June 1st - July 27th

Children keep track of their reading minutes and earn great prizes as they finish benchmarks based on their age. Kids also earn raffle tickets as they read for fabulous grand prizes. Reading logs and directions will be available starting Monday, June 1st.

Adults can win prizes from their own summer reading program which runs at the same time.

Thursday, June 11th, 10AM
All Ages Welcome, No Registration Required
Location: This event will take place in the basement of the Beecher Community Hall, 673 Penfield St.

Jared showcases juggling, unicycling, globe walking, stilt walking, dog tricks, comedy, magic, and more!  A must-see how for the whole family!

Tuesday, May 19th at 4 PM
Ages 6+, Register by Monday, May 18th

Kids will create their own putt putt hole and test their friend’s creations while learning about physics and geometry.

Tuesday, May 26th, 6:30-8:30PM,
Wednesday, May 27th, 2-4PM, or
Wednesday, May27th, 6:30-8:30PM
Ages 18+, Cost:$5.00
Register by Friday, May 22nd
Space is Limited.

Make a cute patriotic craft.  Stars will be made of wood and participants will glue scrapbook paper to them. 

Wednesday, June 3rd and July 15th, 4PM
Kids Aged 6+
The June book will be available on May 15th.

Kids will meet once a month to talk about a popular junior graphic novel and enjoy an activity, game, or craft that will be themed after the book.

The first book for June 3rd will be Dog Man: Jim Believes by Dav Pilkey.

Monday, June 8th, 6:30PM
Ages 18+, Register by Thursday, June 4th
Space is Limited.
Featured cookbook:Dinner Solved!
by Katie Workman

Participants will select a recipe from the cookbook, prepare it at home, and arrive ready to share their dish. While we sample these culinary creations, we will discuss food and cooking!

Please note this is a potluck event and recipes will be prepared in personal kitchens.Participants are required to sign a waiver at the beginning of the program.

Wednesday, June 10th at 4 PM
Ages 6+,Register by Monday, June 8th
Calling all FIFA Fans! Join us as we celebrate the start of the World Cup with soccer activities, games, and crafts, like soccer bingo, jersey scavenger hunt, and more!

Tuesday, June 16th, 4PM
Wednesday, June 17th, 6PM
For Kids of All Ages,Register by Monday, June 15th
Mark the anniversary of the USA by decorating a patriotic cupcake, making patriotic bracelets, and creating your own flag.

Tuesday, June 23rd
Visit the bus anytime from 4-6PM
No registration required.For all ages.

Curious minds of all ages are invited to join us as the IGB Mobile Science Learning Lab will be visiting our library!Participants will have opportunities to sample pond water and view microflora and fauna under a microscope; collect, view, and identify insects; and analyze the pigment content of plant leaf samples to learn more about photosynthesis.

The mobile STEM lab is an initiative by the outreach team at the Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Wednesday, June 24th, 4PM
For All Ages
Register by Monday June 22nd
Retired navy veteran and Beecher Amvets member Julie Nefczyk will discuss flag etiquette and talk a little bit about the history of the flag.Participants will get to learn how to fold a flag and put it on a flag pole.

Wednesday, July 8th, 6:30PM or 7:15PM
Ages 18+, FREE
Register by Wednesday, July 1st
T-shirts will be provided.Have your t-shirt size ready when calling to register.

Tuesday, July 7th, 4PM & 6PM
Wednesday, July 8th, 4PM
Ages 6+, Register by Wednesday, July 1st
Make a tie-dye t-shirt to celebrate the summer!

Tuesday, July 14th, 6:30PM
Register by Friday, July 10th

Children will enjoy a story time with their stuffed animal. Stuffed animals will spend the night at the Library, and children will receive photos of the animals’ adventures the next day!

Wednesday, July 22nd 6:30 PM
Register Your Team by July 21st.
Don’t forget to come up with a fun team name!
For Teens (13+) and Adults

Fire up your trivia skills as we test your knowledge on a variety of topics! Gather a team of up to four people and join us at the library for trivia night! We will have 6 rounds of questions, each covering a different category. The winning team will receive a prize.

We will be registering up to 8 teams of up to 4 people per team. Each team should register with a team name and contact person. Solo players are welcome to register and we’ll create an extra team.

History speaker Tim Wilsey takes us back to some of the sports legends from the Windy City, including Walter Payton, Ernie Banks, Michael Jordan, Mike Ditka, Bobby Hull, and so much more!

Ages 5-17

Do you have book recommendations that you would love to share?

Kids & teens are invited to drop in the library to fill out an application for a chance to be our next Junior Librarian and have your own book display for the month.

Enjoy stories, activities, games, and crafts!
Call to register.

Beecher Bookworm Buddies
Location:  Inside the Library
Thursdays & Fridays, 10AM
Runs through May 29th

Summer Story Times in the Park
Location:the bandstand at fireman’s park
Thursdays, 10AM
June 4th & 18th
July 9th, 16th, 23rd, & 30th
(Please note caregivers are expected to sit with their children during story time in the park.)

The SWAN Libraries + app is available for iOS and Android devices. If you used the old SWAN Libraries app, you can delete it after logging in to the new app.

(Note: The new app is named the same as the old app, just with a “+” at the end.)

We are once again hosting a pumpkin decorating contest for kids!  Decorate a pumpkin based on a book or book character.

Winners will be chosen from 0-preschool, K-5th grade, and 6-12th grade.  For each group, first prize will a $15 gift card to Barnes & Noble, with small prizes for 2nd and 3rd place.

October 21st—27th: Pumpkins will be on display for patrons to enjoy.  They can be picked up the 27th and 28th. Left over pumpkins will be disposed of.

Congrats to Our Winners!
Everyone did a fantastic job of decorating their pumpkins, and judging was extremely difficult!

0-PreK
1st:  Liam L. (Spot)
2nd:  Lainey N. (Sesame Street)
3rd:  Andi R. (The Grinch)

K-5
1st:  Aubrey L. (Pigeon)
2nd:  Addison B. (Turtle)
3rd: Violeta R. (Coco)

6-12th
1st:  Zoey M. (Where the Red Fern Grows)
2nd:  Jaxon E. (Holes)
3rd:  Aaralyn M. (If You Give a Mouse A Cookie)

Here is how judging worked:  All pumpins were assigned a number, so children were anonymous.  Four staff members served as judges.  For each age group, the judges collectively pulled 5 top pumpkins.  The judges then privately ranked the 5 pumpkins from 1 for the best down to 5, and the scores were tallied.  The pumpkins with the lowest total scores won. 

From Mid-May through July, the Library will be the temporary home of a tadpole.  Visit the Library to watch its progress as it grows into a frog!

During the first month, we’ll also be taking name suggestions for our new friend.  Look for updates posted on Facebook and Instagram.

Thursday/Friday Morning (10AM)
Enjoy stories, activities, games, and crafts!

Congratulations to everyone who entered pumpkins into our pumpkin decorating contest!  Everyone did a wonderful job, and both adults and children have enjoyed looking at the pumpkins on display.  Don't forget to pick up your pumpkins on Friday 10/28 or Saturday 10/29.  Anything left over will be disposed of.

The winners for the contest are:
Birth - PreK:  1st Place:  Ruby Bivian, 2nd Place:  Davina Hood, 3rd Place:  Ellie Walker
K-5th Grade:  1st Place:  Zoey Manning, 2nd Place: Gabino Bivian, 3rd Place:  Emily Ryan
6th-12th Grade: 1st Place:  Madison Gibson, 2nd Place: Delila Magana, 3rd Place: Marios Killis