Mahomet Public Library

Elementary Explorers
2023-10-04 15:30 - 16:30, 2023-09-27 15:30 - 16:30, 2023-09-20 13:30 - 14:30, 2023-09-13 15:30 - 16:30, 2023-09-06 15:30 - 16:30 (America/Chicago)
Join us every Wednesday for a fun, one hour after school program! Activities will alternate monthly between Art Club and LEGO Club. 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.
September: Art Club

September 6, 13, 27: regular time (3:30-4:30 pm)
September 20: early dismissal (1:30-2:30 pm)

October: LEGO Club

October 4, 11: regular time (3:30-4:30 pm)
October 18: early dismissal (1:30-2:30 pm)
No club meeting on October 25

November: Art Club

November 1: early dismissal (1:30-2:30 pm)
November 8, 15, 29: regular time (3:30-4:30 pm)
No club meeting on November 22

December: LEGO Club

December 6: early dismissal (1:30-2:30 pm)
December 13: regular time (3:30-4:30 pm)

Grades K-5. No registration required.

Preschool Storytime
2023-10-04 10:00 - 10:30, 2023-09-27 10:00 - 10:30, 2023-09-20 10:00 - 10:30, 2023-09-13 10:00 - 10:30
Join us on Wednesday mornings for storytime for preschoolers (ages 3-5) and caregivers. There will be songs, movement, and books!
Please note: There will NOT be Preschool Storytime on October 25 or November 22.

Adult Crafternoon
2023-10-03 13:00 - 14:00
Get crafty with your friends or make some new friends!
Join us each month as we craft together. You can bring your own project to work on or create a unique craft with instructions and supplies provided by the Library.
Dates and Crafts:
September 5: Fall banner with book page leaves
October 3: Gnomes
November 7: Scandinavian Felt Trees
Adult Crafternoons are part of our Adult Craft Connection Program series.
No registration required. No meeting in December.

Toddler Storytime
2023-10-03 10:00 - 10:30, 2023-09-26 10:00 - 10:30, 2023-09-19 10:00 - 10:30, 2023-09-12 10:00 - 10:30
Join us on Tuesday mornings for storytime for toddlers (ages 18 months – 3 years) and caregivers. There will be songs, rhymes, and stories!
Please note: There will NOT be storytime on October 24.

Baby Storytime
2023-10-03 09:30 - 09:50, 2023-09-26 09:30 - 09:50, 2023-09-19 09:30 - 09:50, 2023-09-12 09:30 - 09:50
Bring your baby to storytime on Tuesday mornings at the Library! There will be songs, bounces, and books!
Please note: There will NOT be Baby Storytime on October 24.

Preschool Playdate
2023-09-29 10:00 - 11:00, 2023-09-22 10:00 - 11:00, 2023-09-15 10:00 - 11:00, 2023-09-08 10:00 - 11:00
Children (ages 2-5) 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.
Please note: There will NOT be Preschool Playdate on October 20 or November 24.

An Evening with the Director: a Friends Only Program
2023-09-28 18:30 - 20:00
This special program is open only to members of the Friends of the Mahomet Public Library!
Library Director John Howard invites all members of the Friends of the Library to a special evening at the library. During this special event, John will

share inside information about upcoming changes at the Library,
preview some of the upcoming new releases he is most excited about, along with recent books he loves that are available now, and
invite members to take part in a variety of special volunteer activities at the Library.

As a special activity during this Evening with the Director, each Friend who attends will be invited to go out into the Library and choose 5-10 books that they have read and love. These will be used for a special display called “Recommended by the Friends,” displayed throughout the month of October.
Not a Friend of the Library but like to attend? Membership is only $5/year per individual or $10/year per family. You can join now or at the door to get your invitation to this “Friends Only” event. More information is available on our Friends of the Library page.
No registration required.

Adult Take and Make Kit: Clay Leaf Dish
2023-09-25 - 2023-09-26
Take home a craft to make! Our take-and-make crafts come with all the supplies needed for a project.

