🍽️A Celebration of Food, Community & Your Library

Mark your calendars—Flavors of Dennis returns on Wednesday, June 10th from 5:00–7:30 PM at the beautiful West Dennis Yacht Club!

This beloved annual tradition is more than just a wonderful night out: it’s the West Dennis Library’s largest fundraiser of the year and a celebration of the community that sustains and supports our library. Bringing together the incredible restaurants of Dennis, this special evening highlights the local flavor, generosity, and community spirit that make our town so special.

Join friends, neighbors, local businesses, and food lovers from across Cape Cod for an unforgettable evening featuring:

✨ Signature dishes & appetizers from some of Dennis’ favorite restaurants

🎶 Live music

🎟️ A raffle & silent auction featuring local art, gift baskets, attraction tickets, and more

💙 A chance to directly support your library and the programs, services, and resources we provide year-round

Every ticket purchased helps support:

• Free community programming
• Lifelong learning opportunities
• Library collections and services
• A welcoming gathering place for our town

And if you’ve attended before, you know: this event fills up quickly every year!

🎟️ Tickets Are On Sale Now

$35 in advance

$40 at the door

Reserve your spot today by calling (508) 398-2050 or stopping by the library. You can also purchase tickets online by clicking the button below.

⚓🍸 RUM RUNNERS ON CAPE COD 🍸⚓

Before Cape Cod became the vacation destination we know today, it was home to bootleggers, smugglers, secret midnight runs, and dangerous trips to “Rum Row.”

Join local author and historian Don Wilding for a fascinating talk based on his new book, Prohibition on Cape Cod: Running the Rum In, and uncover Cape Cod’s hidden Prohibition-era past.

Discover the true stories behind:

🚤 Midnight rum-running missions

⚓ Fishermen and farmers turned bootleggers

🚨 Gangsters, hijackers & Coast Guard raids

🕵️ Mysterious disappearances and local legends

From Provincetown to Eastham to Yarmouth, ordinary Cape Codders risked fines, jail time — and even their lives — to bring illegal rum ashore during the 1920s and 30s.

One legendary story even claims Boston Mayor James Curley escaped through a window during a police raid at Yarmouth’s Casa Madrid!

Don Wilding has spent decades sharing the rich history and lore of Cape Cod through books, lectures, tours, and educational programs across New England. An award-winning writer, editor, and historian, he is the author of several acclaimed books on Cape Cod history, shipwrecks, storms, and the Outer Beach.

📚 Author Talk with Don Wilding

📍 West Dennis Library

📅 Friday, June 12

🕑 2:00 PM

Free and open to the public. A book signing will follow the talk, and books will be available for purchase, courtesy of our good friends at the Brewster Book Store.

Come uncover the surprising, dangerous, and unforgettable world of Cape Cod during Prohibition.

Come for the books, stay for the seeds! 🌱

Big news: the West Dennis Library is now the proud home of the West Dennis Garden Club Seed Library!

If you’ve started daydreaming about tomatoes, sunflowers, and garden dirt under your fingernails… same. Our seed library is here to help those dreams sprout — with free seeds for growing food, saving heirloom and native plants, and exploring sustainable gardening. Have extra seeds? Let’s swap!

How it works: Take seeds, grow them, and if you can, return some from your harvest to keep the cycle going.

By sharing seeds and simple resources, we’re growing more than gardens.  We’re nurturing biodiversity, sustainability, and community right here in Dennis.

Stop by, pick a packet, and let something wonderful grow. 🌼

The West Dennis Library is hosting a Flower Power Fundraiser to help cover the operating costs of the library, and we’d love your support! Help us keep this important community resource (and beloved “third space”) going strong for everyone.

Here’s the fun part: you can grow beauty while doing good. 🌼

We’re proud to partner with Flower Power Fundraising to offer an earth-friendly fundraising option featuring only the finest, best-quality bulbs and plants from trusted growers in Holland and the U.S. Think vibrant tulips, cheerful daffodils, gorgeous summer blooms, and more — delivered right to your door.

How it works:

🌱 Browse and choose your favorite bulbs and plants

🌷 Place your order

📦 They ship directly to you at planting time

💚 A portion of every purchase supports the West Dennis Library

Visit Our Fundraising Site Here

📖 Massachusetts Center for the Book Reading Challenge – May

Read a book set in Massachusetts.

Think of all the possibilities! Let’s be honest—it feels especially satisfying to read about a place we all know. This month’s challenge invites you to see Massachusetts through fresh eyes, whether your book takes you to a familiar Cape town, a bustling city street, or a hidden corner of the Commonwealth you’ve never noticed before.

Sometimes the best stories help us discover something new about the places closest to home.

✨ Why join the challenge?

• Connect with a community of readers across Massachusetts.

• Explore different genres outside of your comfort zone.

• Read at your own pace — no pressure, just pleasure.

Earn chances for free books each month and year-end prizes if you complete all 12 challenges.

How do I get started? Choose a book that fits the monthly challenge. After you read, fill out this form (here). The first time, you will be prompted to create an account. For more information visit: https://www.massbook.org/readingchallenge

West Dennis Free Public Library

260 Main Street (Route 28)

West Dennis, MA 02670

(508) 398-2050

[email protected]

The West Dennis Free Public Library welcomes all residents of West Dennis, Cape Cod, and beyond to enjoy free and open resources for education and entertainment, as well as activities and spaces to promote village social interaction, research, and access to technology. Founded in 1920, our Library has served as the
cultural heart of our community for over 100 years.