1900 East Third Ave. Contact: 375-3380, www.durangopubliclibrary.org.
Tuesdays, 2-3 p.m.: Tech Tutoring. Need a little tech help? Free one-hour tutoring sessions with a member of the IT staff. Contact Dan Goldman at dan.goldman@durangogov.org to register.
Thursdays, 10:30-11 a.m.: Family Storytime. Stories, songs, rhymes and other fun activities for children ages 0-5 and their parents and caregivers.
Fridays, 10:30 -11 a.m.: Baby Storytime. A lapsit storytime for infants-18 months. Interactive fun with music, stories, fingerplays, counting rhymes and playtime. Babies should bring their parents or caregivers.
Masks are highly encouraged for all events.
May 1, 4-5 p.m.: Teen Language Exchange. Want to improve your English or Spanish? This isn't a class. Teen groups will chat about fun topic or new books for 30 minutes in each language.
May 3, 3-5 p.m.: Chess Club. Drop-in chess games in a friendly environment. For ages 7-15. All skill levels are welcome. Bring your own set or use one of ours.
May 8, 4-5 p.m.: Teen Language Exchange. Want to improve your English or Spanish? This isn't a class. Teen groups will chat about fun topic or new books for 30 minutes in each language.
May 9, 10-11:30 a.m.: Walking History Tour of Greenmount Cemetery. Join local historian Todd Ellison for a guided walking tour of Greenmount Cemetery. Registration required.
May 9, 10:30 a.m.-noon: Early Literacy Playdate. Explore early literacy and learning through hands-on sensory activities. Be ready to move, build, play and create. Perfect for children ages 0-5.
May 9, 11 a.m.-2 p.m.: Great Decisions: China and the U.S. Presented by the League of Women Voters of La Plata County, Great Decisions is an annual nonpartisan briefing book that covers eight foreign policy topics.
May 10, 4:30-6 p.m.: Great Garden Series: Drip Irrigation for Your Home Garden. Efficient watering means putting the right amount of water, in the right place, and without excess, runoff, overspray or waste.
May 12, 6-7:30 p.m.: Teen Night: Nerd Prom. It's like a comic-con prom just for teens. Come as your favorite whoever or whatever and dance the night away. There will also be snacks, karaoke, Switch games, board games and other fun activities. For grades 6-12. Registration required.
May 15, 4-5 p.m.: Teen Language Exchange. Want to improve your English or Spanish? This isn't a class. Teen groups will chat about fun topic or new books for 30 minutes in each language.
May 16, 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.: How High We Go In The Dark Book Club #1. In the DPL Reading Room. This month: “How High We Go In The Dark,” by Sequoia Nagamatsu. Registration required.
May 17, 3-5 p.m.: Chess Club. Drop-in chess games in a friendly environment. For ages 7-15. All skill levels are welcome. Bring your own set or use one of ours.
May 18, 5-6:30 p.m.: How High We Go In The Dark Book Club #2. In the DPL Reading Room. This month: “How High We Go In The Dark,” by Sequoia Nagamatsu. Registration required.
May 22, 4-5 p.m.: Teen Language Exchange. Want to improve your English or Spanish? This isn't a class. Teen groups will chat about fun topic or new books for 30 minutes in each language.
May 23, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Great Decisions. Presented by the League of Women Voters of La Plata County, Great Decisions is an annual nonpartisan briefing book that covers eight foreign policy topics.
May 24, 4:30-6 p.m.: Great Garden Series: Regenerative Landscaping. Learn how to create a beautiful yet functional landscape that rebuilds the soil, improves plant health, reduces maintenance and water use all while helping to reverse climate change.
May 24, 5-6:30 p.m.: “Speculative Fiction” Book Discussion. Join library staff this month for their speculative fiction themed book discussion. Meet at EsoTerra Ciderworks. Charcuterie boards provided. Registration required.
May 29: Closed for holiday.
395 Bayfield Center Drive, Bayfield. Contact: 884-2222, www.prlibrary.org.
Coming this June and July: Bee Kind Summer Learning Program.
The Pine River Library has planned a kindness-themed Summer Learning Program for the community this year. The two-month program runs this June and July and will feature live animal visits, weekly programs for all ages, and two outdoor movies. There will be storytimes for the youngest participants, twice weekly STEAM programs for kids, and weekly activities for teens. Adult events include a beginning fly fishing class, kitten yoga, pottery fairy house making, and more. There will be prizes. Participants will get an entry to the weekly drawings for every activity they complete, including attending a program, committing an act of kindness, completing the StoryWalk and reading a book.
