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Photo of a campfire in a pine forest with a starry night sky as the backdrop

August 2024

Summer might be winding down, but there’s still plenty of fun to be found at the Library this month. We’re here to help you make the most of every remaining summer moment with a costume party, culture fest, book clubs, programs for all ages, and the final weeks of the Summer Library Challenge.  

August events

graphic of a gold crown with a pink gem and a black hat with a white skull and crossbones

🏴‍☠️ Pirate & Princess Party

It’s the end-of-summer party at the Libr-arrrrr-y! Meet some princesses and pirates, play some games, and make some crafts. Readers under 19 years old who have finished their summer library challenge can also pick up their summer reading prizes and a free book. Costumes are encouraged for all attendees! Sponsored by the St Mary’s Gies Endowment.

graphic of four adults climbing a larger-than-life stack of books

🏕 Summer Library Challenge is wrapping up

Kids: the last day to finish the Summer Library Challenge for ages 0-18 is Friday, August 23.


Adults: you have until Tuesday, September 3 to finish your Summer Library Challenge.


That’s still plenty of time to sign up and finish this year’s challenge! Our program is designed so that you can sit down and enter all your reading and activities for the entire summer at once. Sign up on our website, use the Beanstack app, or pick up a paper copy of the challenge at the Library.

photos of a table of food, three women dancing in Mexican traditional dresses, a wall of carved wooden masks, an oud on a couch, and a crowd of people celebrating Holi

🌍 Culture Fest

Share your culture at Culture Fest! We’re looking for folks who are willing to share a dish, share artwork, display clothing, teach a dance, play an instrument, play a game, give a presentation, or participate in another way to share your unique culture. All ages are welcome to attend.

🔎 Mystery at Magnolia Gardens

Are you a fan of true crime podcasts? Do you always figure out the killer before the book is finished? Do you wish that Platteville had an escape room game you could play? Sign up with a group of friends or on your own to try to solve the Nancy Drew “Mystery at Magnolia Gardens” using realistic evidence and documents to solve ciphers, clues, and puzzles. Gameplay is estimated at 60-90 minutes.

🐉 Dungeons & Dragons

Are you ready to embark on an epic adventure? If you wish you could play D&D but don’t know where to begin or haven’t found a local group, our summer D&D adventures could be what you’re searching for! Our weekly sessions are designed to allow you to attend whichever sessions fit with your schedule. All levels of experience are welcome.

🌞 Adult DIY Henna

Explore your creative side by using henna to draw designs on yourself. Note: Henna designs can last on the skin for 1-3 weeks. 

✂ Let’s get crafty

Unwind: We’ll make the tea, you bring the conversation and a project to work on.


Make it Midweek Adventure Signposts: Point your way to future adventures, real or fictional, with a miniature signpost in a terrarium.

Teen activities

👜 Teen Activity Days: Tote Bag Decor Decorate a tote bag with fabric paint, stencils, and markers while we listen to music. Registration recommended. Ages 12-18.


🍣 Teen Activity Days: Candy Sushi Roll your own dessert sushi made from candy and puffed rice treats. Registration recommended. Ages 12-18.


💥 Monthly Teen Anime Club! Join us each month for fun, food, and fandom as we eat snacks and watch anime. Ages 12-17.

😁 Weekly drop-in fun

Stop by each Wednesday for a different fun adventure for children of all ages. Children under 9 must be with an adult.

📖 Summer storytimes

Family Storytime

Summer storytime wraps up this month, so be sure to catch the final three weeks! Bring a stuffie friend and join us for songs, stories, and friends at the Library. For young children and their grown-up.


Pop-up Storytime

Can’t make Tuesday morning storytimes? Join us for a special pop-up storytime Monday, August 12 at Legion Park. Bring a stuffie friend and a blanket.

🎬 Movie Club

Our newest discussion group is Library Movie Club. From casual moviegoers to diehard cinephiles, all are invited to check out a copy of the movie, watch it at home, and join the discussion at the Library. This month’s selection is The Big Short, a 2015 American biographical crime comedy-drama film based on Michael Lewis’s best-selling nonfiction book of the same name.

 💻 Tech Talks

Join Library staff for a chat about a different tech-based topic each month. This month's topic is Storing & Moving Files. Find out what exactly “The Cloud” is, learn how to keep your digital things organized and manageable, and explore options for storing your files for free. Bring your own device for an opportunity to try out new skills and ask questions. Registration recommended.

📚 Let’s talk books

Stop by the Library to pick up a copy of one of this month’s book club titles:

  • Kids Book Club is reading books from the Cat Ninja series by Matthew Cody

  • Teen Book Club is reading their choice of graphic novels

  • Adult Book Club is reading Old Babes in the Woods by Margaret Atwood

  • Monthly Morning Book Chat is sharing their current reads

Time change! Kid’s Book Club will now start half an hour earlier at 5:30 p.m.


Location change! Teen Book Club will meet at Smith Park for June, July, and August.

⛔ Library closings

The Library will be closed on Sundays for the summer. The Library will resume Sunday hours on September 8.


The Library will be closed Sunday, September 1 and Monday, September 2 for Labor Day.


The Library will be closed Monday, September 16 for staff in-service.

🔮 Looking ahead

Keep an eye out for our September events, including: