Community Calendar

Genoa Public Library is hosting a free community shred event on Saturday, May 3, 2025 from 9:00 am until Noon. The shred truck will be located in the parking lot behind the library. Persons wanting to drop off documents to be shred can pull into the alleyway behind the library and drop off directly to the shred truck. There is a 100 pound limit per person. Questions can be directed to the library at (815) 784-2627.

Discover the unique ways that animals build and create structures through storytime and hands-on activities! Be prepared to be outdoors and get our hands dirty while we get creative! This program is geared towards ages 4-6. Registration is required. To register, call 815-547-7935 or email dgrelecki@bccdil.org.

An introductory wing shooting clinic for beginning shotgun shooters will be held on Saturday, May 3 and Sunday, May 4 at Shabbona Lake State Park. Registration each day begins at 9:30, classes begin at 10. Lessons on safe firearm handling are taught by certified firearms instructors.

The clinic is "hand-on" and includes extensive live fire at flying clay targets under the supervision of wing shooting instructors certified by the National Sporting Clays Association and the Illinois Department of Natural resources. Auto-loading 28-gauge shotguns and hearing and eye protection are provided.

The clinic is sponsored by the Illinois Dept. of Natural Resources, Illinois Conservation Foundation, LaSalle and DeKalb County Pheasants Forever, and the Shabbona Sportsmen Club.

Call early to make a reservation, space is limited to 24 students per day. Classes consist of 4 students per instructor. The $10 registration fee includes all targets, ammunition and lunch.

To make a reservation, call Richard Carlson at 815-757-2949 or email rakcarlson@comcast.net.
To register and pay online go to https://dnr.illinois.gov/recreation/wingshooting.html

Homecoming: In Color celebrates the reopening of Rockford Art Museum after a year-long renovation closure. This exhibition features a selection of popular pieces and hidden gems, showcasing the rich diversity of our revered collection.

Homecoming is organized by Rockford Art Museum Chief Curator, Carrie Johnson. The exhibition is sponsored by Dean Alan Olson Foundation and partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency.

March 1 – April 30: Lowden Gallery Artist Lucinda Winterfield

My love of nature, the North Woods, and wildlife is evident in my paintings. When not “up north” in mind or body, I spend much of my time painting “en plein air” around Northern Illinois and organizing painting sites for our weekly group, the Eagle’s Nest Plein Air Painters. I also help organize the annual RRVPG plein air contest and workshops sponsored by the Rock River Valley Painters Guild.

A talented 4th grade classmate inspired me to begin painting and take a children’s workshop at Burpee Art Museum in Rockford. I then continued on to study fine arts at Northern Illinois University. Since retiring as a graphics specialist, I have become an avid plein air painter and participate in classes and local workshops when available.

My oil, acrylic, and watercolor paintings have won several awards at Dixon’s Phidian Art Show and TNPS. You may spot me out painting with my artist friends at local parks, farms, gardens, historic sites, nurseries, and local events. Stop and say "hi" if you see our group. We love visitors and are always looking for new sites to paint.

The Coliseum Museum welcomes Joy Meyer as our Taft Gallery Artist for April & May.

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. 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.

The Coliseum Museum of Art, Antiques and Americana presents Focus on Photography, juried exhibition of works by photographers working in all photographic mediums -- digital, film, mixed and unique processes -- now through May 17.

The Next Picture Show is excited to once again host the Illinois Watercolor Society for their 41st Illinois Watercolor Society National Exhibition throughout the month of May. This show features talented artwork by artists from the USA, Canada, and beyond!

Celebrate our pollinators! Learn about life cycles of bees, butterflies, birds and more. Meet live butterflies and even take home some milkweed to plant.

Celebrate Cinco De Mayo with a Latin American dance party!

Children will learn basic steps of Latin American Folk Dance including Salsa, Cumbia, and Afrobeats. Using balloons, hula hoops, and ribbon sticks, children will learn movement, improvisation, and rhythm.

Participants should wear comfortable shoes and dress casually. This program is for children ages 3-12. No registration is required.

For additional information, please contact Anna at annas@dkpl.org or (815) 756-9568 ext. 2851.