The library will host a kickoff sign-up event on June 3 in the library parking lot in conjunction with the Friends of the Library Yard and Book Sale. Sign your whole family up and enjoy coffee and doughnuts, plus face-painting, all free. The face painting will be from 10 a.m.-noon, but the whole event will run from 8 a.m.-noon. Register at the library or online starting May 15. For more information, visit www.prlibrary.org/2023-summer-learning-program/.
Thursdays 11-11:30 a.m.: Hopper's Storytime. Read books, sing songs and make a craft. All ages welcome.
Mondays, 4-5 p.m.: Gamer Club. Tabletop gaming, console video games, Roblox, Minecraft, Pokémon Go and more. Computers are provided, but gamers can bring their own laptop or Switches. Geared for grades 3 and older, but younger children are welcome to attend with a caregiver.
Tuesdays (grades k-2), Wednesdays (grades 3-5), 4-5 p.m.: After School Adventure Hour. Explore hands-on science, create Lego masterpieces and more.
NOTE: Arrange transport with the school district if you would like your child to ride the bus to the library after school. Parents or guardians of children below sixth grade must register their children in order for them to attend after school programs. Register at www.prlibrary.org/kids-programs/ or stop by the library.
Thursday, May 18, 4-5:30 p.m.: Oculus. Play Beat Saber and eat pizza.
Saturday, May 27, noon-3 p.m.: Teen D&D. Program is for all teens 13 and older. No experience necessary. Our Dungeon Master uses a multilevel concept, which cuts out the tedious parts and gets straight to the action. Snacks provided.
Tuesdays, 4-5 p.m.: Tournament Tuesdays. Every week, join a new tournament and play for prizes. Trivial Pursuit, spelling bees, card games, Guitar Hero/Injustice and more.
Thursdays, 4-5 p.m.: Free Play Thursdays. Xbox, PlayStation, food and fun.
Mondays and Wednesdays, 9-10 a.m.: Yoga for All. This class combines the cool stillness of yin yoga and heat and flow of movement to create a balance that can be modified to work for every body. All you need is a yoga mat and a water bottle. Some yoga tools such as blocks, a blanket and a strap are encouraged. These classes are on a donation basis. Taught by Colleen Theobald and Robin Rogers. For more information, email colleen1yoga@gmail.com or robin53174@gmail.com.
Monday-Thursday, 8:15-8:50 a.m.: Full Body Fit Class. Work out using your own body weight or light hand weights to work all the body parts. The free classes are always similar in style but always different moves to keep it fun and fresh. You’ll need a yoga mat and light hand weights. If you don’t have them, there are extras that can be used. All ages and fitness levels are welcome.
Sundays, 2-4 p.m.: Community Knitting and Crochet Group. Whether you have been knitting and/or crocheting for years or you would like to learn, we are happy to have you and will do our best to help you get started.
May 1, 10-11 a.m.: Rambling Readers. Meet at the gate to Saul’s Creek just off U.S. Highway 160 in Bayfield to walk and talk books. For directions, call the library at 884-2222, ext. 1.
May 1, 6-8 p.m.: Typeset Writers’ Group. No rules, just writing. Each month, a member of the group will bring an article for discussion. Participants also have the option to bring two pages of their own writing to read aloud, but it’s not required. To read your own writing, bring it in manuscript format.
May 2, 6-8 p.m.: Community Poetry Slam. Support local poets. The library is hosting a community poetry slam in partnership with the Bayfield School District. Members of the community and students in middle school and high school are invited to participate. Readings must be kept to a limit of 4 minutes, and participants are asked to sign up ahead of time. The recommended audience age is 12 and older. For more information, contact Roxanne Henderson from Bayfield High School at 844-1101.
May 4, 4-6 p.m.: County Commissioner Matt Salka Office Hours. Members of the public are invited to meet with Salka to discuss county issues of interest or concern. For more information, call 382-6219.
May 5, 6:30 p.m.: First Friday Flicks. In May, we’ll be showing the 2022 Best Picture Oscar-winning film “Everything Everywhere All at Once” (Rated R).
May 9, 10-11 a.m.: Card Making at the Pine River Senior Center. Create two handmade cards. Free.
May 10, 2-3:30 p.m.: Bookmarks Book Club. Open to all adults. The library provides the books, the discussion leader and a place to gather. Stop by to request a copy of the May book, “A Deadly Education,” by Naomi Novik.
May 15, 6-7 p.m.: Understanding Dementia. Representatives from the Durango Dementia Coalition will discuss common perceptions about dementia and the difference between dementia and Alzheimer’s. Kim Martin, who was recently diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, will talk about her personal journey, and Beverly Ellis will discuss dementia in general – some of the symptoms, ways to improve brain health and how lifestyle changes may reduce dementia risk. The group wants to hear input from attendees about what is needed in the Bayfield community for both those with dementia and their caregivers.
