Thomasville Library Events: Fireside Stories, Scam Tips and a Live Nativity Fill the Calendar Through December

THOMASVILLE, Ala. — From a beginner’s computer class tonight to a live nativity, a fireside storytelling night and a holiday market, the Thomasville library events calendar is full through the end of the year.

The Thomasville Public Library, the Career Readiness Center and the Arts Council of Thomasville have released a joint schedule of community programs for the rest of October, November and December. The lineup mixes practical workshops on technology, scams and freelancing with book clubs, crafts and seasonal celebrations designed to bring residents of all ages downtown.

Several events are free but require pre-registration, and one, the Arts Council’s Rails and Tales storytelling evening, requires a ticket purchased in advance. Here is a closer look at what is coming up.

Thomasville library events in October

• Microsoft Word for the absolute beginner: Thursday, Oct. 29, 6 p.m., Career Readiness Center

The month closes with an introductory class on Microsoft Word, the widely used word processing program. The session is aimed at people with little or no experience, making it a good starting point for anyone who wants to write a resume, type a letter or fill out documents for work or school.

November: scams, stories and a holiday market

• Scam prevention workshop: Tuesday, Nov. 10, 5 p.m., at the library. Free; pre-registration required.
• Rails and Tales: Storytelling in a Railroad Town: Saturday, Nov. 14, 5:30 p.m., hosted by the Arts Council of Thomasville at the library. Tickets $25, sold through Nov. 10 at the Civic Center box office.
• Adult book club: Tuesday, Nov. 17, 5:30 p.m., at the library, discussing “The Pirate Queen” by Ariel Lawhon.
• Holly holiday market fundraiser: Thursday, Nov. 19, 4 to 6:30 p.m., at the library. Vendor registration deadline Nov. 13.
• Microsoft Excel for the absolute beginner: Saturday, Nov. 28, noon, Career Readiness Center

Protecting yourself from holiday scams

The Nov. 10 scam prevention workshop features Thomasville Police Department Det. Patrick Champion, who will share tips for avoiding scams during the holiday season. The program is free, but participants must register ahead of time.

The timing is deliberate. The weeks between Thanksgiving and the new year bring a surge in online shopping, package deliveries and charitable giving, and scammers often take advantage of the rush with fake delivery notices, phony online stores, gift card schemes and fraudulent charity appeals. Federal consumer protection officials routinely urge shoppers to pay with methods that offer fraud protection, to be wary of anyone who demands payment by gift card or wire transfer, and to verify messages by contacting a company directly rather than clicking links in texts or emails. A session with a local detective offers a chance to ask questions about what investigators are seeing close to home.

Rails and Tales celebrates a storytelling legacy

The Arts Council of Thomasville’s Rails and Tales: Storytelling in a Railroad Town is inspired by Kathryn Tucker Windham, the celebrated Alabama storyteller who grew up in Thomasville. The evening will feature storytelling around a fire, homemade soup and cornbread, and a hayride through downtown.

Tickets cost $25 and must be bought by Nov. 10 at the Civic Center box office, so anyone interested should plan ahead; the deadline falls four days before the event.

The theme ties together two threads of local history. Thomasville grew up in the late 1880s along the route of the Mobile and West Alabama Railroad, which connected the area to Mobile and Selma, and businesses from nearby Choctaw Corners moved to be near the new line. Windham, born in Selma in 1918, spent her childhood in Thomasville and started writing movie reviews as a girl for her cousin’s newspaper, The Thomasville Times. She went on to become a pioneering newspaper reporter and photographer, and in 1969 she published “13 Alabama Ghosts and Jeffrey,” the first of a popular series of ghost story collections rooted in Southern folklore. She later founded the Alabama Tale Tellin’ Festival in Selma in 1978 and became a nationally known storyteller before her death in 2011. Her stories remain part of Thomasville’s identity through local events such as the city’s Ghost Walk.

