Community Calendar

Cookies and other baked goods, crafts and silent auction items.

Cookies and other baked goods, crafts and silent auction items.

Improve your knowledge of English and become more comfortable speaking in everyday situations. Practice basic English grammar concepts in conversation, learning how to ask and answer questions, expanding your vocabulary, and learning to understand the sounds of spoken English.

This class is intended for adult participants at a low intermediate level of speaking English or higher, but all are welcome to attend.

On September 2 this class will be held in the Bilder Family Meeting Room.

This program requires registration. There will be limited seats for unregistered patrons.

For more information or to register, please contact Britta at brittak@dkpl.org or (815) 756-9568 ext. 2100.

Join us Friday mornings this fall for an informal crafting get-together at the Pick Museum. Try the week’s featured activity, bring your own project, or use the supplies provided to do your own thing. Drop in and leave as you need.

This is a great time to meet other crafters, try something new, and decompress before the weekend.

Follow us on Facebook or Instagram (@pickmuseumniu) for a preview of the week's featured activity.

Do you struggle to find time and space to wrap holiday presents at home? Trying to keep the magic alive for the youngsters in your life, but their curiosity makes it tricky to keep surprises secret? Join us for a child-free gift-wrapping space!

Enjoy a hot chocolate bar and music while you prepare gifts for those you love. All wrapping supplies will be provided, but you’re welcome to bring your own if you prefer.

This is a free event. Registration is not required. This program is for adults only.

For additional information, please contact Amy at amyf@dkpl.org or call (815) 756-9568 ext. 6108.

Chef Cherise Slattery will teach you how to make two delicious Christmas yeast breads with the same basic dough! Learn to make a Christmas Star Bread studded with pistachios and a strawberry jam swirl and Pull Apart Christmas Tree Buns with roasted red pepper and parmesan cheese.

Enjoy samples of these beautiful breads and leave with the recipes and knowledge to make them at home for your own holiday celebration!

This program is first come, first served, and is limited to 40 participants. It is intended for adults. No registration is required.

For additional information, please contact Chelsea at chelsear@dkpl.org or (815) 756-9568 ext. 1700.

The Galena History Symposium will be held in Galena, IL May 15-17, 2026 as a part of the Galena Bicentennial celebrations. Professional and avocational historians, archeologists, and preservationists will present papers, panels, and performances about the history of Galena, Illinois.

Galena history includes the stories of pre-historic mound builders; Native nations and struggles for autonomy and land rights; the booming lead mining trade; the illegal enslavement of Black workers; the busy Mississippi River port; the work of women leaders including Sarah Coates Harris; and Congressman Elihu Washburne and his most favored military man, General Ulysses S. Grant.

As Galena settled into small town life in the late 1800s, many families left Galena for better opportunities. The 19th century commercial buildings and homes were barely maintained. Today, with over 100 years of preservation efforts, Galena, a city of 3,250 people, is the third most visited tourist destination in the state of Illinois after Chicago and Springfield, with a remarkable assortment of historic buildings and homes on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Symposium will be held at the DeSoto House Hotel on May 15-17, 2026, with registration opening in December 2025. For more information, see galenahistory.org and click on the Symposium tab. For questions, email Tracey Lee Roberts, coordinator at galenahistorysymposium@gmail.com See our Facebook page: Galena History Symposium at https://www.facebook.com/groups/609040911815246

Do you hear sleighbells? A jolly fellow from the North Pole will visit the library three times this December. Bring your holiday cheer and meet Santa before the holidays!

While children chat with Santa, parents may snap a photo on their phone or let our library staff capture the moment for you—perfect if your battery’s low or you want to join Santa in the picture. Santa’s happy helper will be there to give every visitor a treat and a special holiday coloring picture to remember the day.

Santa will visit the library on December 16 from 9:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., on December 17 from 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., and on December 20 from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

This program is free and intended for families with children. No registration is required.

For more information, contact Theresa at theresaw@dkpl.org or (815)-756-9568 ext. 3350.

Comfortably study for finals with your friends in the Teen Room. Snacks will be provided!

Video games, television, and table games will be unavailable during these times.

This program is for teens in grades 9-12. No registration is required.

For additional information, please contact Steven at stevenm@dkpl.org or at (815) 756-9568 ext. 3400.

Winter Sowing is a term for a specific method of starting seeds outdoors in an enclosed container. Gardeners plant seeds in recycled containers such as milk jugs then set the jugs outside for the winter. It’s that simple. Bring a clean plastic gallon milk or water jug and enjoy a hands-on workshop on starting your garden plants the easy way. All other supplies provided. The workshop will be led by Master Gardeners from the University of Illinois Extension Office.