Upcoming special events this month include:
On March 3, the library hosts Tony Hoeppner and Friends for a free live Tuneful Tuesday music series featuring classic rock, contemporary blues, and more. The popular local favorite plays Blues, Rock, Country, R&B, American songbook standards and original material. The event starts at noon in the Rock Island Library Downtown Community Room, 401 19th Street. The music program is sponsored by Carol and the late James Horstmann. Guests can bring a sack lunch and enjoy some noon tunes. It’s open to all ages.
If taxes and other money matters are on your mind, catch the library’s two-part seminar, Investing and Taxes, offered in cooperation with the non-profit Society for Financial Awareness. Financial expert Ray Kozicki offers tips for Investment Planning for Retirees on March 4, and a look at Tax Planning, ROTH, and Legacy Strategies on March 11. Both events are held from 6:30 pm to 7:30 pm at the Rock Island Public Library Watts-Midtown Branch, 2715 30th Street. These are educational presentations are free and open to the public.
To practice self-care this March, take advantage of “Cultivating Self-Care and Resilience in a Busy World,” with guest speaker Anne McNelis, on Thursday, March 5 from 1 pm to 2 pm at the Rock Island Southwest Branch, 9010 Ridgewood Road. McNelis, who is co-CEO and clinical director for Transitions Mental Health, will discuss tools for self-care, managing stress, and building resilience, even when you’re busy. The free workshop for adults is funded by ARPA dollars designated by the City of Rock Island.
History fans can find plenty of interesting topics for both Women’s History Month and the upcoming 250th birthday of the nation. Selections include a Rock Island Arsenal lecture on the French and Indian War at 2 pm on March 11 at the Downtown Library, an illustrated lecture “Founding Mothers of America” with Laura Keyes of Historic Voices at 5 pm on March 12 at the Watts-Midtown Branch, and a visit from Mrs. Lincoln herself, with “Mrs. Lincoln’s Salon” at 11 am on Saturday, March 28, also at the Watts-Midtown Branch. Mary Todd Lincoln is portrayed by professional actress Debra Ann Miller.
Coming attractions of the literary kind include an Illinois Libraries Present online talk with author Percival Everett on March 19, and an Evening with Illinois Poet Laureate Mark Turcotte on March 26. “Go Beyond the Page with Percival Everett” is Thursday, March 19 at 7 pm online. Registration is required to receive the online participation link. Sign up is open to cardholders and residents of Rock Island and the Milan-Blackhawk Area Public Library District.
The night of poetry with Mark Turcotte is presented with Augustana College on Thursday, March 26 from 5:30 pm to 7 pm at the Watts-Midtown Branch. Turcotte is the 6th Illinois poet laureate and Distinguished Writer-in Residence at DePaul University, and is also a member of the Turtle Mountain Band Anishinaabe. His works include The Feathered Heart and Exploding Chippewas. The event is free and open to all.
School Age Activities:
A school-age Graphic Novel Book Club meets Tuesday, March 3 to discuss the book “Warriors,” by Erin Hunter at 5 pm, at the Watts-Midtown Branch. It’s free and open to any kid in grades K-6. Graphic novels are book-length versions of the comics format where a story is told through both text and pictures. Kids can drop in without reading the book ahead of time.
Afterschool activity times are also offered twice a week in March. The drop-in activities for grades K to 6 are held on Tuesdays at the Watts-Midtown Branch, and Thursdays at the Rock Island Southwest Branch, 9010 Ridgewood Road, both from 3:30 to 4:30 pm. Activities this month include minute-to-win it games, Johnny Appleseed Day, leprechauns, and a kid-led homemade sticker craft.
On Monday, March 16, the youth services department offers a “Five Nights at Freddy’s Pizza Party” for school age and teen participants. The free event offers pizza and video gaming on the big screen from 5:30 pm to 7:00 pm at the Watts-Midtown Branch.
Parents of younger preschool children can take advantage of Tuesday and Friday storytimes at 10:30 am at the Watts-Midtown Branch, and a Wednesday storytime at 11 am at the Southwest Branch. They feature a few stories, a fun activity, and a song or two. All are free and open to ages birth to five accompanied by an adult caregiver. The library’s monthly messy art craft, Petite Picassos, is on Wednesday, March 11 at 11 am, at the Southwest Branch.
Additional programs include ongoing book clubs, a monthly knitting circle, conversation groups, movie events, and the mid-March opening of the Seed Library. For more information, visit the library website, call 309-732-READ, or follow the Rock Island Library Facebook and Instagram social media sites.