Book club and holiday market

The library’s adult book club meets Nov. 17 at 5:30 p.m. to discuss “The Pirate Queen” by Ariel Lawhon, a historical novelist best known for “The Frozen River.” New members are typically welcome at library book clubs, and readers who want to join can check with the library about borrowing a copy.

On Nov. 19, the library will host the Holly holiday market fundraiser from 4 to 6:30 p.m., giving shoppers a chance to browse local vendors ahead of the holidays. Vendors must register by Nov. 13. Each table requires a $5 non-refundable donation and a completed form approved by Library Director Nichole Stinson.

Spreadsheet basics

The Career Readiness Center follows its Word class with Microsoft Excel for the absolute beginner, offered Saturday, Nov. 28, at noon, and again in December. Spreadsheet skills are useful for budgeting, tracking inventory and a wide range of office jobs, and they are among the basic computer skills employers frequently look for.

December: nativity, Polar Express and needlepoint

• Live nativity: Tuesday, Dec. 1, 5 p.m., hosted at the library by area churches in partnership with the Arts Council of Thomasville
• Polar Express Book Night: Thursday, Dec. 3, 4 to 5:30 p.m., at the library
• Microsoft Excel for the absolute beginner: Saturday, Dec. 5, noon, Career Readiness Center
• Holiday needlepoint workshop: Tuesday, Dec. 8, 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., at the library. Free; pre-registration required.
• Adult book club: Tuesday, Dec. 15, 5:30 p.m., at the library, discussing “The French Illusion” by John Grisham
• Freelancing and monetizing your skills: Thursday, Dec. 17, 6 p.m., and Saturday, Dec. 19, noon, Career Readiness Center

A season of community celebrations

December opens with a live nativity on Dec. 1, presented at the library by area churches in partnership with the Arts Council of Thomasville. Two days later, the library’s Polar Express Book Night on Dec. 3 centers on “The Polar Express,” Chris Van Allsburg’s Caldecott Medal-winning picture book about a boy’s magical train ride to the North Pole on Christmas Eve, a fitting choice for a town with deep railroad roots.

Crafters can sign up for the free holiday needlepoint workshop on Dec. 8, when participants can stitch a Santa Claus, a holiday ribbon or a present pattern. Pre-registration is required.

The adult book club wraps up the year on Dec. 15 with “The French Illusion” by John Grisham, the bestselling author whose legal thrillers have been fixtures on bestseller lists for decades.

Turning skills into income

The Career Readiness Center closes its calendar with a two-session program on freelancing and monetizing your skills, offered Dec. 17 at 6 p.m. and Dec. 19 at noon. Freelance and gig work, from writing and graphic design to bookkeeping and tutoring, has become a common way for people to earn extra income or build a business from home, and the session is aimed at helping participants think about how to turn what they already know into paid work. Offering the program on both a weeknight and a Saturday gives working residents more than one chance to attend.

Why these programs matter in a small town

In smaller communities, the public library often serves as far more than a place to check out books. It can be a computer lab, a meeting hall, a job-search center and a gathering place. Thomasville’s library has hosted a range of community gatherings this fall, and the pairing of library programs with the Career Readiness Center reflects that broader role, putting workforce skills such as Word, Excel and freelancing alongside book clubs and holiday traditions.

The Arts Council’s involvement adds a cultural layer, connecting residents to the town’s railroad history and to Windham’s storytelling legacy.

How to take part

• Register in advance for the free scam prevention workshop (Nov. 10) and holiday needlepoint workshop (Dec. 8).
• Buy Rails and Tales tickets ($25) by Nov. 10 at the Civic Center box office.
• Vendors for the Holly holiday market must register by Nov. 13, pay a $5 non-refundable table donation and have a completed form approved by Library Director Nichole Stinson.
• Contact the Thomasville Public Library or the Career Readiness Center for registration details and questions about the computer classes.

Thomasville is in northeast Clarke County along U.S. Highway 43 in southwest Alabama.