1900 East Third Ave. Contact: 375-3380.
Tuesdays 4-5 p.m.: Youth Chess Club. Drop-in chess games in a friendly environment. Challenge your mind at Youth Chess Club. Meet fellow enthusiasts, improve your game and enjoy friendly competition at the library. For ages 9 and older. All skill levels are welcome.
Wednesdays 11-11:30 a.m.: Preschool Storytime. Stories, songs, rhymes and other fun activities. Perfect for children ages 3 and older.
Thursdays 11-11:30 a.m.: Toddler Storytime. Stories, songs, rhymes and other fun activities. Perfect for children ages 1-2.
Thursdays 3:30-4:30 p.m.: Teen Game Zone. Enjoy gaming in the library with a variety of games! Enjoy gaming in the library with a variety of games! Ages 12-17.
Fridays 11-11:30 a.m.: Baby Time. Baby Time is tailored for babies from birth-12 months together with their favorite adult. Enjoy 15-20 minutes of early literacy activities followed by a playgroup. We sing songs, bounce to action rhymes and share stories, providing a rich environment for babies to hear language and interact with others.
Sept. 2: Library closed all day for holiday.
Sept. 4, 4:30-6 p.m.: Great Garden Series: Our Amazing Mushroom Friends. Mushrooms, those sometimes feared fruits dotting our lawns and forest floors are a mystery to most people. This session will introduce you to the key tools of mushroom identification. Using a variety of local mushrooms, you’ll discover the signature differences in each mushroom’s cap, stem, gills, color, even odor. You’ll learn about the amazing “wood wide web” and why certain mushrooms are found near certain trees. Tips and etiquette on foraging, best apps to use and what to do with your collection will be covered. You’ll also make your own spore-print bookmark.
Sept. 4, 6-7:30 p.m.: Word Honey Poetry Workshop. Write with us at the Durango Public Library.
Sept. 6, 3:30-4:30 p.m.: Friday Fun. Friday afternoons are all about having fun building, playing, exploring and creating together. This Friday: LEGO Club. Great for ages 5-12 and families.
Sept. 11, 6:15-7:45 p.m.: Writers & Scribblers. A group for writers of all kinds to learn, practice and share the art and craft of writing.
Sept. 12, 4-5:30 p.m.: Crafternoons (for adults). Crafting isn’t just fun, it’s fundamental for mental health, relaxation and happiness. Explore our craft supplies each month. Follow a suggested project or free play and create your own masterpiece. This space is reserved for adults (17 and older) This month: Bookmarks.
Sept. 13, 3:30-4:30 p.m.: Friday Fun. Friday afternoons are all about having fun building, playing, exploring and creating together. This Friday: STEM Lab. Great for ages 5-12 and families.
Sept. 18, 4:30-6 p.m.: Great Garden Series: Tour the Santa Rita Demonstration Gardens. The Demonstration Gardens will be comprised of three unique garden landscapes. There is a Pollinator Garden made up of diverse flowering native plants favorable to our local pollinators. A Forest-scape garden, which will attempt to re-create the spirit and vegetation found in our surrounding forests yet planted with the intention to be inviting and open to the users of the Animas River Trail. There will also be a Xeric Rain Garden, made up of xeric plants, natural gravel beds, local boulders and rain-capturing features intended to help the gardens be self-sufficient when it comes to water need. Meet at the Santa Rita Wastewater Demonstration Garden, 111 South Camino del Rio.
Sept. 18, 6-7:30 p.m.: Word Honey Poetry Workshop. Write with us at the Durango Public Library.
Sept. 20, 3:30-4:30 p.m.: Friday Fun. Friday afternoons are all about having fun building, playing, exploring and creating together. This Friday: LEGO club. Great for ages 5-12 and families.
Sept. 20, 4-6 p.m.: Books, Brats & Brews. Party on the back patio at Durango Public Library. Friends book giveaway, local beers from Ska, live music by Sounds Like Practice and Galavant, and family-friendly games. Free and open to all.
Sept. 23, 4-5:30 p.m.: Durango Death Café. Facilitated by Lola Montano. Seating is limited.
Sept. 27, 3:30-4:30 p.m.: Friday Fun. Friday afternoons are all about having fun building, playing, exploring and creating together. This Friday: Afternoon Art. Great for ages 5-12 and families.
395 Bayfield Center Drive, Bayfield. Contact: 884-2222, www.prlibrary.org
Join the library and the Pine River Garden Club to celebrate the season of garden abundance. The event will be held 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Sept. 22 and will include garden tours, live music from local band Yes, No, Maybe, green chile roasting, Veggie Olympics and a community potluck. There will be contests: best salsa, best dressed vegetable, ugliest vegetable, biggest vegetable and best decorated garden hat, with judging at 1 p.m. All-ages activities at the event will include a garden hat decorating table (bring your own or claim one of ours) and vegetable decorating (vegetables provided).
