Events

Story Time is on Mondays at 10am.

Ages 0-8+ and their caregivers are invited to listen to stories and join in on storytelling with fingerplay, movement, props, and songs. Create a craft to take home. Please contact the library to register.

Chess Club meets on Wednesdays 6:30-7:30pm. All ages and skill levels are welcome. We will host a tournament for grades K-8 on Saturday, April 12th with the first round starting at 10am. Get more information and register here.

Book Club for adults meets on the fourth Tuesday of every month at 7pm. Pick up a copy of this month's title at the library and join in the discussion.

During the week of Spring Break, visit the library for free snacks and drop-in creative activities.

The Art of Foraging with Alexis Nikole Nelson

Virtual Program Thursday, April 10th at 7pm

Celebrate Earth Month with BlackForager, Alexis Nikole Nelson. A forager, outdoor educator, chef, and influencer based in Ohio, Nelson uses her platforms to yell, sing and celebrate all the edible plants hiding in plain sight. She invites all to come on her foraging journey with her via @alexisnikole (TikTok) and @blackforager (Instagram). Through her search for freely accessible edible plants, she peels back historical layers on African American and Indigenous food traditions that have traditionally been repressed and empowers those living in food deserts with greater self- sufficiency.

Nelson has also cooked up quite a few awards, receiving the James Beard Award for “Best Social Media” 2022, being chosen as a ‘TikTok Tastemaker’ for Forbes 30 Under 30 list, and honored as part of Fortune Magazine’s Creator 25 in 2021. With 5 million followers joining, Alexis takes audiences into the woods and to the oceans in search of edible plants and tasty recipes to enrich their palates and the planet. As Alexis would say, happy snacking, don’t die!

Nelson will be joined in conversation by Natalie Evans, a wild edible foods instructor based in Chicago.

This event is made possible by Illinois Libraries Present (ILP), a statewide collaboration among public libraries offering premier events. ILP is funded in part by a grant awarded by the Illinois State Library, a department of the Office of Secretary of State, using funds provided by the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services, under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA).

ILP is committed to inclusion and accessibility. To request accommodations, please email illinoislibrariespresent@gmail.com

Hinckley Hub Event Calendar for All Things Hinckley

Try out these upcoming programs at the DeKalb Public Library, generously shared with the Hinckley community:

World of Reading

March 29, 2025, 10:00am - 1:00pm

Explore a World of Reading at one of our biggest events of the year!

Mark your calendar and join us for a day of literary exploration filled with crafts and activities, suitable for readers of all ages. Admission is free, and memories are guaranteed. For all ages.

Partake in an Unexpected Party at Bag End with cheese, bread, fruit, and tea. Meet adoptable dogs from TAILS at Stephen King World. Steer clear of Cujo! Crawl through the belly of a Sand Worm and meet some desert animals on Dune. Follow the Yellow Brick Road to meet Dorothy in Oz. And much more!

Thank you to the following sponsors for making this event possible: Bill White’s Car Hospital, El Jimador, The DeKalb Kiwanis Healthy Mind and Healthy Body Initiative, Off the Leash Coffee, Rooted for Good, Cracker Jax, and Friends of the DeKalb Public Library.

For more information, please contact Theresa at theresaw@dkpl.org or at (815) 756-9568 ext. 3350.

An Evening of Encores with Kara Eubanks

April 11, 2025, 6:30pm - 7:30pm

As a classical performer, Kara has performed solo and chamber music across North America and Europe. Her orchestral career includes membership in the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, Paris’s Fontainebleau Chamber Orchestra, and NYC’s DiCapo Opera. She is a member of the Sycamore Music Hall of Fame in her hometown of Sycamore, Illinois.

This hour-long performance, with an intermission, will feature popular and crowd-pleasing classical and romantic pieces for the violin and piano.

Kara has been featured on MTV, NPR, and Daytrotter, and has recorded on Eenie Meenie and Lookout! Records. Her discography includes collaborations with Troubled Hubble, The Gunshy, Inspector Owl, Future Monarchs, Minova, and Andrew Jackson Jihad. In 2023, she released her solo debut, an EP called “Something Might Otherwise Have Profitably Happened.”

Kara has been on the violin faculty at Northern Illinois University, CUNY Brooklyn Conservatory, and has taught music theory at the University of Oregon. Her greatest passion is mentoring young artists at Japan-Seattle Suzuki Institute, Oregon Suzuki Institute, and the Willamette Violin Academy.

This concert is free and open to all. Doors will open at 6:00 and music will begin at 6:30 p.m. No registration is required.

For additional information, please contact Samantha at samanthah@dkpl.org or at (815) 756-9568 ext. 1701.

Teen Job Fair

April 19, 2025, 1:00pm - 4:00pm

Are you a teenager looking for a way to make some extra money during the school year or over the summer? Meet representatives from local businesses looking to hire teenagers.

No registration is required. This program is intended for teens ages 14-18.

For additional information, please contact Steven at (815) 756-9568 ext. 3400 or at stevenm@dkpl.org.

After-hours Concert: NIU Suzuki Strings featuring High School Students

April 25, 2025, 6:30pm - 7:30pm

Join us for an after-hours concert with the NIU Suzuki Strings in the library’s main lobby!

The NIU Suzuki Strings program includes children and their parents or caretakers from ages 4 throughout high school. This method of learning music is modeled after the natural and positive way we learn our native language. It is through daily listening and practice, positive reinforcement and encouragement of the family and community that children learn to play music. The goal of the Suzuki method is to nurture sensitivity, perseverance, cooperation, confidence, creativity, awareness, and other life skills that strengthen our world one person and relationship at a time.

These high school and middle school students have all been studying violin individually and collectively for several years. They strengthen their school and community music ensembles from all over northern Illinois. The NIU Suzuki Strings will perform a 45-minute concert of classical works by Vivaldi, Bach and Pachelbel with Tangos, Fiddle Tunes and Popular Music mixed in as well.

This group of 13 teens is primarily student lead with support from their Suzuki instructors, Courtney McNamarra, Laurie Rodriguez, and Ann Montzka Smelser.

This after-hours concert is free and open to all. No registration is required. Doors will open at 6:00 and music will begin at 6:30 p.m.

For additional information, please contact Samantha at samanthah@dkpl.org or at (815) 756-9568 ext. 1701.