Make the Most of the New Year at the LPCPL

The New Year is an excellent opportunity to cultivate a new interest or pursue a fresh challenge. Take up a hobby, learn a new skill, participate in a book club, sign up for an educational class, or attend an event to make the most of the year ahead. Luckily, LPCPL is equipped with the tools and opportunities for you to explore your full potential in 2024!

Talk & Stitch Tuesdays is a community of sewists, quilters, knitters, crocheters, embroiders, cross stitchers, weavers, and fiber crafters who get together at the LPCPL Exchange on the first and third Tuesdays of every month to work on projects, share tips and tricks and socialize. All skill levels are welcome! Sewing machines, tools and basic supplies will be available for use. An instructor will be present to assist with equipment and to answer your questions to the best of their ability. This event series is a great opportunity to build community and foster relationships with other artists like you!

On January 15, the Winter Reading Challenge takes off at full blast. This year’s theme is “Explore the Solar Eclipse”, and participants who complete 600 minutes of reading from January 15 to February 29 will receive free solar eclipse glasses for the solar eclipse taking place on Monday, April 8. Anyone aged 0-99 can participate in the Winter Reading Challenge, and there is no better time than the New Year to dive back into reading (or explore it for the first time)! Sign up via BeanStack and track your progress! Stop by the library if you need help signing up. The LPCPL Winter Reading Challenge Kick-Off event takes place on Monday, January 15^th from 10:00am - 2:00pm in the Multipurpose Room at Main. The Winter Reading Challenge Celebration will take place on Saturday, February 24^th from 10:00am - 11:00am in the Multipurpose Room at Main where you can create a mini light saber out of colored popsicle sticks. Movies will be playing throughout the day, so be sure to stop by this family-friendly event!

Another way to jump into reading is by joining a book club! Each branch has their own Book Discussion once a month. Visit our event calendar to discover the next month’s book and when your branch’s book discussion meets.

If you’re looking to learn a new skill in the kitchen, the Creative Cooking series is the perfect set of classes to get you started! On Wednesday, January 17,  Chrissie Lai, Purdue Extension’s Health & Human Sciences Educator, will be at the Union Mills Branch to teach you how to use your Instant Pot to best make desserts! The series will continue at both the Union Mills and Hanna branches through April, featuring other Instant Pot techniques. Each branch has Instant Pots (and crockpots) for you to check out and use at home!

If you’re interested in history, learn all about Chicago historical architecture from Robert Smith, who will present images of hand-drawn ink drawings featuring Chicago’s historical buildings at the Coolspring Branch on Saturday, February 3 from 11-12:30pm. His presentation will provide historical context about each of the buildings.

Looking for another way to learn a new craft or skill is through a “Make It!” class at the LPCPL Exchange. Here you can learn how to use machines and tools such as the sewing machine, lathe, Cricut and more. There are a variety of classes ranging from lathe pen turning to making a felt trinket dish to creating paper plants.

Not sure yet what you want to explore in 2024? Not a problem! Be sure to frequently visit the full calendar of events to find your next class, camp, or event. You can filter events to fit your local branch. You can also search an event by keyword, or filter by program type, registration type, age group, or date.   

New events and classes are always being added, so be on the lookout for new additions!