Mahomet Public Library

Take Your Child to the Library Day! Scavenger Hunt & Hot Cocoa Bar
2025-02-01 14:00 - 16:00 (America/Chicago)
Help us celebrate “Take Your Child to the Library Day” and join us for a scavenger hunt in the Library, along with a cozy hot cocoa bar!
All ages. No registration required.

Braver Angels Debate: Should Medicare Be For All?
2025-02-03 18:30 - 20:00
Join Braver Angels (a non-partisan group promoting respectful embrace of political disagreements) for a thought-provoking debate on the subject of Medicare. Hear speakers on both sides of the issue, or share your own thoughts. A Braver Angels Debate is an opportunity both to exercise our minds and to open our hearts. Unlike some debate programs, the point isn’t to win; it’s to understand the other side a little better.
The debate will have a special parliamentary debate format, and be led by a specially trained Debate Chair. This format encourages everyone to participate, supports good faith, accurate disagreement, and promotes better understanding for all.
Adults. Register below.

Baby Storytime
2025-02-04 09:30 - 09:50, 2025-02-11 09:30 - 09:50, 2025-02-18 09:30 - 09:50
Bring your baby to storytime on Tuesday mornings at the Library! There will be songs, bounces, and books!

Ages 0-18 months. No registration required.
Please Note: There will not be Baby Storytime on April 1 due to the election.

Toddler Storytime
2025-02-04 10:00 - 10:30, 2025-02-11 10:00 - 10:30, 2025-02-18 10:00 - 10:30
Join us on Tuesday mornings to enjoy storytime for toddlers and caregivers. There will be songs, rhymes, and stories!
Ages 18 months-3 years. No registration required.
Please note: There will NOT be Toddler Storytime on April 1 due to the election.

Cookbook Club: Cook This Book
2025-02-04 18:00 - 19:30
Join us at the Library to explore new recipes, share cooking tips, and enjoy delicious food together! This program is intended for adults who enjoy cooking and sharing food together. All experience levels are welcome. Each Cookbook Club will feature a selected cookbook and attendees will bring a dish from the book to share.
Copies of the cookbook will be available one month in advance at the Library’s Circulation Desk. Registered participants will receive a link to a Google form to include the name of the dish they will be bringing. Participants may contact Alyssa with any questions.
Adults. Registration is required.

Dates and Cookbooks:
Tuesday, February 4: Cook This Book by Molly Baz
Thursday, April 3: Indulge by Valerie Bertinelli

ILP: An Evening with James McBride
2025-02-04 19:00 - 20:00
Illinois Libraries Present James McBride, an award-winning author, musician, and screenwriter. His landmark memoir, The Color of Water, was published in 1996 and is considered an American classic, read in schools and universities across the United States. His 2013 novel, The Good Lord Bird, won the National Book Award for Fiction and was adapted by Ethan Hawke and Jason Blum into a Showtime series bearing the same name. His latest, The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store, was named one of the New York Times’ 100 Notable Books of 2023.

In 2016, President Obama awarded McBride the National Humanities Medal “for humanizing the complexities of discussing race in America. Through writings about his own uniquely American story, and his works of fiction informed by our shared history, his moving stories of love display the character of the American family.” In 2024 he became the latest recipient of the Library of Congress Prize for American Fiction. A native New Yorker, McBride is a Distinguished Writer in Residence at New York University.
Heather Marie-Montlilla of PBS Books will join McBride in conversation.
This event is made possible by Illinois Libraries Present (ILP), a statewide collaboration among public libraries offering premier events. ILP is funded in part by a grant awarded by the Illinois State Library, a department of the Office of Secretary of State, using funds provided by the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services, under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA).
ILP is committed to inclusion and accessibility. To request accommodations, please email illinoislibrariespresent@gmail.com.
Adults. Via Zoom. Registration is required.

