Community Calendar

Participants are invited to enjoy a creative, hands-on craft workshop decorating miniature wooden birdhouses. Designed for adults and youth ages eight and up, this program includes all supplies. Attendees will have the chance to personalize their birdhouses, perfect as charming tabletop décor or whimsical additions to a fairy garden. The program is free and open to the public.

Buckle up for what the New York Times called “A timely boxing match of a history play.”

In 1950, Margaret Chase Smith was the junior Senator from Maine and the only woman in the Senate. A staunch Republican, she nevertheless bucked her party and the prevailing winds of politics when she took to the floor of the Senate to denounce Senator Joseph McCarthy in a speech she called, “a declaration of conscience.”

Do you love talking about movies? Are you a fan of movies from the ‘50s, ‘60s, ‘70s, and ‘80s? This is where you belong. Movie trivia, lemonade, coffee and popcorn served.

This Friday we watch A League of Their Own (1992). As America's stock of athletic young men is depleted during World War II, a professional all-female baseball league springs up in the Midwest, funded by publicity-hungry candy maker Walter Harvey (Garry Marshall). Competitive sisters Dottie Hinson (Geena Davis) and Kit Keller (Lori Petty) spar with each other, scout Ernie Capadino (Jon Lovitz) and grumpy has-been coach Jimmy Dugan (Tom Hanks) on their way to fame. Madonna and Rosie O'Donnell co-star as two of the sisters' teammates.2h 8m.

This movie is intended for adults. It is rated PG. Registration is not required. This program is sponsored by Garlisch Automotive Services and is part of the America 250 initiative: celebrating our nation throughout the year.

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

America the Beautiful Art Exhibit
February 4 – March 21
Sponsored by Ron Bry

Awards Reception
February 13, 6:00pm – 8:00pm
Judge: Stuart Roddy
Music: Jim Kanas & Roger Hintzsche

Participating artists include Cindy Bear, Alice Blue, Richard Born, Bob Cholke, Rick Davis, Connie Fry, Beverly Garcia, Chuck Gregory, Timothy Griffith, Dan Grossmann, Stephen Hart, Kat Heitzman, Maggie Isaacs, Bob Kapheim, Julie Kennelly, Linnea Koch, Paula Kuehl, Bob Logsdon, Colleen Logsdon, Henry Matthiessen III, Joy Meyer, Gary Pearson, Joe Popp, Stephonie A Schmitz, and Joseph Virbickis.

Joy Meyer

Taft Gallery Artist, February 1 – March 31

Joy Meyer earned both her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Art and Art Education from Northern Illinois University. She retired in 2005 after teaching art for thirty years, the last twenty years at Rock Falls High School in Rock Falls, IL. Joy also taught many workshops for both teenagers and adults during her career and shortly after retirement. She has won numerous awards for both her painting and her teaching.

Joy has enjoyed working in many different media including watercolor, pen and ink, pencil, glass etching, stained glass, and silk painting, but the medium she has chosen to specialize in during recent years is Acrylic Painting. She enjoys working in a fairly realistic style using primarily bright, cheerful colors. Her actual painting techniques vary depending on the subject matter being painted and the mood desired, often using many techniques within a painting to better represent the details within the painting. Joy also enjoys the challenges of working in an increasingly wider variety of subject matter.



There are different types of regional candies across the US. Learn about certain candies; and more importantly taste them! At the end of the tasting, you’ll have the opportunity to vote and decide which candy you liked the best.

This program is for tweens and teens in grades 6-12. Registration is not required, but the tasting is first come, first served as supplies are limited.

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

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

The Rockford DanceMakers Festival (RDMF) celebrates professional choreographers in the Stateline area by producing their work in annual showcases that entertain, challenge, move, and inspire.

For its debut, the RDMF will present two public performances on Friday, March 20 at 7 pm and Saturday, March 21 at 6 pm at the RPL Nordlof Center’s J.R. Sullivan Theater, offering Rockford audiences a rich and varied experience of concert dance. Following the opening-night performance, there will be a Q&A with the choreographers on stage.

The inaugural program will feature original works by ten professional choreographers from the Rockford area and surrounding region, along with special guest Winifred Haun & Dancers. An award-winning choreographer and dancer based in Chicago and Oak Park, Winifred Haun will also host a master class on Saturday, March 21 at 1 pm at Rockford Dance Company.

Rockford DanceMakers Festival 2026 Lineup:
Baylor Twins Move (Caitlyn Baylor & Meghan Baylor)
Ella Lakey
Eona Carey*
Faith Minneyfield
Gina T'ai
Jenny Vause
Maria E. Castello
Michelle R. Stolberg
Penna Broman
Without Shoes Modern Dance Company
*Winifred Haun & Dancers

Buckle up for what the New York Times called “A timely boxing match of a history play.”

In 1950, Margaret Chase Smith was the junior Senator from Maine and the only woman in the Senate. A staunch Republican, she nevertheless bucked her party and the prevailing winds of politics when she took to the floor of the Senate to denounce Senator Joseph McCarthy in a speech she called, “a declaration of conscience.”

Join us in a celebration of beloved music from your favorite American film composers including Michael Giacchino, John Williams, and many more. Please note the performance is held on a Friday evening.

Coyotes are one of the most misunderstood species in Illinois and the U.S. They conjure up mixed feelings of fear, anger, and, for some, wild beauty. There are many stories about coyotes, and some circles believe them to be the jokester of the wild. Many of these feelings depend on who you are, where you live, and even what you do for a living.

Coyotes are blamed for many things they do and do not do in our spaces. They nonetheless receive the award for the most likely to succeed, despite the human population. We have all but paved the road for the coyote’s historical expansion.

Come and learn more about this incredible animal and what you can expect from them in your neighborhood. Wild Neighbors: Coyotes will be presented by Natural Resources, Environment, and Energy Educator Peggy Anesi.

*Registration is required! To register, click here: https://registration.extension.illinois.edu/start/wild-neighbors-coyotes