Community Calendar

During the 1940s, male professional baseball players left the field to lend a hand in WW2 war efforts. To keep the game alive, Chicago Cubs’ owner Philip K. Wrigley and others started the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL) which lasted from 1943-1954. Rockford’s own team, The Peaches, were one of the best teams in the league, winning the championship four times, more than any other team. Today many people know of the Peaches through the 1992 Hollywood film, A League of Their Own.

Provided by Midway Village Museum, this presentation is part of the America 250 initiative: celebrating our nation throughout the year. It is open to all ages and sponsored by The Friends of the Library. Registration is not required.

For more information, please contact Susan at susang@dkpl.org or (815) 756-9568 ext. 2114.

Embark on an exciting journey following the transformation of rocks and minerals into dazzling gemstones! This new series lets participants travel alongside a material’s formation in the earth, through the mining and production processes, and showcases how rough stones are formed, extracted, and transformed into sparkling gems. With real samples to examine and expert demonstrations, this program offers a fascinating look at the life cycle of a gem, highlighting the process that turns a simple rock into a stunning piece of nature’s art. The first program will focus on Jade.

Pop music comes and goes, but some songs from over 100 years ago are just as fresh in the mind as the day they were written. The Entertainer, Alexander’s Ragtime Band, St. Louis Blues, and Ballin’ the Jack are still familiar, but even when they first hit the scene, these songs were recognized as having something special.

We’ll look at some of the songs that captivated the public and how their popularity continued into the present, and we’ll also share some songs and rags that were hits back in their day. So to quote Irving Berlin, “come on along” for a great hour of ragtime and some early jazz and blues!

“Cherry & Jerry” is Isaac Cherry on percussion and Jerry Rabushka on piano. Based in St. Louis, the duo is also part of the larger “Ragged Blade Band,” and has toured music of the ragtime era throughout a several state area. They’ve found this music is great for good times – brewpubs, wineries, markets, festivals, and more! They’ve appeared in the Big River Steampunk Festival in Hannibal, MO, the Oddities and Curiosities Expo in Chicago and Tulsa, the RAGBRAI bicycle event in Iowa, and the St. Louis World’s Fare in their hometown.

This free event is open to all. No registration is required. It is sponsored by Gretchen and Charles Moore.

This event is part of the America 250 initiative; celebrating our nation throughout the year.

For more information, please contact Samantha at samanthah@dkpl.org or at (815) 756-9568 ext. 1701.

David Polk returns to the Lizzadro Museum! A Chicago-born saxophonist, he has been crafting and performing original music since 1979, starting with the jazz fusion group Juggular. For over 30 years, he has been the solo tenor saxophonist with the renowned Orchestra 33. David's 25-year solo career includes 6 albums. Known for his world-class musicianship and passion for melody, David continues to captivate audiences with his soulful sound. Check out the David Polk Project on YouTube for more!

The surprising story of how one of music’s biggest icons helped establish a memorial to the USS Arizona at Pearl Harbor. Elvis Presley’s benefit concert on March 25, 1961, drew national attention to the unfinished memorial and helped galvanize the public support needed to complete the USS Arizona Memorial as it stands today. The film runs 60 minutes, is rated PG, and is made possible through the WWII Foundation. The program is free and open to the public.

Sarah Taylor from the Colonel Palmer House will teach the fascinating history of the origins of ink and papermaking, presenting the models and meanings behind ancient and modern texts, origins of fonts, and popular time-period written works. Plus, attendees will have hands-on practice with ink-making with natural materials and create a quill-written monogram.
Free to attend, but advance registration is required.

Step into Illinois’s rich firearms-making past with local historian Curt Johnson in this educational presentation exploring the skilled gunmakers who produced long rifles throughout the Illinois Valley during the mid- to late-1800s. The program features original rifles crafted by local makers from communities including Magnolia, Hennepin, Henry, Peru, LaSalle, Princeton, and Ottawa, bringing regional craftsmanship and history vividly to life.

Featured makers include Henry Tope, who worked in Magnolia from 1844 to 1848 before relocating to Peru, where he died during the 1849 cholera epidemic, and Morris Wood of Hennepin, whose rifles date to the late 1860s. The presentation also highlights the work of many other craftsmen from Putnam, Marshall, Bureau, and LaSalle Counties, regions that collectively supported dozens of independent gunmakers, with LaSalle County alone home to nearly sixty.

This program includes the display of antique firearms as part of a historical and educational exploration of craftsmanship and local history. It is not a gun show. The program is free and open to the public.

Meet with representatives of the Illinois Tollway and the Illinois State Treasurer's Office.
Appointments suggested.
Walk-ins Welcome.

I-PASS ON-DEMAND SERVICES OFFERED:
IPASS Transponder Deactivation & Recycling
New IPASS Sticker Transponder Issuance
Account Updates (payment methods, addresses, plate numbers, etc.)
Billing questions
I-PASS Assist applications (toll forgiveness, reduced tolls for qualifying individuals)

ICASH SERVICES OFFERED:
Look-Up service (discover how much you're owed)
File a claim (start the process of claiming your funds)

For more information, contact Kimberly Barrios, Community Relations & Events Coordinator for DeKalb Township, 815-758-8282.

Teens ages 13 through 19 are invited to a hybrid community book club that brings readers together to explore the American Revolution through shared reading, conversation, and film. Each month, participants will watch a preview from the PBS documentary The American Revolution by Ken Burns, Sarah Botstein, and David Schmidt, along with additional short videos connected to the featured book, before taking part in an informal discussion.

The featured title for this session is “The World Turned Upside Down,” by Tim Grove, a compelling account of the Siege of Yorktown, the final major battle of the American Revolution, told through multiple perspectives. Grove follows the intersecting lives of American, French, and British figures, including George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, Marquis de Lafayette, and British General Charles Cornwallis, as well as an enslaved man who became a spy. By blending military leadership with civilian experience, the book reveals how the events at Yorktown permanently altered the course of the war and the lives of those involved.

The program runs approximately 45–60 minutes and is free and open to the public. To register virtually, please visit: https://shorturl.at/uvd2o. Copies of the book are available at the McNabb Branch.

Enjoy a presentation about how the indomitable American spirit not only survived 250 years of history, but helped shape it; as told through our money!

Ben Franklin made a coin? Coins helped win WW2? What the heck is a paper coin and how did it win the civil war? Wait, they made a $500 bill? Would an American give free silver back to the government? Find answers to all these questions and more with Dann from JP Coins & Collectibles in Sycamore.

This event is part of the America 250 initiative; celebrating our nation throughout the year. All ages are welcome and no registration is required.

For more information, please contact Emily K at emilyk@dkpl.org or (815) 756-9568 ext. 6106.