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Youth Events & Programs – July 2026
Plant a Seed, Read! Summer Reading
Plant a Seed, Read is rooted in the concept of farm to table. A farm grows food that nourishes our bodies; a library grows ideas that nourish our minds. What will you grow with the seeds you plant?
We have a reading challenge for every age, and it’s not too late to start! Register online with the Beanstack Tracker app, or ask for a paper log at the Youth Desk.
Only reading that takes place between May 28 and July 31 counts toward the challenges.
All reading progress must be logged and turned in to the library by July 31 at 8:00 PM to be eligible for Grand Prize Drawings.
Reading Challenges
- Babies & Parents – Read books with your child this summer to earn a free book, an admission pass to the Edwardsville Children’s Museum, and enter the Grand Prize Drawing!
- Baby & Parent Grand Prizes: $100 Happy Up Gift Card OR 1-Year Edwardsville Children’s Museum Membership
- Pre-Readers (Ages 2 – 5) – Read for at least 20 minutes a day on 30 separate days. Prizes will pop up along the way. Once you finish 30 days of reading, you’ll earn a free book & enter the Grand Prize Drawing!
- Pre-Reader Grand Prize: $100 Happy Up Gift Card
- Independent Readers (Ages 6 – 11) – Read for at least 20 minutes a day on 30 separate days. Prizes will pop up along the way. Once you finish 30 days of reading, you’ll earn a free book & enter the Grand Prize Drawing!
- Independent Reader Grand Prize: $100 Happy Up Gift Card
- Teen Readers (Grades 6 – 12) – Read for at least 30 minutes a day on 30 separate days. Prizes will pop up along the way. Once you finish 30 days of reading, you’ll earn a free book & enter the Grand Prize Drawing!
- Teen Readers Grand Prize: $100 in gift cards to local businesses.
Sprout-Tacular Showcase
Our wildly fun show series where imagination grows! See our guest stars below.
Wednesday, July 1 at 10:00 AM – Stegosaurus Steve & Iggy with St. Louis Dinosaur
Wednesday, July 8 at 10:00 AM – Treehouse Wildlife Center
Wednesday, July 15 at 10:00 AM – Misfit Marionnettes: The Farm Review
The Goshen Market
Saturdays, 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM. Give your weekends a fresh start at the Land of Goshen Community Market, located this season around City Park on Park Street and S. Kansas Street. Hear live music, stop by the 80+ vendor tables, and bring the kids to Market Sprouts – a hands-on educational program that educates children – and their families – on the importance of eating fresh, local produce!
Wednesday, July 1
Stegosaurus Steve & Iggy with St. Louis Dinosaur
10:00 – 11:00 AM. This action-packed event invites children to meet a life-like dinosaur and uncover mind-blowing facts about these ancient giants.
Thursdays, July 2 – July 23
Community Story Time
10:00 – 11:00 AM. For ages 3 – 5 years. Hear stories shared by special guest readers from our community each week!
Thursdays, July 2 – July 30
Teen Movie Nights
5:00 – 7:30 PM. For grades 6 – 12. Free popcorn and a feature film every week! Bring along your friends and a drink with lid, and enjoy the show. See what will be playing on our website.
Mondays, July 6 – July 20
Books for Babies Lapsit
10:00 – 10:30 AM. For ages 0 – 23 months. Stories, songs, and bouncing babies! Read and rhyme with your little one, and connect with other caregivers.
Mondays, July 6 – July 27
Kids Movie Matinees
1:00 PM. Spend your day off from school enjoying a movie & free popcorn at the library! See what will be playing on our website. For a safe and smooth event, we ask that parents or guardians accompany all children inside the library for check-in. An adult must stay with children under 8.
Mondays, July 6 & 20
Crochet Club
3:30 – 5:00 PM. For grades 6 – 12. Registration Required. Whether you’re new to crochet or a seasoned stitcher, join us to learn new techniques, share tips, and connect with others!