Preschool Storytime
2025-02-05 10:00 - 10:30, 2025-02-12 10:00 - 10:30, 2025-02-19 10:00 - 10:30
Join us on Wednesday mornings for storytime for preschoolers and caregivers. There will be songs, movement, and books!
Ages 3-5. No registration required.
Please note: There will NOT be Preschool Storytime on April 2 due to the election.

Elementary Explorers
2025-02-05 15:30 - 16:30, 2025-02-12 15:30 - 16:30, 2025-02-19 13:30 - 14:30
Join us every Wednesday for a fun, one hour after school program! Activities will rotate monthly. We’ll usually meet from 3:30-4:30 pm, but we’ll move it up to 1:30-2:30 pm on early dismissal days.
January: LEGO Club

January 15 & 29: regular time (3:30-4:30 pm)
January 22: early dismissal (1:30-2:30 pm)

February: Art Club

February 5, 12, 26: regular time (3:30-4:30 pm)
February 19: early dismissal (1:30-2:30 pm)

March: Pokémon Club

March 5 & 26: regular time (3:30-4:30 pm)
March 12: early dismissal (1:30-2:30 pm)
March 19: no meeting

April: Maker’s Club

April 2: no meeting
April 9: early dismissal (1:30-2:30 pm)
April 16, 23, 30: regular time (3:30-4:30 pm)

Grades K-5. No registration required.

Little Groovers! Music and Movement
2025-02-06 10:00 - 10:30, 2025-02-20 10:00 - 10:30
Join us for a fun-filled music and movement program designed for toddlers and preschoolers age 2-5 and their caregivers. In this interactive program, children will sing, dance, and move to a variety of exciting songs that engage their imaginations, enhance motor skills, and encourage social interaction.
For children ages 2-5 and their caregivers. No registration required.

Dates (approximately every other Thursday):
January 23
February 6
February 20
March 6
March 27
April 10

Cartoon Club
2025-02-06 15:30 - 17:00
Are you a cartoon fanatic? Join our Cartoon Club, a club for discussing cartoons instead of books! We’ll come together, watch two episodes of a cartoon, and then discuss it in the same way a book club would.
Grades 3-8. No registration required.

Dates (First Thursdays):
February 6
March 6
April 3

Preschool Playdate
2025-02-07 10:00 - 11:00, 2025-02-14 10:00 - 11:00, 2025-02-21 10:00 - 11:00
Children (ages 3-5) and their caregivers are welcome to join us on Friday mornings for open-ended playtime! Each session will feature a different assortment of toys and activities.
Ages 3-5. No registration required.
Please note: There will NOT be Preschool Playdate on April 25 due to the book sale.

Teen After Hours Craft Night: Needle Felted Hearts
2025-02-07 17:30 - 19:00
Craft with friends each month at the Library! You bring yourself; we’ll provide all the materials for the project, plus pizza and snacks!
Dates and Crafts:
February 7: Needle Felted Hearts
March 7: Tote bag decorating
April 4: Mini terrariums

Grades 6-12. Registration required for each session.

Murder at Sutter's Hill Ranch: Murder Mystery Fundraiser Dinner
2025-02-08 18:00 - 21:00
Sutter’s Hill used to be one of the biggest and richest ranches in California, until financial setbacks and scheming brought on hard times. The matriarch of the ranch has invited the whole town to dinner and an announcement of a business venture that may save the ranch. But not everyone wants the venture to succeed. Family drama, hidden secrets and radical environmentalists may all combine and result in murder!
You are invited. Put on your best “Yellowstone-style” duds and come out for good chow, drinks and a chance to solve the Murder at Sutter’s Hill Ranch. Tickets for our annual murder mystery fundraiser usually sell out fast, so get yours today.
Adults. Ticket ($55) required.
As of Saturday, February 1, this event is SOLD OUT. No more tickets are available. Thank you for your interest!

The Menu:
The dinner will feature barbecue from Project 47 in Mahomet.
Each person will get pulled pork or beef brisket, macaroni and cheese, potato salad, cornbread and green beans. A variety of desserts are included. Each guest gets two tickets good for a beer/seltzer/wine. Non-alcoholic drinks are unlimited.
Please let us know any special food needs (such as vegetarian or gluten free) ahead of time so that we can accommodate you.

