Community Calendar

Learning how to be a resource for youth struggling with mental health challenging through our free QPR Training.

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

Workshops are scheduled once enough attendees have submitted for them. The workshops are 8 hours long split in a single session or 2-day sessions of 4 hours each.

For more information, email: Ymhfirstaid@niu.edu

Nurture is a mixed media art exhibit that focuses on artists' perspective of the concept of Nurture. Join us to experience the inspiration and expressive interpretation of Nurture though art.

From ancient traditions to mall kiosks and tattoo studios, piercings have long been a form of self-expression, rebellion, culture, and fashion in America. Join us for a look at the history of body piercing in the United States, exploring how styles, trends, and social attitudes have changed over time, featuring Cassie from DeKalb Tattoo Company.

Learn about the influence of Indigenous traditions, punk culture, celebrity trends, and modern body art movements in this fascinating discussion of personal style and identity.

This event is free to attend and is intended for 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.

Come One, Come All!
Books on First once again is sponsoring "Find Waldo Local" in Dixon, all the month of July. Based on the children's Where's Waldo books in which we seek and find Waldo and friends in various locations around town and the world within the pages, children from anywhere can seek and find Waldo in 25 locations around Dixon, IL, including the Parks District building, the Next Picture Show art gallery, Discover Dixon Main Street Chamber of Commerce HQ and other fun places including of course, Books on First.
We have lots of prizes for those participating, those seeing Waldo in at least 10 spots and those becoming eligible for entry into drawings for Where's Waldo books as well as contributed prizes from There's Fun Inside and more. Get involved in a Dixon-wide search for Waldo and experience the Local Small Businesses all around town. The hunt ends in a "Bye, Waldo" party on Saturday, 1 August!

Learning how to be a resource for youth struggling with mental health challenging through our free QPR Training.

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

Workshops are scheduled once enough attendees have submitted for them. The workshops are 8 hours long split in a single session or 2-day sessions of 4 hours each.

For more information, email: Ymhfirstaid@niu.edu

Curb cuts, building ramps, and braille on elevator buttons may seem like ordinary features of everyday life today, but they were hard won. This powerful documentary tells the emotional and dramatic story of the decades-long fight for equality and accessibility that culminated in the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act in 1990.

Told through the voices of key participants and witnesses, the film highlights the determined men and women who literally put their bodies on the line to make their voices heard, and who changed the lives of all Americans in the process. A testament to the power of coalition building, bipartisan cooperation, and the enduring strength of ordinary people, the passage of the ADA stands as one of the great civil rights achievements in American history and a shining example of democracy at its best. This free program is open to the public. It is approximately 52 minutes, rated PG, and made possible through Kanopy.

Drop in to learn how you can contribute to science and document wildlife in our prairie! Open to all ages, participants may monitor our monarch population, check the snake boards, learn to identify plants, and get inspired by the majestic midwest prairie ecosystem.

RSVP online to receive a reminder email and updates on what’s blooming in our prairie.

Long before written language, ancient peoples carved their stories into stone, tracking stars, recording history, and preserving culture for generations to come. In this hands-on program, participants will explore that tradition through a short documentary featuring Indigenous Pueblo community members sharing the meaning and legacy of their ancestors' rock art.

Inspired by this powerful tradition of visual storytelling, participants will then create their own petroglyph using air-dry clay, wooden carving tools, and paint, taking home a small but meaningful piece of art all their own. This free program is open to the public and recommended for ages 8 and up. All materials will be provided.

Nurture is a mixed media art exhibit that focuses on artists' perspective of the concept of Nurture. Join us to experience the inspiration and expressive interpretation of Nurture though art.

What does it mean to be American? Join us for a hybrid community book club exploring that question through the lens of the American Revolution. The evening opens with a preview screening from Ken Burns, Sarah Botstein, and David Schmidt's PBS documentary The American Revolution, followed by an informal group discussion.

This month's featured title is Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation by Joseph Ellis. In 1790, the United States was more a fragile hope than a functioning reality. Over the decade that followed, the Founding Fathers, reexamined here as Founding Brothers, worked to transform the ideals of the Declaration of Independence and the framework of the Constitution into the practical workings of a new government. Ellis brings that pivotal decade to life through six compelling episodes: the deadly duel between Hamilton and Burr, Washington's precedent-setting Farewell Address, the debate over where to place the nation's capital, Franklin's bold attempt to force Congress to confront slavery, and the remarkable late-life correspondence between Jefferson and Adams.

This free program runs approximately 60 minutes and is open to the public. It will be held both in-person at the Granville Branch and virtually via Zoom. Copies of Founding Brothers are available at the Granville Branch. To register for Zoom, visit: https://t.ly/DwWjH