Community Calendar

Nationally syndicated travel journalist and broadcaster Bill Clevlen will share stories and insight from his latest book: Presidential Road Trips - 100 Places To Explore and Experience The History of American Presidents.

Learn about historic spots like Washington's birthplace, the only home Lincoln ever owned, the childhood home of George W. Bush, the train depot where Jimmy Carter ran his presidential campaign, and the places where you can tour an actual Air Force One! Bill will also share the best travel ideas and tips.

This program is part of the America 250 initiative, celebrating our nation’s anniversary throughout the year.

Registration is not required. It is sponsored by the Friends of the Library and intended for teens and adults.

For more information, please contact Leah at leahh@dkpl.org or call (815) 756-9568 ext. 2112.

Our mission is to equip adult teams who work with youth under 18 with the skills and resources needed to recognize and respond to youth mental health crises. After an hour and half of in-person or virtual lecture, you will receive your certificate.

This certificate: focuses on Question, Persuade, Refer (QPR); A suicide prevention gatekeeper training that teaches adults how to recognize warning signs, offer hope, and refer youth to life-saving professional care.

So apply to learn how to be a resource for the youth struggling with mental health challenges within your community and work environment, through our free Youth Mental Health First Aid or QPR trainings. For more information, please email: Ymhfirstaid@niu.edu.

Join us for an exploration of pietra dura’s relevance within contemporary art and visual culture. Presented by Madison Hill, designer, researcher, and established pietra dura mosaic artist with over 17 years of experience. Her work is characterized by continuous experimentation in mosaic techniques, new technologies, and materials. She will discuss her artwork on display for the “Enduring Symbols: Liberty Set in Stone” exhibit.

Dorothy Paige-Turner presents a staged reading series celebrating the breadth and brilliance of African-American storytelling.

Experience an unforgettable collection of poetry, drama, and storytelling—from the dreams and wisdom of Langston Hughes, to inspiring women whose spiritual experiences have too often gone untold, to the bold theatrical plays of Rockford native Nathan Alan Davis.

Each event offers a unique opportunity to engage with remarkable artists, ideas, and histories.

I DREAM A WORLD | The Poetry, Plays and Publications of Langston Hughes

SAT Jun 27 at 7:30
SUN Jun 28 at 4:30

CANDLES IN THE DARK | Unnamed Spiritually Gifted Women of the Bible

SAT Jul 25 at 7:30
SUN Jul 26 at 4:30

A NATIVE SON | A Showcase of the Plays of Nathan Alan Davis

SAT Aug 29 at 7:30
SUN Aug 30 at 4:30

Every family has a story, and every heirloom holds a piece of history. Explore how photographs, letters, recipes, clothing, jewelry, and everyday objects can connect personal memories to larger moments in American history. This program is run by Carolyn Law of Carolyn Law Antiques, LLC.

Learn how family keepsakes preserve culture, stories, traditions, and community experiences across generations.

This program is free to attend and is intended for teens and adults. This event is part of the America 250 initiative; celebrating our nation throughout the year.

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

At the center of our nation’s navigable interstate river system, the Four Rivers Reach consists of three confluences of four major rivers through which all vessels carrying Native Americans, explorers, hunters, the military, settlers, and others coming or going to the east, the deep south, west, or the northwest had to travel. These three confluences allowed navigation to the southern Appalachians, the Gulf of Mexico, the southwest, north to the Great Lakes and Canada, or westward as far as the Rocky Mountains.

Presenter Robert “Bob” Swenson will provide his theory as to why and how the 60-mile-long segment of the lower Ohio River bordering southernmost Illinois and western Kentucky is so important. The Four Rivers Reach continues to be at the center of river, rail, and trucking transportation and energy production, storage, and transmission today and in the future.

This presentation is sponsored by the Road Scholars Speakers Bureau, part of Illinois Humanities. Illinois Humanities is supported in part by the Illinois General Assembly, as well as by contributions from individuals, foundations, and corporations.

Swenson is a retired architect; SIU Carbondale professor emeritus; historic preservation consultant; an Illinois Humanities consultant for its Smithsonian Waterways exhibits; photographer; old-time musician; author.

This presentation is intended for teens and adults. It is part of the America 250 Initiative: celebrating our nation throughout the year.

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

Learn from Ho-Chunk elder Gerald Savage about the history, past and present, of Native Americans in Illinois. Gerald’s formal native name is Ho-Chunk Ska Ga (White Winnebago). He is a tribal elder with the Ho-Chunk Nation. He will discuss the reintroduction of his family into Illinois, tribal customs and ways, the history of the tribe, modern natives, naming ceremonies, stereotypes, environmental concerns, tribal settlements, treaties, and reservations.

Gerald’s grandparents were Chief Walks with the Wind and Stands on a Cloud. They were very influential in the teaching of Gerald the native customs and ways. He carries on his grandfather’s tradition of educating the public about their tribal customs and ways. Gerald was an Illinois Humanities Road Scholar Speaker, and an Illinois America 250 Commissioner.

This program is best suited for ages 10 and up. Please register in advance.

In partnership with NIU STEAM cafe, learn what sustainability looks like on a college campus. Join a staff member from Campus Sustainability as they talk about the prairie restoration they are doing on campus and all of the other initiatives happening in DeKalb.

All ages, registration is required. $3 NIU students or alumni/$3 members/$5 general admission (food and drink not included in admission).

Register at: https://wildrootsnaturecenter.app.neoncrm.com/nx/portal/event-detail?event=9638

Walt Whitman's buried masterpiece, the 1855 edition of Leaves of Grass, is the most revolutionary and inspiring work from America's greatest poet.

His unrivaled optimism and surprising insight into the potential of America are perhaps more relevant today than ever.

Experience Walt, the man — Hear the beauty and power of his poetry elevated when heard as a living voice, rather than a historical artifact. There will even be some hand drumming — in the spirit of Whitman as a bard and troubadour.

Whitman's poems will be placed in the context of his contemporary Transcendentalists—Emerson, Thoreau, and Margaret Fuller. Sven Hansen then traces this American influence on both European thought and world spiritual traditions.

Sven has lived and studied in Norway and India and is a certified yoga teacher and sound healer. He has also owned and operated a music venue and coffee house for several years. Sven has played percussion in bands in the Chicago area and has published two books of poetry—"The Apprentice Lover" and “Get Thee Beneath My Skin.”

Questions and conversation will end the program. This program is open to all ages.

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

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

Join us for a Zoom presentation with Tom Kaufmann, the artist who created our newest piece “Lithophone,” a full octave xylophone made out of Indian gabbro located on our outdoor patio. Musician, educator, and sculptor, Tom has been creating handmade musical instruments since 2001. His pieces have been purchased by various museums, schools, libraries and parks and three of his pieces were entries in ArtPrize, the world's largest art competition with over 1500 entries each year. This presentation will be available in-person and on zoom.