Tuesdays, July 7 – 21
Tales for Twos
10:00 – 10:30 AM. Explore a new theme each week with vibrant picture books, toe-tapping songs, and giggle-worthy moves alongside your story time pals!
Tuesdays, July 7 – 28
Teen Game Night
6:00 – 7:30 PM. For grades 6 – 12. Go on a quest with fellow players in the classic collaborative role-playing game Dungeon & Dragons, or try out our many other tabletop games.
Wednesday, July 8
TreeHouse Wildlife
10:00 – 11:00 AM. Meet and learn all about real rescued wild animals visiting us from TreeHouse Wildlife Center.
Wednesdays, July 8
Snack Around the World
4:00 – 5:00 PM. Registration Required. Each month we will sample a variety of snacks from across the globe and discover new favorite flavors.
Wednesdays, July 8
Pajama Story Time
6:00 – 6:30 PM. All ages welcome. Cozy up for Pajama Story Time at the library, where kids can enjoy enchanting bedtime tales in their comfiest PJs! Join us for a magical evening of stories, songs, and snuggles!
Fridays, July 10 & 24
Drop-In Playtime
10:00 – 11:00 AM. For families with children ages 1 – 5 years. Enjoy engaging sensory activities! All families are welcome to join. This open play is especially great for kids with multi-sensory needs.
Mondays, July 13
Read to a Dog
4:00 – 5:00 PM. Registration Required. A therapy dog is visiting the library and wants to listen to you read! Register to get a 15-minute session with the dog-on-duty.
Tuesday, July 14
Bloxels
4:00 – 5:00 PM. For ages 8 – 11 years. Registration Required. With Bloxels, you become the artist, writer, designer and director of your own video game! Build art, animations and backgrounds to design your game’s world the way you want.
Wednesday, July 15
Misfit Marionnettes: The Farm Review
10:00 – 11:00 AM. Here on the farm, the animals love to sing and dance, so come dance with us! Meet our friends, Charlie the Catapiller, Mr. Chicken, the farmer, and so many others.
Thursday, July 16
Lego Build & Play at the West End Service Station
1:00 – 3:00 PM. For ages 5 – 12 years. Fuel your imagination with Legos at the West End Service Station! We’re bringing the bricks down Route 66 for an afternoon of freeform building and creative exploration.
Fridays, July 17
Art & Plant Classes with SoCal Soul
2:00 – 3:00 PM. For grades 6 – 12. Registration Required. Get your hands dirty and bring a new plant friend to life! Pick out a 2” plant and decorate its pot with your own unique flair using markers, plant picks, pebbles, and more.
Saturdays, July 18
Read to a Dog
10:00 – 11:00 AM. Registration Required. A therapy dog is visiting the library and wants to listen to you read! Register to get a 15-minute session with the dog-on-duty.
Saturday, July 18
Muppet Treasure Island Interactive Movie
1:00 PM. Registration Required. Yo-Ho, it’s a pirate’s life for us! Set sail on an interactive adventure as we celebrate the 30th anniversary of Muppet Treasure Island!
Tuesday, July 21
Pokémon Hangout – Trade Event & Standard Hangout
4:30 – 5:30 PM. For ages 5 – 12 years. Drop in for all the fun of our traditional hangouts. Find a variety of Pokémon-themed activities and loot to take home. If you are a card collector, bring them to show fellow trainers and have the chance to trade. All card trading will be monitored by our Pokémon Professors to ensure fairness and that all parties leave happy.
Wednesday, July 22
To Be Read…Book Club
4:00 – 5:00 PM. Registration Required. For Grades 6 – 12. Register to get a copy of this month’s book pick at the Youth Desk, read it, and join us to talk all about it! July’s book pick will be Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor.
Adult July Events & Programs
Thursdays, July 2 & 16
Movie Matinees
Noon At the Edwardsville Public Library. Bring a brown bag lunch, and we’ll provide the drinks and popcorn. Please call the library or go to our website for movie titles.