Hopper’s Storytime: Thursdays, 11-11:30 a.m. Read books, meet new friends and make a craft together.
STEAM Power Hour (grades 3-5): Mondays, 4-5 p.m.
Junior STEAM Power Hour (grades K-2): Wednesdays, 4-5 p.m.
Explore new interests, delve into the wonders of learning science and create artistic masterpieces. Preregistration required.
Gamer Club (grades 3-5): Tuesdays, 4-5 p.m. Board games, console video games, Roblox, Minecraft and more. Some computers are provided, but gamers can bring their own laptop or gaming devices. This program is geared for grades 3 and older, but younger children are welcome to attend with a caregiver.
TGI Thursdays: Thursdays, 4-5:15 p.m. Music, snacks and shenanigans of all sorts. Enjoy interesting, new foods from all over the world and blow off some steam taking turns playing Beat Saber on the Oculus.
Teen Tabletop Club: Tuesdays, 4-5:15 p.m. Magic, D&D, Cthulhu and more.
Teen D&D: Fridays, 11 a.m.-noon. A continuation of the 2024 D&D group. New members welcome and no experience necessary, but you need to set up a character before you can join the campaign. Email becky@prlibrary.org to schedule a time.
These classes are hosted by local fitness instructors Brian and Tammy Williams. Follow them on the Mountaintop Movement Facebook page for more information.
Full Body Fit Class: Monday-Thursday, 8:15-8:50 a.m. 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. If the weather allows, this program may be outside in the park.
Tuesdays and Thursdays, 9:15-10:15 a.m. In this informal, free meetup, create awareness and harmony between the mind and body that allows us to remove stress and anxiety. We use our breath to move deeper into our body while warming, lengthening and strengthening our muscles. All you need is a yoga mat and a water bottle. Some yoga tools such as blocks, a blanket and a strap are encouraged.
Tuesdays, 2-6 p.m. Learn tech skills one on one with a Digital Navigator – it’s free. Learn more about email, how to use an online calendar, how to install and use apps on your phone and more.
Tuesdays, 1-3 p.m. Stop by the shed in the library parking lot for the weekly pop-up book sale.
Sundays, 2-4 p.m. All are welcome. 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.
Sept. 2: Library Closed for the Labor Day holiday.
Sept. 3, 6:30-8 p.m.: Typeset Writer’s 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. If you’d like to read your own writing, bring it in manuscript format.
Sept. 5, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.: Learn Over Lunch: Genealogy Basics. Join us the first Thursday of each month to enjoy a free lunch and a presentation from a local expert. RSVP by calling the library at 884-2222, ext. 1, or the Senior Center at 884-5415. You can also RSVP by stopping by either the library or Senior Center. RSVP by the Monday before each presentation. The September Learn Over Lunch topic will be Genealogy Basics with Andrew Fulmer. Learn the tools you need to access your family history. We will discuss from a beginner level and up how to use existing online and library resources to get started creating a family tree and learning more about your relatives, and review the basics of formal genealogical research.
Sept. 5, 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.
Sept. 6, 1:30-4:30 p.m.: First Friday Matinee. Afternoon film on the big screen at the library. NOTE: this program shows PG-13 and R-rated films. September: “The Fall Guy” (PG-13).
Sept. 10, 10-11 a.m.: Card Making at the Pine River Senior Center. Create two beautiful handmade cards. Free.
Sept. 11, 10:30 a.m.: Delayed library opening because of monthly staff meeting.
Sept. 11, 2-3:30 p.m.: BookMarks Book Club. Open to all adults in the Pine River Valley. The library provides the books, the discussion leader and a place to meet each month. Stop by the front desk today to check out your copy of this month's title: “Klara and the Sun” by Kazuo Ishiguro.
Sept. 12, 3-5 p.m.: Community Music Makers. Local musicians of all abilities and instruments (including voice) are welcome. Music of all kinds. Bring an instrument and a few copies of what you want to play and share. We usually go around the circle and each person shares a song with others joining in. Do not be intimidated; we truly are of all ability levels.
Sept. 13 and 27, 4-5:30 p.m.: Beginning Mahjong Meetup. A tile-based tabletop game developed in 19th century China. Similar to the Western card game rummy, mahjong is a game of skill, strategy and luck. It is entertaining to play and, like dominoes, is relatively easy to learn. All are welcome.
Sept. 13, 20 and 27, 6-11 p.m.: 4 Corners Tabletop Night. A place for tabletop gamers in the Four Corners to meet up and get their miniatures to the table. We play a variety of games and welcome players of all skill levels. We strongly encourage joining our Discord Server for event information, hobby inspiration and tabletop chat. Group Discord Server: 4 Corners Tabletop (https://discord.com/invite/eckX7hdJfR) For more information, email Blake Johnson at blakekjohnson@gmail.com or Byron Munda at byronallen175@gmail.com.
