Every community has its beloved local library, home to so many community gatherings and fun family events. From summer reading programs and crafts to yoga, animal shows and field trips, there is an activity for every age and every interest this summer. Bring a family member and make plans to enjoy one of these fun activities at your local library. Remember – they are all FREE! Note: Many local libraries were still finalizing events and activities at press time. Be sure to check county websites for news.
State Park Pass program
New this summer is a free day pass for most California State Parks, through a partnership between the State Park and State Library. People can borrow these passes for up to three weeks. The program runs through June, 2024.
BUTTE COUNTY
(530) 552-5652, buttecounty.net/bclibrary/
• Biggs – 464A B St.
• Chico – 1108 Sherman Ave.
• Durham – 2545 Durham-Dayton Hwy.
• Oroville – 1820 Mitchell Ave.
• Gridley – 299 Spruce St.
• June 1-July 31: Summer Reading: All six library branches are participating with in-person and online events and activities for all ages. Children who read 7 books will be able to pick out a free book. This year, the Library is using Beanstack, an online Summer Reading site to track reading and activities to get badges and points.
Oroville
Free drop-in Summer Lunches for youth under 18. Presented by Butte County Office of Education. Check website for details.
GLENN COUNTY
June 13-Aug 5, Summer Reading Program: Kids 13 and older write 3 book reviews and submit them in a raffle for a chance to win prizes. Reading Log raffle with prizes for youth 12 and younger.
Orland
333 Mill St., (530) 865-1640, orlandfreelibrary.org
• June 15-Aug 3, 11am: Preschool Storytime with Activity and Craft.
• June 16, 11am: Live Animal Storytime with Glenn County Farm Bureau. All ages.
• June 18 & July 30, 11am: Outdoor Storytime with Bilingual songs. All ages.
• June 21, July 5 & 19, Aug 2, 11am: Lego Club for all ages.
• June 22, 11am: Wild Things Animal Show with Conservation Ambassadors. All ages.
• June 23-July 28, 11am: Infant Toddler Storytime.
• June 28 & 29, 11am: Obstacle Course. All ages.
• July 2, 11am: STEM activity with Christine Kampmann, 4-H Coordinator.
• July 12, 11am: Healthy Teeth Bilingual Storytime with Health Coordinator, Karla-Oral.
• July 27, 11am: Clifford Visits for Storytime by KIXE PBS. All ages.
• Aug 4, 1pm: Ice cream social with Glenn County Farm Bureau. All ages.
Willows
201 N. Lassen St. (530) 934-5156, willowspubliclibrary.org
Every Wed, 11am: Story time, songs, rhymes and a craft.
• June 15, time to be announced: Clifford Storytime
• June 22, 1pm: Wild Things Animal Show
• June 29, 1pm: STEM Activity
• July 8, 11:30am: Healthy Teeth Storytime
• July 14, 1pm: STEM Activity
• July 27: Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge. Check website for details.
SISKIYOU COUNTY
co.siskiyou.ca.us/library
Several branches are running a Summer Reading program: Check main website for full details and contact the branch directly.
• Dunsmuir – 5714 Dunsmuir Ave, (530) 235-2035
• Etna – 115 Collier Way, (530) 467-3661
• Fort Jones – 11960 East St., (530) 468-2383
• Happy Camp – 143 Buckhorn Rd., (530) 493-2964
• McCloud – 300 E. Columbero Dr., (530) 964-2169
• Montague – 230 S. 13th St., (530) 459-5473
• Mt. Shasta – 515 E. Alma St., (530) 926-2031
• Scott Bar – 27233 Scott River Rd., (530) 496-3248
• Tulelake – 451 Main St., (530) 667-2291
• Weed – 150 Alamo Ave., (530) 938-4769
• Yreka – 719 Fourth St. (530) 340-0680
• Wednesdays, 11am-2pm, Free Family Reading for ages 0-5
• July 16, 1pm: Craft Day for children signed up for Summer Reading Program Must read 30 books or chapters and have turned in Reading Logs.