Monday, July 6
Monday Evening Yoga
6:00 PM Join Yoga Instructor Lisa Allen for an hour of peaceful yoga and meditation.
Monday, July 6
Chess Club
6:30 PM A casual environment for masters and novices to meet up to play and enjoy one of the oldest games in the world.
Tuesday, July 7 & 21
Memory Cafe
10:00AM A welcoming social gathering for people living with changes in memory or thinking, and those who care for them. Talk with others who understand and can share thoughts and ideas.
Wednesday, July 8
Summer Greeting Card Class
6:00PM Registration Required Join Laura Borchert for a summer greeting card class. Participants will make 3 themed greeting cards.
Thursday, July 9
The Cozy Comics Club
6:30 PM Discussing – Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees by Patrick Horvath
Friday, July 10
EPL & Thrillsville Present: Cult Classic Movie Club
6:00PM The Thrillsville/EPL Cult Classic Movie Club is a place to enjoy horror, sci-fi, and fantasy cult classic films. The July event is ages 18+ only. This month's movie will be the 1980 campy horror comedy, Motel Hell
Saturday, July 11
Chair Yoga
10:00 AM Registered yoga teacher Julie Hamilton will lead the class using modifications of many common yoga poses.
Sunday, July 12
Bits & Pieces Junk Journal Club
2:00 PM Bring all necessary supplies to work on your junk journal in a welcoming, no pressure environment.
Monday, July 13
Digital Decluttering Lab
4:00PM Registration Required These days we all have digital clutter. By appointment only, bring us your device and we will help you clean up and organize your digital files. Call the adult services department at 618-692-7556 ext. 6 to see open time slots.
Wednesday, July 15
Adult Crochet Club
3:00 PM Registration Required Whether you're new to crochet or a seasoned stitcher, come join us to learn new techniques, share tips, and connect with other adult crocheters.
Wednesday, July 15
Screen Screams Society
5:30PM Screen Screams Society is a horror movie club for adults featuring regular screenings of classic and modern scary films. Sit back, grab some popcorn, and enjoy a fright on the big screen.
We’re heading to the beach with the ultimate summer blockbuster, the 1975 masterpiece Jaws. Experience the film that made a generation afraid to go into the water.
Thursday, July 16
Happily Ever After
6:30 PM A romance book club, discussing – Ana Maria and the Fox by Liana De la Rosa
Saturday, July 18
The Rough Drafts Writing Club
2:00 PM Let's make time to write! Bring your current project or start a new one.
Monday, July 20
Adult Animation Showtime
5:30PM Anime club has been revamped to include all forms of adult animation! We will be showing Phantom Tollbooth (1970).
Monday, July 20
Reader’s Outpost
6:30PM A sci-fi book club, discussing - Flowers for Algernon by Dainel Keyes
Tuesday, July 21
Recovery Without Stigma
6:00PM Mark Knott, from the Metro East Recovery Council, will be discussing the stigma of substance abuse disorder and how to deal with this sensitive and personal issue in a non-judgmental manner.
Saturday, July 25
Adult D&D One-Shot Adventure
10:00AM & 2:00PM Registration Required Join us for a single session D&D adventure with pre-generated characters & a staff Dungeon Master. No books, dice, or prep necessary. Just sit down & enjoy an adventure in a single two-hour session.
Sunday, July 26
Sunday Sunrise Yoga
8:45 AM Registration Required Registered yoga teacher Julie Hamilton will lead the class using modifications of many common yoga poses.
Monday, July 27
Nothing But Vinyl
6:00 PM Bring your favorite record and play us your favorite song or just come enjoy the music and discussions.
Tuesday, July 28
Riveted Readers Book Club
6:30 PM Discussing – The Secret Agent by Joseph Conrad
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Wednesday, July 1
Edwardsville Symphony
6:30 PM Celebrating the 250th Anniversary of our Nation's Declaration of Independence by celebrating the diversity of our country's music!
Performance located in Adult Reading Room.
