5 Things To Know In Mansfield: Students Revive 1774 Declaration Play, Vampire Folklore Talk And More

MANSFIELD, CT — Mansfield Middle School students perform a reimagined play about the town's 1774 Declaration of Freedom Wednesday at the Historical Society, the library hosts a talk on New England's vampire scare Tuesday, and early voting for the Nov. 3 election ends Sunday at two sites.

Here are five things to know about life around Mansfield this week:

1. Students Revive A 1974 Play About Mansfield's 1774 Declaration Of Freedom
When: Wednesday, Oct. 28, 6:30 p.m.
Where: Mansfield Historical Society, Old Town Hall, 954 Storrs Road
What to know: Mansfield Middle School students will perform a reading of "Freedom: That Sacred Plant of Paradise," a play the Mansfield Historical Society wrote in 1974 for the 200th anniversary of the town's 1774 Declaration of Freedom, according to the town. The students found the play while studying local history for America 250, got permission to revise the script for 2026 and wrote biographies of the colonial residents who appear as characters, under enrichment teacher Jennifer McMunn. The performance is in the newly renovated Old Town Hall, home of the Historical Society museum; admission is free and refreshments will be served.
More information here.

2. Library Talk On New England's Vampire Folk Belief
When: Tuesday, Oct. 27, 6 to 7:30 p.m.
Where: Buchanan Auditorium, Mansfield Public Library, 54 Warrenville Road
What to know: The library hosts "New England Vampire Folk Belief: The Archaeological Record," a talk on the late 18th- and 19th-century practice of exhuming and mutilating corpses in a desperate attempt to stop consumption, as tuberculosis was then called, according to the town calendar. By 1800, almost 25% of adult deaths in the Northeast were blamed on the disease, the listing says.
More information here.

3. Early Voting Ends Sunday At Town Hall And UConn
When: Monday, Oct. 26, through Sunday, Nov. 1 (final week); 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., except 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 27, and Thursday, Oct. 29
Where: Council Chamber, Audrey P. Beck Municipal Building, 4 S. Eagleville Road; UConn Bookstore, 2075 Hillside Road
What to know: Early voting for the Nov. 3 election continues through Sunday in the Town Hall Council Chamber and at the UConn Bookstore, according to the town. Check the town website for each site's hours.
More information here.

4. Halloween At The Library And Senior Center
When: Friday, Oct. 30, 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. (Senior Center); Saturday, Oct. 31, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. (library)
Where: Mansfield Public Library, 54 Warrenville Road; Senior Center, 303 Maple Road
What to know: The Mansfield Public Library's annual family Halloween party fills the building with ghostly games, creepy crafts and trick-or-treating at the library desks, with costumes encouraged, according to the town calendar. The day before, the Senior Center holds a BOO-runch Cafe with a life-sized Candyland game and Halloween party.
More information here.

5. Town Council Meets; Zoning Appeals Reorganizes
When: Monday, Oct. 26, 7 p.m. (Town Council); Tuesday, Oct. 27, 6 p.m. (ZBA)
Where: Council Chamber and Conference Room B, Town Hall, 4 S. Eagleville Road
What to know: The Town Council holds its regular meeting Monday; its agenda had not been published as of Thursday, Oct. 22. The Zoning Board of Appeals holds its biennial organization meeting Tuesday, electing a chair and secretary and reviewing its bylaws, a legal training opportunity for commissioners and its 2027 meeting calendar, according to its agenda.
More information here.