casual, Hamel said. Attendees don’t have to stay all evening – they can drop in and leave when they want.
There’s a familiar complaint that kids just don’t read enough anymore, and that they’re glued to their devices. Hamel said events like this expo can get students excited about reading and writing.
“The more we do around books and how cool it is to read, it just sets an example,” she said. And talking with published authors can offer a roadmap to future writers.
The event is free, and no registration is necessary.
Monday, March 16
“Billy Preston: That’s the Way God Planned It,” a documentary following the life of keyboardist, singer, and songwriter Billy Preston, is screening at the Plimoth Cinema in Plimoth Patuxet Museums, 137 Warren Ave. Preston’s Grammy-winning career spanned 60 years, and he famously worked with the Beatles, along with greats like Ray Charles, Mahalia Jackson, Aretha Franklin, The Rolling Stones, and Barbra Streisand, among many others. Another musical documentary, “EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert,” a follow-up to director Baz Luhrmann’s biopic on Elvis, will continue screening at the cinema through Thursday, March 19. Film times are 4:30 and 7 p.m. Tickets are $12.50, $11 with a club card, $10 for seniors or members, and $8.50 for seniors with a club card.
Tuesday, March 17
The Tween Graphic Novel Club will meet from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. at the Plymouth Public Library, 132 South St. The discussion will focus on the book, “Survival Scout: Lost in the Mountains,” by Maxwell Eaton. Along with the discussion, the meeting includes an activity and snack. Kids ages 9 through 12 are invited but must register here. The book is available to borrow from the circulation desk, so allow enough time to read it before the meeting. For more information, contact 508-830-4250, ext. 210.
The Irish band Dervish will present A St. Patrick’s Day Celebration at the Spire starting at 7:30 p.m. The six-person band from Ireland is respected internationally as one of the best examples of traditional Irish music going. Having been performing and recording for more than 30 years, the band is still touring the world, and its members are “steeped in the musical traditions of counties Sligo and Leitrim in north-west Ireland.” Tickets are $40 and $44, and can be purchased here.
Wednesday, March 18
Kids of all ages are invited to make “Paper People” in a crafty session from 2 to 3:30 p.m. in the Fehlow Meeting Room at the Plymouth Public Library, 132 South St. The library will use its dye cut machine to make paper people and paper clothing or accessories out of different kinds of paper. Attendees can bring paper from home – anything including wrapping paper, magazines, old greeting cards, or other interesting papers. Library staff will model using paper people to retell stories from books or folklore, or kids can act out stories of their own. This is a drop-in program.
The public is invited to a free presentation about the Cape Cod and Southeast Massachusetts Rabies Program and its success at managing raccoon rabies, at 3 p.m. at Wildlands Trust. Join Task Force Chair Zak Mertz and USDA Massachusetts Rabies Program Coordinators Brian Bjorklund and Alexis Sigillo to learn more about this program, and how raccoon rabies has been eliminated from Cape Cod. Registration is required for this presentation, and can be done here. Meet at the Conservation Barn at Davis-Douglas Farm, 675 Long Pond Road. If registration has closed, email events@wildlandstrust.org.
Inebri-Art presents Dungeons & Dragons night from 6 to 9 p.m. at Dirty Water Distillery, 49 Cordage Park Circle. People with any experience level are welcome to join, pick a character, and dive into an adventure that includes “exploration, role play, and dice-rolling drama.” Seating begins at 5:30 p.m. to allow time for participants to get food and drink and prepare. Attendees are not required to, but may bring their own dice and/or note-taking materials. The rest of what’s needed to play will be provided. Tickets for the event are $28.52, and available here.
Thursday, March 19
Sustainable Plymouth and Mass Audubon will host a Climate Café from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at Independent Fermentations, 127 Camelot Drive. All ages are welcome to attend and engage in judgment-free, informal conversations to foster understanding of climate change and its local impacts. Register for this free event here.
