Sips & Stars
2026-04-21 19:00 - 20:00 (America/New_York)

Teen Lo-fi Lab
2026-04-22 15:30 - 16:30

Story Time
2026-04-23 10:00 - 11:00, 2026-04-30 10:00 - 11:00

Project Next Generation
2026-04-23 15:30 - 17:00, 2026-04-30 15:30 - 17:00

Thursday Night Book Discussion
2026-04-23 18:00 - 19:00

Little Ones Story Time
2026-04-24 10:00 - 10:30, 2026-05-01 10:00 - 11:00

Summer Soundcheck on the Library Lawn
2026-04-24 18:00 - 20:00

The Cake Share
2026-04-26 13:30 - 14:00
Beginning at 1:30 PM, drop into the library with a cake — homemade or store bought — to share and then enjoy a taste of cake during Chef Lori Parrett’s cake discussion. *Cake not required to enjoy presentation*

The Frosted Republic – How Illinois Taught America to Celebrate in Cake
2026-04-26 14:00 - 16:00
The library is proudly partnering with Illinois Humanities to host a discussion by Illinois Road Scholar, Lori Parrett. She will be discussing “The Frosted Republic – How Illinois Taught America to Celebrate in Cake.”
Cake is more than dessert; it’s a reflection of who we are and how we celebrate. The Frosted Republic traces Illinois’ surprising role in shaping America’s sweet traditions—from Wilton’s early classrooms in Roseland, to Duncan Hines’ Chicago food guides, to Sara Lee’s Downers Grove bakery that made celebration accessible to every freezer aisle. Together, these stories reveal how Illinois became a quiet engine of cultural joy, teaching the nation to express love, resilience, and creativity through buttercream, boxed mixes, and pound cakes.
Chef Lori Parrett leads audiences through this history as both pastry chef and storyteller, blending archival research, lived experience, and visual demonstration. Using slides, vintage imagery, and a few edible artifacts, she invites participants to see cake decorating as both craft and cultural record—evidence of migration, ingenuity, and the art of making do. Warm, interactive, and grounded in Illinois history, The Frosted Republic reminds audiences that every piped rose and every slice shared tells a story about who we are and how we celebrate together.

Lego Club
2026-04-28 15:30 - 16:30

Family Play Lab
2026-04-28 18:00 - 19:00

First Chapter Friday
2026-05-01 15:30 - 16:30

Dungeons & Dragons
2026-05-01 16:30 - 19:30, 2026-05-15 16:30 - 19:30

A Court of Book Lovers -- ACOTAR Book Club
2026-05-05 18:00 - 19:00

PNG
2026-05-07 15:30 - 17:00, 2026-05-14 15:30 - 17:00, 2026-05-21 15:30 - 17:00

May the 4th Be With You -- All Ages Star Wars Party
2026-05-08 17:30 - 19:00

Crime Lovers Book Club
2026-05-11 18:00 - 19:00

Adult Coloring
2026-05-13 14:00 - 15:00

Teen Foodie Club
2026-05-13 16:00 - 17:00

Wild Boar to Baconfest: Pigs in History and Popular Culture
2026-05-16 10:30 - 12:00
The library is proudly partnering with Illinois Humanities to host Illinois Road Scholar, Cynthia Clampitt. She will be discussing “Wild Boar to Baconfest: Pigs in History and Popular Culture.”
In this talk, Cynthia Clampitt presents the history of pigs and pork to examine the impact these animals had worldwide. Clampitt will focus on the Midwest, including why poet Carl Sandburg would call Chicago “Hog Butcher for the World.”
Pigs were the first food animals to be domesticated, so their history with humans dates back more than 12,000 years. However, antiquity is just one of the reasons why pork is the most eaten meat in the world. This odd, paradoxical animal offers a great range of advantages when it comes to feeding large populations—especially urban populations—though, historically, it has also offered several disadvantages. Once pigs were introduced to the Americas, they became an almost instant success, raised by settlers but also valued by Native Americans. As the Midwest opened, pigs moved west and numbers grew rapidly. From Cincinnati, known in the early 1800s as Porkopolis, the center of pork culture moved to Chicago.
Pigs offer culinary delight and potential medical advances, but also create some challenges. Join Clampitt in exploring the topic of pigs, which is as far-ranging as pigs themselves.

Bits & Pieces Journal Club
2026-05-18 18:00 - 19:00

Community Grant Writing Group
2026-05-19 18:00 - 19:00

Board Meeting
2026-05-20 17:00 - 18:00

Teen Craft Night
2026-05-22 17:30 - 19:00
