Community Calendar

Enjoy a three-day motorcoach trip from NIU to Shipshewana, Indiana Countryside Amish Adventure. Motorcoach transportation, 2 nights lodging, 4 meals, guided tour of Indiana's Amish country, Amish homestead dinner, visit Nationally recognized Shipshewana Trading Place & downtown Shipshewana.

April is Citizen Science Month, and the Library invites the community to take part in hands-on projects that contribute to 2.5 Million Acts of Science, a national America250 initiative celebrating civic participation and discovery. Citizen science empowers everyday people to support real scientific research by observing and sharing information about the world around them.

Featured projects include Stream Selfie, which helps document the health of local streams through shared photos; Globe at Night, an international effort to measure and raise awareness of light pollution; and iNaturalist, a global platform for recording plants and wildlife to help scientists monitor biodiversity. Information on how to participate in all three citizen-science projects is available at the Library. All projects are free and open to the public and are suitable for adults and families alike.

An exhibition of twenty-four original paintings created by the Plein Air Painters of Rockford depicts Rockford iconic scenes and surprises. Artworks include views of Klehm, Sinnissippi Gardens, Midway Village, Indian Hill Manor and many more. The exhibit is located in the Visitor Center at Klehm Arboretum.

Join us each month for a fun and relaxed art or craft class designed especially for older adults. Each session features a simple, hands-on project — no experience necessary! Come enjoy creativity, conversation, and the satisfaction of making something to take
home. Class costs range from $10-25 depending on project.

April Project: Pages From a Pulp: A Handmade Paper Workshop
Create beautiful handmade paper and transform it into personalized mini books
or greeting cards in this fun, hands-on workshop.

This documentary examines the events leading up to the May 4th, 1970, shooting of unarmed students by the Ohio National Guard at Kent State University, which left four students dead and thirteen wounded. Told through firsthand accounts, the film places the tragedy within the broader civil rights and anti–Vietnam War movements of the 1960s and 1970s.

The shootings sparked the largest student strike in U.S. history, spreading to more than 3,000 campuses nationwide. Just ten days later, police killed two students at Jackson State College in Mississippi, an event that received far less national attention. The film traces how years of organized activism, racial injustice, opposition to the Vietnam War, and inflammatory political rhetoric created the conditions for these acts of state violence.

Featuring more than twenty personal testimonies, Fire in the Heartland offers an intimate look at a pivotal moment in American history and provides critical context as campus protests and state responses once again shape national conversations. The film is 56 minutes, not rated, and made possible through Kanopy. The program is free and open to the public.

Adults ages 19 and older are invited to join a hybrid community book club that brings readers together to explore the American Revolution through shared reading, short film clips, and conversation. Each month, participants will view 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, followed by an informal group discussion.

The featured title for this session is “The Ride: Paul Revere and the Ride That Saved America,” by Kostya Kennedy, a vivid and newly researched retelling of Paul Revere’s April 18–19, 1775 mission. Drawing on archival records, letters, diaries, and contemporary accounts, the book reveals the ride as a far more complex and precarious event than the familiar legend, one involving a loosely coordinated network of riders, near-disaster, capture by British forces, and crucial contributions from lesser-known figures who helped spark the opening moments of the Revolution. Written with pace and drama, the book restores the tension, teamwork, and high stakes of this foundational American story.

The program runs approximately 45–60 minutes and is free and open to the public. Virtual registration is available at: https://shorturl.at/XejdY. Copies of the book are available at the Granville Branch.

Early childhood educators play an essential role in shaping the social, emotional, and physical development of young children—yet their own wellness is often overlooked. To support those who care for the youngest learners, a professional development training, “The Eight Dimensions of Wellness for Early Childcare Providers,” will be offered, providing 1.5 hours of Gateways credit to Illinois early childhood professionals.

This engaging and interactive session explores how the eight dimensions of wellness—emotional, environmental, financial, intellectual, occupational, physical, social, and spiritual—impact both teaching practices and overall well‑being.

Participants will walk away with practical strategies they can implement immediately in their classrooms, as well as tools to support their own health and professional sustainability.

This Land Is Your Land is a program that combines music performance (guitar and vocal) and spoken commentary. The program features songs by legendary folksinger and songwriter Woodrow Wilson “Woody” Guthrie (1912-1967), as well as commentary on the time period and each song. This commentary frames the program in a larger historical context and offers specific details on Guthrie’s songs and his biography. The program also includes two singalong songs.

Our presenter, Bucky Halker, holds a PhD in American History. He is a songwriter, performer, and historian with 15 albums, including Anywhere But Utah: Songs of Joe Hill (2015), a musical tribute to martyred labor songwriter Joe Hill (1879-1915), and The Ghost of Woody Guthrie (2012), an original music tribute to the legendary folksinger.

The Rockford Society, Archaeological Institute of America, invites the public to its next, free, in-person, multi-media presentation on archaeology, on Tuesday, April 28, at Burpee Museum of Natural History, 737 North Main Street, Rockford.

Topic: The Archaeology of Ancient Greek Dress – Social Identities and Insights

Speaker: Professor Mireille Lee, PhD, Vanderbilt University

Please join Rockford’s Archaeology Society for another fascination presentation, with guest speaker Professor Mireille Lee, author of "Body, Dress, and Identity in Ancient Greece." Her presentation demonstrates how dress reflected aspects of Greek social identity and provides a unique insight into ancient Greek ideologies. Her professional research interests include Greek art and archaeology.

The public is invited to a free reception held immediately following each in-person presentation. Burpee Museum is handicapped-accessible and offers free parking. Additional free parking is also available next door at Riverfront Museum Park, 711 N. Main Street, Rockford.

The Rockford Society provides additional information on lectures, events, trips, and archaeological topics on the web at www.rockfordaia.org.

April is Citizen Science Month, and the Library invites the community to take part in hands-on projects that contribute to 2.5 Million Acts of Science, a national America250 initiative celebrating civic participation and discovery. Citizen science empowers everyday people to support real scientific research by observing and sharing information about the world around them.

Featured projects include Stream Selfie, which helps document the health of local streams through shared photos; Globe at Night, an international effort to measure and raise awareness of light pollution; and iNaturalist, a global platform for recording plants and wildlife to help scientists monitor biodiversity. Information on how to participate in all three citizen-science projects is available at the Library. All projects are free and open to the public and are suitable for adults and families alike.