Friday, March 20
“One Battle After Another,” produced, written, and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, and starring Leonardo DiCaprio, will be screening at Plimoth Cinema in the Plimoth Patuxet Museums, 137 Warren Ave. The film is inspired by the Thomas Pynchon novel, “Vineland,” and the ensemble cast also includes Sean Penn, Benicio del Toro, Regina Hall, Teyana Taylor, and Chase Infiniti. This dark comedy focuses on a former revolutionary played by DiCaprio who’s gone underground for years, but must get back into the fight to protect himself and his daughter from a corrupt military officer (Penn). Also screening at the cinema is “Tow,” about a homeless woman, played by Rose Byrne, who must fight an astronomical tow bill to get her car – and her life – back. Film times are 4:30 and 7 p.m. Tickets are $12.50, $11 with a club card, $10 for seniors or members, and $8.50 for seniors with a club card.
Saturday, March 21
The League of Women Voters of the Plymouth Area invites the public to learn more about ranked choice voting from 1 to 4 p.m. in the Fehlow Meeting Room of the Plymouth Public Library, 132 South St. The event will include a short video, “Majority Rules 101,” to be followed by a discussion about ranked choice voting. No registration is required.
The Bruce Katz Band will play at the Spire at 8 p.m. Katz is an acclaimed keyboardist who has been involved in multiple albums led by himself or other blues and jazz luminaries. Katz is a composer who combines American roots music and blues with jazz elements or improvisational rock music. Tickets are $31 and $34, and are available here.
Monday, March 23
Join the Herring Pond Watershed Association and Wildlands Trust at 5 p.m. for a presentation by John Sheppard, diadromous fisheries biologist from the Division of Marine Fisheries, at the Wildlands Trust Conservation Barn, 675 Long Pond Road. (Diadromous fish regularly migrate between fresh water and salt water during their life span.) Sheppard’s presentation will explain the importance of river herring to the marine environment and how and why they are counted as they spawn. Sheppard will also provide guidelines for counting river herring in Massachusetts, giving an overview of river herring life history, management, and monitoring efforts. Attend in person or virtually. The event is free, but registration is required. To register, go here.
Tuesday, March 24
The Plymouth Public Library, 132 South St., is hosting an online discussion from 2 to 4 p.m. with authors Shoshana Walter and Barbara Kingsolver, on the topic of Walter’s book, “Rehab: An American Scandal.” The book exposes the nation’s failed response to the opioid crisis, and uncovers “the malfeasance, corruption, and snake oil which blight the drug rehabilitation industry.” The book follows four individuals who were adversely affected by this defective system. Join the discussion to get insight on ways to fix the system. To register and attend virtually, go here.
Thursday, March 26
The 7th Annual Literacy Night Expo takes place from 6 to 8 p.m. at Plymouth Community Intermediate School, 117 Long Pond Road. See the lead item in this column for more details on the free event.
Friday, March 27
It’s Country Night from 6 to 11 p.m. at Uva Wine Bar, 46 Main St. Plan to fill up on barbeque by BBQ Bark; learn line dancing with Maureen Godding; take some pictures at a photo booth; and decorate cowboy hats or boots at a branding bar with Pony Girlz. Tickets are $49.87, and they’re available here.
Multiple Grammy nominee Joan Osborne will sing the “Songs of Bob Dylan” from her album of the same name at the Spire at 8 p.m. In 2017, Osborne released a critically acclaimed album of her reinterpretations of Dylan’s songs. In April of 2025, she released “Dylanology Live,” an album made before a live audience with special guests Amy Helm, Robert Randolph and Jackie Greene. Osborne’s unique voice successfully takes on any genre of music. Tickets for the concert are $62.50 and $69, and available here. There’s also the opportunity for a VIP Meet & Greet package for an extra $120 at checkout, which includes meeting the artist and receiving related swag.
Saturday, March 28
The Plymouth Philharmonic Orchestra, led by conductor Steven Karidoyanes, will present “Old Friends & New” at 7:30 p.m. at the Plymouth South High School Performing Arts Center, 490 Long Pond Road. The concert promises to be an evening built around connection, collaboration, and music that bridges generations. Starting with the largest orchestra of the season: members of the South Shore Conservatory Youth Orchestra, directed by Elijah Langille, will join the Plymouth Philharmonic musicians to perform “Danse nègre” by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor. At the heart of the concert, guest cellist Allison Eldredge will perform the monumental Cello Concerto in B minor by Antonín Dvořák. The program also introduces the audience toa contemporary voice with “For a Beautiful Land,” a symphonic poem by Linda Robbins Coleman. A free pre-concert talk by Karidoyanes will begin at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $35 and $70, and they are available to purchase here.