Crafts:
Beginning September 25: Clay leaf dish
Beginning October 30: Embroidery hoop spider webs
Beginning November 27: Pressed flower lantern

Stop by the Library to pick up a free kit. Kits are available while supplies last. Limit one kit per person, please!
Adult take-and-make crafts are part of our Adult Craft Connection series.

Stitching Circle
2023-09-19 13:00 - 15:00
Enjoy a crafty hobby and conversation each month this fall! Participants are welcome to bring their own fiber arts projects (crochet, knitting, embroidery, etc…) or any crafty hobby. Beginners are welcome! A selection of basic supplies will also be available for use.
Dates:
September 19
October 17
November 21

Stitching Circle is a part of our Adult Craft Connection Program series. No registration required.

Role With It! Play Reading Group
2023-09-17 14:00 - 16:30
Join the Library’s play-reading group for theatre enthusiasts! We’ll get together each month to do a live reading of a full-length play. Participants will be assigned roles and receive their own copy of the script at the meeting. After the reading, we’ll discuss our thoughts about the play.

September: Peter and the Starcatcher by Rick Elice
October: Arsenic and Old Lace by Joseph Kesselring
November: It’s a Wonderful Life by James W. Rodgers

For teens and adults. Registration for each session is required.

Graphic Novel Book Club
2023-09-15 15:30 - 16:30
Calling all graphic novel enthusiasts! Join us as we read and discuss a set graphic novel at each book club session. Participants are welcome to bring and/or talk about other graphic novels they’ve enjoyed.

Dates and Books:
September 15: All’s Faire in Middle School by Victoria Jamieson
The author of Roller Girl is back with a graphic novel about starting middle school, surviving your embarrassing family, and the Renaissance Faire!
October 13: Amulet: The Stone Keeper by Kazu Kibuishi.
Amulet: The Stone Keeper includes the adventures of Emily Hayes, who must try to rescue her kidnapped mother with the assistance of her younger brother Navin, a mysterious amulet, and helper robots such as Miskit.

Registration is required for each session.

Tuesday Night Book Club
2023-09-12 18:30 - 20:00
Join us at the Library on the second Tuesday of each month as we discuss that month’s great read!
September 12: The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin
October 10: Once There Were Wolves by Charlotte McConaghy
November 14: The Good Left Undone by Adrianna Tigiani
December 12: Wishin’ and Hopin’ by Wally Lamb
No registration required.

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

Write On! Teen Writing Group
2023-09-07 18:00 - 19:00
Keep your writing skills sharp! This writing group for teens will meet monthly to talk about different aspects of the writing process and take turns sharing our work with the group. Creative writers of all levels are welcome!
Register for each session individually. Grades 6-12.

Session Dates:
September 7
October 12
November 9

Illinois Libraries Present: The Power of Story with Colson Whitehead
2023-09-06 19:00 - 20:00
Kicking off our third season, we are thrilled to welcome two-time Pulitzer Prize winning author Colson Whitehead to our Illinois libraries. The #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Underground Railroad, The Nickel Boys, Harlem Shuffle, The Noble Hustle, Zone One, Sag Harbor, The Intuitionist, John Henry Days, Apex Hides the Hurt, and a collection of essays, Whitehead is only the fourth writer to win two Pulitzers in the Fiction category (for The Underground Railroad in 2017 and The Nickel Boys in 2020). His highly anticipated latest novel, Crook Manifesto, is a darkly funny tale of a city under siege, but also a sneakily searching portrait of the meaning of family.
His reviews, essays, and fiction have appeared in the New York Times, The New Yorker, New York Magazine, Harper’s and Granta. Whitehead has received a MacArthur Fellowship and Guggenheim Fellowship and the Library of Congress Prize for American Fiction, among others. In 2023, President Biden awarded Whitehead a National Endowment for the Humanities Medal. He has taught extensively, including at Columbia University, Princeton University, and Brooklyn College, and has been a Writer-in-Residence at Vassar College, the University of Richmond, and University of Wyoming. He lives in New York City.
Via Zoom. Registration is required.

This event is made possible by Illinois Libraries Present, 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).