Dungeons & Dragons Club
2025-02-09 13:30 - 16:30, 2025-02-23 13:30 - 16:30
Join us for exciting DnD adventures that encourage creativity, strategy, and teamwork! There’s sure to be fun at every session. This is a continuous campaign beginning from character level 1. Players should expect to attend each session.
Grades 6-12. Your registration is for all of the sessions together.
Dates:
Sunday, January 12
Sunday, January 26
Sunday, February 9
Sunday, February 23
Sunday, March 9
Sunday, March 23
Sunday, April 6

Tuesday Night Book Club
2025-02-11 18:30 - 20:00
Join us at the Library on the second Tuesday of each month as we discuss that month’s great read!
January 14: West with Giraffes by Lynda Rutledge
February 11: The Rom-Commers by Katherine Center
March 11: Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel
April 8: The Briar Club by Kate Quinn
May 13: True Biz by Sara Novic
No registration required.

Wondering what books we’ve previously read for Tuesday Night Book Club? Check out our Tuesday Night Book Club Picks list!

Valentine Bingo
2025-02-13 13:00 - 14:30
Get ready to shout “BINGO!” in an afternoon filled with fun and anticipation. Local businesses have generously donated exciting prizes. Ensure your spot by registering in advance – this event is tailored for those ages 18 and above. Join us for this delightful Valentine-themed event!
Adults. Registration is required.

A HUGE thank you to the following businesses for donating prizes (listed in alphabetical order):

Briks Pizzeria
Bulldog Automotive
Chophouse on Main
Daddy’s Food Group: Ice Daddy’s, Patty Daddy’s, Mahomet Chocolate Company
Flora Design Studio
Flow Yoga
The Hive Honey Beetique
Leland’s Barbershop
The Little Things
The Main Scoop
OS Salon
Poke Shack
Rad Lad Games
The Rock Counseling Group
Yellow & Co.

Adult Crafternoon: Tote Bag Decorating
2025-02-18 13:00 - 14:30
Join us for creativity, conversation, and fun each month at the Library! Learn a new skill and make a craft with supplies provided by the Library.
Dates and Crafts:
January 21: Yarn Wrapped Letter Craft
February 18: Tote Bag Decorating
March 18: Introduction to Paper Quilling
April 15: Decoupaged Wooden Boxes
For adults. Registration required (register for each session individually).

ILP: Slowing Down with Amy Tan
2025-02-19 19:00 - 20:00
National Humanities Medal winner and bestselling author of The Joy Luck Club, Amy Tan joins us to share on her body of work and reflect on the wonder of slowing down and savoring the quiet moments. Her connection to nature is captured in her latest, The Backyard Bird Chronicles, a collection of sketches and essays which debuted at #1 on both the New York Times and the Indie bestseller list.
Born in the U.S. to immigrant parents from China, Tan’s first bestselling novel, The Joy Luck Club, offered a look at the immigration experience from the perspective of mothers and daughters. Other New York Times best-sellers followed, including The Kitchen God’s Wife, The Hundred Secret Senses, The Bonesetter’s Daughter, Saving Fish from Drowning, and The Valley of Amazement. Tan is also the author of two children’s books, a memoir, and other works. In keeping with her love of science and childhood love of doodling, she recently took up nature journal sketching. When she found herself overwhelmed by our increasingly divisive culture, she turned to nature and the world of bird life outside her own window.
This event is made possible by Illinois Libraries Present (ILP), a statewide collaboration among public libraries offering premier events. ILP is funded in part by a grant awarded by the Illinois State Library, a department of the Office of Secretary of State, using funds provided by the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services, under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA).
ILP is committed to inclusion and accessibility. To request accommodations, please email illinoislibrariespresent@gmail.com.
Adults. Via Zoom. Registration is required.
