Library to kick off reading program with June 8 party

The Oscar Grady Library in Saukville will kick off its summer reading program with a launch party from 1 to 3 p.m. on Monday, June 8.

The all-ages event will give participants an opportunity to register for the program and receive a build-a-bead necklace or bookmark tracker. The party also includes a flower scavenger hunt, paint stick flower craft, make-and-take calendula pots and an apple tasting.

And although another big summer event is still a month away, Oscar Grady librarians are inviting people to join them on their bikes in Saukville’s Fourth of July parade.

Registrants will receive a library shirt and goodie bag, and there will be a bike-decorating event from 1 to 3 p.m. Thursday, July 2, at the library. Decorations will also be available before the parade on July 4.

Participants can register on the events calendar page of the library’s website, www.oscargradylibrary.org.

The library is also accepting registrations from vendors ages 7 to 17 who want to participate in the second annual Maker Fair, which will be held from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 8.

Eighteen local vendors will be chosen for the fair. Registration is open and can be done on the events calendar page of the library’s website.

In addition to special events throughout the summer, the library has a number of programs in June, which for adults and teenagers include weekly walks at 9 a.m. every Monday.

A library staff member will meet participants on the library patio and lead them on a one-mile, two-hour walk through the neighborhood. The walks, which offer opportunities not just for exercise but also socialization, will be held rain or shine.

  The Morning Fiction Book Club will meet at 11 a.m. Thursday, June 4, to discuss “Golden Girl” by Elin Hilderbrand. Copies of the book are available for check out at the library.

The Friends of the Library will hold its quarterly membership meeting at 6 p.m. Thursday, June 4.

Nonmembers are welcome to attend the meeting. On the agenda is a recap of the spring book sale, the upcoming murder mystery event and revisions to the group’s bylaws. In addition, Library Director Emily Laws will provide an update on this summer’s reading program.

A summer craft event — stamped tea towels — will be held at 1 pm. Tuesday, June 9.

Local craft instructor Lynn Palmer will lead participants through the process of creating tea towels with playful fruit and mushroom stamps. All materials are provided.

The Oscar Grady Library Board will meet at 6 p.m. Tuesday, June 9. The meeting is open to the public.

Foraging for wild plants in Wisconsin is the topic of a program at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, June 11.

A naturalist from Riveredge Nature Center in the Town of Saukville will explain how to gather wild food responsibly and discuss sustainable foraging practices, forest ecology and how to distinguish the deadly from the delicious.

Also on Thursday, June 11, the Fiber Arts Group will meet at 6:30 p.m. to work on individual projects in a group environment. Participants should bring their own projects to work on. There is no instructor, but the group offers an opportunity to share ideas, tips and inspiration.

Threads of a Story: A Hands-on Weaving Workshop will be held at 1 p.m. Monday, June 15, and Thursday, June 18.

Artist Noora Badeen of the Wisconsin Museum of Quilts and Fiber Arts in Cedarburg will help participants explore weaving as both a creative process and a form of personal expression. Registration is required and can be done on the events calendar page of the library’s website.

At 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, June 16, the Evening Nonfiction Book Club will meet to discuss “Ancestor Trouble: A Reckoning and a Reconciliation” by Maude Newton. Copies of the book are available for checkout at the library.

The Love and Lore Book Club will meet at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, June 18, to discuss “Yumi and the Nightmare Painter” by Brandon Sanderson. Copies of the book are available for checkout at the library.

This patron-hosted group is for book lovers in their 20s looking for conversation, connections and captivating reads.

Badger Talks: 20,000 Years in the Blink of an Eye: The Past, Present and Future of the Great Lakes will be held at 6:30 p.m. Monday, June 22.

Titus Seilheimer, a fisheries specialist with Wisconsin Sea Grant, will explore the story of the Great Lakes, from their formation by glaciers to how humans have shaped them and what the future holds for them in a changing climate.

The Afternoon Fiber Arts Group will meet at 2 p.m. Friday, June 26. Like the evening version of this program, participants work on individual projects they bring with them in a group environment.

An Exploring Coffee Roasting Traditions program will be hosted by Der Hoffskeller Coffee at 6:30 p.m. Monday, June 29.

Der Hoffskeller Coffee will tell the story of how brothers Jack and Max Brudvig transformed their family farm in Cedarburg into a small-batch craft coffee roastery. Participants will learn about the coffee trade, traditional roasting methods and why the brothers chose a German-
Norwegian roasting method as a nod to their family roots.

The Plant a Seed, Read Teen Book Club will meet at 2 p.m. Friday, June 12.

The peer-led group will discuss “The Forbidden Library” by Django Wexler. Copies of the book are available at the circulation desk.

Library events for children include the Summer LEGO Club, which will meet at 3:45 p.m. on Wednesdays, June 10 and 24, July 8 and 22 and Aug. 5.

The club gives children in kindergarten through fifth grade the opportunity to use the library’s blocks to make creations that may be displayed at the library for all to see.

Summer Outdoor Storytimes will be held at 3:45 p.m. on Tuesdays, June 16 through Aug. 4.

There will be stories, rhymes, songs and dancing on the library lawn, and after storytime, children can get creative with sidewalk chalk. The event will be moved inside if it rains. On July 28, a special stuffed animal sleepover will take the place of the usual storytime.

Two presentations of GEE Funny Farm will be held on Thursday, June 18 — one from 3 to 4 p.m. and another from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m.

Children will meet animals and learn about them and their environments.

An Explore-a-Truck event at 11:30 p.m. Thursday, June 25, will allow children to get an up-close look at the vehicles the Village of Saukville uses to get jobs done and keep people safe.

Family bingo will be played at 10:30 a.m. Mondays, June 29 and July 20. Winners receive books.

The Oscar Grady Library is at 151 S. Main St.