TEHAMA COUNTY
tehamacountrylibrary.org or Tehama County Friends of The Library on Facebook
• Corning – 740 3rd St., (530) 824-7050
• Los Molinos – 7881 State Highway 99E, (530) 384-2772
• Red Bluff – 545 Diamond Ave., (530) 527-0604
• June 6-July 31, Summer Reading Program: Featuring “Uke Can Do It,” a ukulele-themed summer program. Kids and families can earn prizes by reading and doing activities tracked with an activity log all summer. Highlights include ukulele instruction, performance, and strum-along to movies! Ukuleles will be available for checkout at all Tehama County libraries.
• Free lunch at the Red Bluff Library, ages 0-18. Check website for details.
SHASTA COUNTY
• Anderson – 3200 West Center St., (530)365-7685, shastalibraries.org/anderson-library
• Burney – 37116 Main St., (530)238-0442, shastalibraries.org/burney-library
• Cottonwood Community Library – 3427 Main St., (530) 347-4818, Facebook
• Redding – 1100 Parkview Ave. (530)245-7250 shastalibraries.org/redding-library/
• Shasta Lake Gateway Library – 1525 Median Ave., (530) 275-7490
• Activity Kits: Pick these up at all three branches, while supplies last.
• June 1-7: DIY S’mores Oven Kit. Use the power of the sun to make s’mores in the daytime. Build your own s’mores oven with this kit. All ages.
• June 8-14 DIY Inflatable Monster Kit. We provide the supplies and you provide the creativity and air. Ages 0-5
Cryptozoology Terrarium Kit: Create a creepy terrarium to give your monster a home. Ages 6-17
• June 15-21 Leaf Rubbing Kit. Take a walk in nature to make your own nature art. Ages 0-5. DIY Wind Chime. Create your own wind chimes on a walk in nature. Kids ages 6-17
• June 22-28 Code Bracelet Kit. Learn how to read Morse Code and make a secret message bracelet. All ages
• June 29-July 5 Pocket Cow Kit. Create your own pocket-sized cow with this kit. Ages 0-5. DIY Fox Tail Kit.Try your hand at cosplay by creating a yarn foxtail. Ages 6-17
• July 6-12 Marshmallow Shooter Kit: This kit provides all materials needed to make a marshmallow shooter. All ages
• July 13-19 DIY Lightning Bug Kit: Lightning bugs make great night lights, but can be hard to catch, so you can make your own. Ages 0-5. DIY Circuit Bug Kit: Create your own circuit bug with batteries and LED diodes or use your imagination to create something amazing. Ages 6-17
• July 20-26 Exploding Rocket Kit: This kit has all the supplies needed to make an Alka-Seltzer rocket. Ages 0-11
Anderson
• June 23, 3:30pm, Tortoise Acres Storytime: Tortoise Acres will bring some of their rescued turtles and tortoises for us to see and touch. All ages
• July 7, 3:30pm, Whiskeytown Park Storytime: Scott Einberger from Whiskeytown National Recreation Area will talk about hiking, camping, and all the fun stuff you can do at Whiskeytown. Story and craft to follow. All ages
• July 14, 3:30pm, Coleman Fish Hatchery Storytime; Bring your creativity & Coleman Fish Hatchery will bring something awesome for us to paint! Supplies provided. Ages 3+
• July 21, 3:30 pm, Shasta Woodworkers Storytime: Children will be able to make and decorate their very own bookends. Shasta Woodworkers provides supplies. Ages 3+
• July 23, 9-10:30am, National Drive-Thru Day: Children will receive a book and a stuffed animal while supplies last. All ages welcome. Anderson Library Parking Lot
• July 28, 3:30pm, Pigeon Storytime: Katie from Tortoise Acres will bring some of her pigeons and read some fun stories about pigeons. All ages
Burney
• June 4, 10:30-11:30am, Fun with Fossils: We’ll have fun exploring and learning about dinosaurs with a fossil-finding activity. Registration required. Ages 6-11. Register online or call 530-245-7252.