Sept. 14, 9-11:30 a.m.: Water Bath Canning. Learn how to water bath can high acid foods in this class that will teach you proper technique and safety. Following instruction, you’ll learn through hands-on experience and you'll leave with a jar of fruit and the confidence you need to practice on your own. Preregistration required. Stop by the library or call 884-2222, ext. 1, to register.
Sept. 17, 1-2:30 p.m.: Death Café. 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.
Sept. 18, noon: Cookbook Club. Each month, we gather together to share a potluck of recipes from a chosen cookbook, chef or cuisine. Stop by the library and pick up a copy of that month’s cookbook and then call or email Becky to RSVP and let the library know what recipe you’ll be making for the potluck (884-2222, ext. 516, becky@prlibrary.org). In September, we’ll be cooking recipes from the Moosewood Restaurant cookbooks!
Sept. 18, 5:30 p.m.: Library Board Meeting. Regular monthly meeting of the library’s board of trustees.
Sept. 20, 1:30-3:30 p.m.: Family Friday Matinee. Family film on the big screen. September: “Kung Fu Panda 4” (rated PG).
Sept. 22, 11 a.m.-2 p.m.: Fall Festival. Join the library and the Pine River Garden Club to celebrate the season of garden abundance. The event will include garden tours, live music, green chile roasting, Veggie Olympics and a community potluck.
Sept. 24, 6-7:30 p.m.: Local Stories: A Ute Family History You Didn’t Know. Longtime Ignacio resident Johnny Taylor Valdez is an expert on Southern Ute history and a descendant of Ute tribal leader Kitty Cloud and John Taylor. Taylor was a former enslaved person who served in the Civil War and went on to become a local Buffalo Soldier, land owner and tribal interpreter. The community is invited to come hear the rich stories of his family's deep roots in the local area. This program is part of History Live!, a series of events celebrating the humanities in September in Southwest Colorado. For more information and a full list of History Live! events, visit www.swcohumanities.org/.
Sept. 26, 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.: Spanish Conversation Hour. Practice your Spanish in an informal setting. All ages and language levels are welcome.
Sept. 26, 6-8 p.m.: Immunity Boosters. The winter sickness season will soon be upon us. Learn how to make two immunity boosting tonics – Fire Cider and elderberry syrup. Plus, you'll go home with a jar of each. Preregistration required. Stop by the library or call 884-2222, ext. 1, to register.
Sept. 27, 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.
Sept. 30, 6-8 p.m.: Pine River Garden Club Meeting. In the library Community Room or outside in the garden, depending on the weather.
Southwest La Plata Library District
Fort Lewis Mesa Library, 11274 Highway 140, Hesperus. Contact: 375-3816, chris@swlplibrarydistrict.org. The library is located inside Fort Lewis Mesa Elementary School and has books for all ages. Open to the public 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday-Friday; 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday; contactless pickup and drop off available.
Sunnyside Library, 75 County Road 218, Durango. Contact: 970-375-3816, ssmanager@swlplibrarydistrict.org. The library is located inside Sunnyside Elementary School and has books for all ages. Open to the public 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday-Friday; 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday; contactless pickup and drop off available.
Wee Read Toddler Storytime at Fort Lewis Mesa Library: every Wednesday at 2 p.m. Stories, movement and songs for children ages 2-4 and their caregivers. For more information, contact cindy@swlplibrarydistrict.org.
Toddler Storytime at Sunnyside Library: every Tuesday at 11 a.m. Stories, movement and songs for children ages 2-4 and their caregivers. For more information, contact patty@swlplibrarydistrict.org.
Kindergarten Readiness Workshops. This six-part program will take place once per month during storytime at both libraries. The program is for young children and their caregivers and will focus on school-readiness topics. For more information, contact patty@swlplibrarydistrict.org.
Powerhouse Pass Program. Sunnyside and Fort Lewis Mesa libraries 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.
Sept. 2: Libraries are closed for the Labor Day holiday.
Sept. 11, 2 p.m.: Kindergarten Readiness Workshop at Fort Lewis Mesa Library – You and Me: Social Emotional Development and Play. First in a six-part monthly program held during storytime.
Sept. 11, 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!
Sept. 16: Durango School District 9-R schools closed for professional development day, libraries will be open to the public 10 a.m.-7 p.m.
Sept. 16, 4 p.m.: Southwest La Plata Library District monthly board meeting, held in the Ecosphere Environmental Services conference room, 776 East Second Ave., Durango. Additional information can be found at either library location or www.swlplibrarydistrict.org.
Sept. 17, 11 a.m.: Kindergarten Readiness Workshop at Sunnyside Library – You and Me: Social Emotional Development and Play. First in a six-part monthly program held during storytime.
Sept. 19, 5:30 p.m.: Books and Blankets program at Sunnyside Library. Bring a blanket and join us for a light dinner at this family event. Each family will receive a copy of “The One and Only Bob.”
Sept. 23, 5:30 p.m.: Sunnyside Book Club meeting in the Sunnyside Library. Contact nycole@swlplibrarydistrict.org for more information. All are welcome.
