Community Calendar

Practice the art of noticing details while connecting with nature. This beginner-friendly bird outing will include an introduction to birding and a one-mile trail walk. All experience levels are welcome. Binoculars provided. This guided walk will start at 7:30am.

The Sycamore United Methodist Church is having a Thrift and Bake Sale on Friday August 1st and Saturday August 2nd. Hours are Friday 9 AM to 5 PM and Saturday 9 AM until 12 noon. It’s a bargain bag sale featuring clothing, shoes, books, puzzles, toys, housewares, linens, sporting goods, and other unique treasures. Bags are $10 Friday with Bake Sale items Friday only and sold separately. On Saturday it’s buy one bag, get a second bag free. All proceeds support missions of the United Women In Faith. The church is at the corner of Route 64 and Johnson Avenue in Sycamore just north of the high school.

Our summer story time with the South Beloit Public Library returns! Join us on Friday mornings for reading and activity time under our cottonwood tree. This series will introduce our local plant and animal friends to help build nature vocabulary, as well as American Sign Language vocabulary. Recommended for children ages 3-5, siblings welcome.

June 1 – July 31: Taft Gallery - Artist Mary Howe

Born and raised on the Northwest side of the city in Chicago, Mary along with her husband George moved to the quaint town of Oregon Illinois in 2019. After raising two sons, a long career in retail management and real estate Mary finally found the time to dedicate herself to her favorite hobby of painting.

Mary continues to welcome the challenges of working through landscapes, still life and portraits as well as participating in the Rock River Valley Painters Guild Plein Air Group.

Sam Tucibat, Feature Wall, July 1 -July 31

Sam Tucibat is a retired instructor of photography and graphic design who taught for twenty years at Highland Community College in Freeport, IL.

Sam’s creativity is motivated by the wonder of exploring new visual territory through the powerful medium of digital photographic composition. His method involves combining photographs or parts of photographs into one visual space, building unique images that are greater than the sum of their parts.

Larry Bond, Lowden Gallery, July 1 - August 31

Through the years I have experimented with different forms of 2D and 3D art .Acrylics, oil, charcoal, pen and ink, and watercolor have been my primary painting and drawing mediums; however, my first love is Watercolor.

In terms of competition and recognition I have won several awards, entered numerous art show competitions, and was accepted into the 2018 San Diego Watercolor Society’s International Watercolor Show. I have won awards from shows at The Next Picture Show, Dixon, Illinois, Norris Gallery, St. Charles, Illinois, and Illinois Watercolor Society Member Shows. I am a Signature Member of the Illinois Watercolor Society.

When asked to describe my style I often describe it as “realistic contemporary with an occasional abstract slant”. In short, I want the viewer to see the painting as mostly realistic and be drawn-in to the scene. I enjoy painting Urbanscapes, Abstracts and Rural Landscapes.

The Next Picture Show community arts center in Dixon presents 2 juried shows through Aug. 9: "Abstract," an exhibit that explores artists who push the bounds of their 2-and-3-D artwork through abstraction; and "The Power of Words," exhibit that invited artists to find a fusion between word and visual arts in their works.

An opening reception and awards presentation will be held on Friday, Jul. 9, from 6-8 p.m.

Lean into your creative side and learn to draw woodland animals and plants with the guidance of local artist Pete Stasukevich. This weekly series is geared for ages 6 through adult. Participants can pay a one-time $10 fee to receive a drawing book and erasable pen, or participate for free and bring their own drawing materials.

Open to young local artists entering grades 3-6, showcase your talent at our “Children’s Art Gala for Peace”! Children’s artwork will be professionally displayed in our main lobby, accompanied by music, refreshments, a Japanese crane folding demo and craft, and a live artist who will create a masterpiece right before your eyes.

Please see below for entry rules and regulations.

This event is sponsored in part by the Friends of the Library and Jubilee Artisans.

Jubilee Artisans - Handmade shopping for everyone. Art Classes, Private Parties, Creative Studio Rentals. Locally curated artists and artisans.

Official Rules and Regulations

Open to children entering grades 3-6.
Participants must bring entries to the Youth Services department for “in-person” registration.
Although a “Peace” theme is encouraged, artwork can consist of other subjects.
All entries must be of appropriate content for public viewing and approved by Youth Services staff.
All entries must be submitted and approved by 4:30 p.m. on Friday, July 18, to be included in the Gala event.
All entries must be of original artwork, by the named artist.
All entries must be no larger than 24”x 24”, and no smaller than 6”x 6”.
All participants and their legal guardian must sign a release waiver from damages at registration.
All 2D art must be matted for display.

For any questions, please contact Stormy in the Youth Services department at (815) 756-9568 ext. 3310 or at stormye@dkpl.org.

The Wedding Singer
June 25-28 & July 30-Aug 3
Suggested audience: Mature

Travel back to the ‘80s with The Wedding Singer, a sparkling, feel-good musical that brings the iconic Adam Sandler movie to life on stage. It’s 1985, and rock star wannabe Robbie Hart, is New Jersey’s favorite wedding singer. He’s the life of the party until his own fiancée leaves him at the altar. Shot through the heart, Robbie makes every wedding as disastrous as his own. Enter Julia, a winsome waitress who wins his affection. As luck would have it, Julia is about to be married to a Wall Street shark, and unless Robbie can pull off the performance of a decade, the girl of his dreams will be gone forever. Just say yes to joining us this summer for a wedding you won’t forget!