Saturday, July 11
Seven Ways to Freedom: The McWorters and Their 1836 Town of New Philadelphia, Illinois
1:00 PM Founded in 1836, New Philadelphia is the first known town planned and legally registered by an African American in the United States. Town founder Frank McWorter used his earnings to purchase 16 family members out of slavery, and the town became a stop on the Underground Railroad.
Monday, July 13
Dead People of Illinois
6:00PM Searching for dead people in all the right places, this ”underground” presentation explores hundreds of Illinois cemeteries to find interesting graves and headstones & intriguing lives and deaths. It’s an opportunity for mortals to not only whistle past the graveyard, but to pause and enjoy the oddities of life and death while we're still on the right side of history.
Wednesday, July 15
ICASH with Illinois State Treasurers Office
3:00PM-6:00PM The Illinois State Treasurer’s Office connects people with their cash and other assets through the I-Cash program.
Saturday, July 18
US Citizenship Preparation Class
6:30 PM Registration Required This free preparation class covers eligibility and naturalization process, the interview and civics test, how to complete the application, application cost, and the Oath Ceremony.
Wednesday, July 22
Affordable Care Act Information Table
2:00 PM- 3:30PM Registration Required The Illinois Primary Health Care Association (IPHCA) will be sharing information and answering questions about Affordable Care Act Health Insurance options and registration in the lounge.
Saturday, July 25
Game Drop & Swap
10:00AM A swap for gamers of all hobby types. Bring boardgames, card games (including trading card games), video games, rpg games, etc. to the library during one of the drop off times listed below. Then come back on Saturday to pick through what has been dropped off and see what adventures await. Drop off Days: Wednesday, July 22nd: 9am - 7pm Thursday, July 23rd: 9am - 7pm Friday, July 24th: 9am - 5pm
Plant a Seed, Read: Summer Reading is Here!
May 28-July 31
Plant a Seed, Read is rooted in the concept of farm to table. A farm grows food that nourishes our bodies; a library grows ideas that nourish our minds. Both food and stories connect us to our family, culture, economy, and ecology. This summer, we invite you to imagine the library as a community table where, instead of food, we feast on ideas! What will you grow with the seeds you plant?
Adult Reading Challenge
- Read 3 books, earn a completion prize
- Read 5 books, be entered into a drawing for local business gift cards
- Read 10 or more books, be entered into a drawing for a 1 year friends and family membership to Missouri Botanical Garden
SIUE to Host Solar Car Drivers During Electrek American Solar Challenge Route 66 Stop in Edwardsville
The American Solar Challenge is a biennial, experiential learning event for collegiate teams to design and build a vehicle powered by the sun, then demonstrate its capabilities in a distance-based, endurance, energy-management competition traveling epic routes across the US.
SIUE Campus Parking Lot E
Monday, July 27th - 2-6pm
Public viewing of solar car teams on site until 8 p.m
Tuesday, July 28th 7-9:30am
9-9:30am Solar car teams start staggered in 1-minute intervals to head to the next stage of the American Solar Challenge.
Edwardsville Memory Digitization Project
The goal of the Edwardsville Memory program at EPL is assist our patrons in preserving the history of Edwardsville, its people and institutions. In honor of Black History Month, we want to assist in preserving artifacts related to The Historic Lincoln School and those who spent time there. We would like to encourage anyone with artifacts relating to the school or its students to come to the library and have those items digitized. No items are too small to preserve, photos, clippings, assignments, notes, journals, score cards, etc. All originals will be returned to their owners along with digital copies. Contact Greg at 618-692-7556 X437 to make an appointment or ask questions about the program. Digital copies of the items can be donated to historical organizations with the agreement of the owner.
Contact Us
618-692-7556 ext. 6 edereference@edwpl.org
Greg Kessler, Head of Adult Services gregk@edwpl.org
Kelcey Stewart Adult Services Assistant kelceys@edwpl.org
Greg Guntren Adult Services Assistant gregoryg@edwpl.org