May 16, 1-2:30 p.m.: Death Café. Pine River Library is one of many groups in 79 countries across the world that host Death Cafés. A Death Cafe is a time and place where people come to share food, drink tea or coffee, and discuss death openly and honestly. The aim is to increase awareness about death in order to help people make the most of their (finite) lives.
May 17, 6:15 p.m.: Regular monthly meeting of the library's board of trustees.
May 20, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Pine River Garden Club Plant Exchange. Have plants to share? Need starter plants? Stop by for the Garden Club’s annual Plant Exchange.
May 25, 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.: Spanish Conversation. Practice Spanish in an informal setting. All ages and language levels welcome.
May 26, 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.: Pine River Senior Center Outreach. Books and DVDs available for check out, delivered to the Senior Center with an extended loan period (four weeks, rather than the standard one to three weeks) each month.
May 29: Library closed.
Fort Lewis Mesa Library, 11274 Highway 140, Hesperus. Contact: 970-375-3816, chris@swlplibrarydistrict.org. Located inside Fort Lewis Mesa Elementary School and has books for all ages. Open to the public 2:30-7 p.m. Monday to Friday; contactless pickup and drop off available 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday to Friday.
Sunnyside Library, 75 County Road 218, Durango. Contact: 375-3816, cheryl@swlplibrarydistrict.org. Located inside Sunnyside Elementary School and has books for all ages. Open to the public 3-7 p.m. Monday to Friday; contactless pickup and drop off available10 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday to Friday.
Growing Readers Together Program. This six-week program for kids ages 3 to 5 and their caregivers will focus on kindergarten readiness.
Toddler Story Time at Sunnyside. Every Thursday at 2 p.m. begins May 18. Stories, movement, songs and fingerplays for toddlers ages 2-4 and their caregivers.
Yoga at Fort Lewis Mesa. Free yoga each Tuesday from 3-4 p.m. in the Fort Lewis Mesa Elementary Cafeteria. All ages/all levels welcome for an Ashtanga-inspired class. Bring your own mat.
Powerhouse Pass Program. Sunnyside Library and Fort Lewis Mesa Library have Powerhouse Passes available for check out at each library. The pass will allow you and your immediate family free entry to the Powerhouse Science Center. Passes can be checked out on an adult library card for one week.
Check Out State Parks Program. Fort Lewis and Sunnyside Libraries have “Check Out State Parks” backpacks available for check out. Each pack includes a pass for free entry to Colorado state parks, binoculars, wildlife viewing guides and park information. The pack can be checked out on an adult library card for one week.
Wednesday, May 3 and 10, at 1:30 p.m.: Growing Readers Together workshop at Fort Lewis Mesa Library. For more information contact cindy@swlplibrarydistrict.org.
Thursday, May 4 and 11, at 2 p.m.: Growing Readers Together workshop at Sunnyside Library. For more information, contact patty@swlplibrarydistrict.org.
Monday, May 15, 4 p.m.: Southwest La Plata Library District board meeting. Visit swlplibrarydistrict.org for location details.
Thursday, May 18, 2 p.m.: Toddler Story Time at Sunnyside Library. For more information contact patty@swlplibrarydistrict.org.
Monday, May 22, 5:30 p.m.: Sunnyside Book Club meeting in the Sunnyside Library. Contact cheryl@swlplibrarydistrict.org for more information. All are welcome.
Wednesday, May 24, 3 p.m.: Fort Lewis Mesa Book Club meeting in the Fort Lewis Mesa Library. Contact chris@swlplibrarydistrict.org for more information. All are welcome.
Thursday, May 25, 2 p.m.: Toddler Story Time at Sunnyside Library. For more information, contact patty@swlplibrarydistrict.org.
Monday, May 29: Libraries closed for the Memorial Day holiday.
Tuesday, May 30: Summer hours begin. Libraries will be open to the public 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday to Friday.
Coming in June: Summer Reading Program, “All Together Now.” Activities for children, teens and adults. Watch for more information at your library or at www.swlplibrarydistrict.org.
470 Goddard Ave. Ignacio. Contact 563-9287, www.ignaciolibrary.org.
Tuesdays at 10:30 a.m.: Open Art Studio. Work on projects, receive help and advice with other local artists. Guests and new members always welcome.
Wednesdays at 10 a.m.: Storytime. Stories, songs, dancing, crafts and more.
Wednesdays at noon: Electronics Hour. Tune up your skills or learn something new. Electronic-based projects and more.
Thursdays at 1 p.m.: Knitters Group. Join our group of knitters for a beverage and a chat in the Community Room.
Fridays at noon: Sewing Group. Fun around sewing projects and crafts.