• June 10 & July 8, 2-3pm, Yarns: For teens and adults who want to learn knitting basics. Materials provided. Ages 12+
• June 16, 11am-1pm, Fun with Plants: Children learn how to care for their own vegetable plant and receive a potted plant from Shasta Family Nursery. Ages 0-11.
• June 18 & July 16, 3-5pm, Family Game Afternoon: Enjoy books, games, and toys, and explore what your library has to offer. All ages welcome.
• June 24 & July 22, 11am-noon, Book Club: Each month the Burney Book Club will select a different book to read. During the first meeting, the club will pick books for the following months. Ages 18+
• June 29, 1:30pm, Peanut’s Playhouse Puppet Show: Kasandra from Peanut’s Playhouse presents a live puppet show with a song and a workshop on how to create your own superhero. All ages.
• July 2, 9am-1pm, Burney Basin Days: Stop by to pick up a book bag of goodies donated by FOIL. While supplies last. All ages
• July 15, 3:30-4:30pm, Cross Stitch for Beginners: Teens will receive a beginner’s counted cross stitch kit that includes a needle, Aida cloth, pattern, floss and a coupon for a free book from Friends Main Street Books, provided by Friends of the Intermountain Libraries. Ages 12-17.
• July 30, 3-5pm, Summer Reading Wrap-up Party: Bubbles and fun for the whole family. All ages are encouraged to participate in a library scavenger hunt for prizes and children will receive an activity bag while supplies last.
Redding
• TAB (Teen Advisory Board): Discuss and plan weekly meetings, participate in library program planning, make suggestions for the YA collection, offer ideas to improve the Teen Scene space, and more. Ages 12-18.
• June 7 & July 5, 6-7:30pm, TAB Business Meeting: Increase job-building and creativity skills by working on crafts of interest or learning new skills that will benefit you in the future. Presentations by local professionals and organizations on how to use creativity in a career.
• June 28 & July 26, 6-7:30pm, TAB Game Night
• June 14 & July 12, 6-7:30pm, TAB Community Service
• June 1, noon-1pm, Grow Your Podcast Audience: This one-hour in-person workshop will walk you through what it takes to grow your podcast and reach your goals. Learn how to identify your growth goals for your podcast, the 3 pillars that will help you reach a million downloads, and the steps to take to accelerate your growth. Ages 18+. Presented by Women’s Business Center at JEDI. Register online here or call (530)245-7252.
• June 7, 10:30-11:30am, Yoga with Sun Oaks: Geared toward ages 4 and up; all ages welcome.
• June 14 & July 12, 3-6pm, Lake Shasta Caverns Tour: Explore Lake Shasta Caverns for FREE! Meets at Lake Shasta Caverns. Registration required; minors must be accompanied by an adult. Register online here or call (530)245-7252.
• June 27, 6-7:30pm, ”Tricks of My Trade” Magic Show: Magician Ron Giesecke presents an evening of magic, sleight of hand, and secrets revealed.
• June 28 & 30, 1:30pm: Peanut’s Playhouse Puppet Show: Kasandra from Peanut’s Playhouse presents a live puppet show with a song and a workshop on how to create your own superhero. All ages
• July 9, 2-4pm, How to use the Cricut Maker: Learn how to use the Cricut Maker in our Create It! Space, and make your own bookmarks! All ages
• July 12, 5:30-6:30pm, Art of the Lean $100 Start-Up:Learn key lessons about how to start and run a business on a limited budget. Brought to you by the Small Business Development Center. Register online here or call (530)245-7252. Ages 18+
• July 13, 11am-2pm, Library Book Group: Join us as we share our impressions of The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson. The online group is through Zoom. For more information and to receive the Zoom link, contact Linda Smith: pigface189@yahoo.com. Hosted by Friends of the Shasta County Libraries. Ages 18+. Redding Library Foundation Room or Online.
• July 16, 11am-noon, Gentle Yoga: This class uses the yoga mat and a chair designed to accommodate all students in a safe, comfortable environment. Presented by Jana Parker of Balance Yoga Center. Ages 18+
Posted in: Education, Out & About
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