August Program Guide Duluth Public Library

August Program Guide Duluth Public Library | August 2026 | volume x I issue v I I

Main Library

520 W. Superior St. 218-730-4200

Monday 10:00 am - 5:00 pm Tuesday 10:00 am - 8:00 pm Wednesday 10:00 am - 5:00 pm Thursday 10:00 am - 8:00 pm Friday 10:00 am - 5:00 pm Saturday CLOSED

Mount Royal Branch 105 Mt. Royal Shopping Cir.

218-730-4290

Monday 10:00 am - 8:00 pm Tuesday 10:00 am - 5:00 pm Wednesday 10:00 am - 8:00 pm Thursday 10:00 am - 5:00 pm Friday 10:00 am - 5:00 pm Saturday CLOSED

duluthlibrary.orguluth Public Library |

West Duluth Branch 5830 Grand Ave. 218-730-4280

Monday 10:00 am - 5:00 pm Tuesday 10:00 am - 8:00 pm Wednesday 10:00 am - 5:00 pm Thursday 10:00 am - 8:00 pm Friday 10:00 am - 5:00 pm Saturday CLOSED

Storytimes

Event Information

Main Library

Register online at duluthlibrary.org > Events

Family Storytime & Play • Birth-PreK + Caregivers

Or, scan the QR code:

Mondays Storytime: 10:15-10:45 am

For questions and to register by phone: Main Library: 218-730-4200 Mount Royal Branch: 218-730-4290 West Duluth Branch: 218-730-4280 Please note that kids age 7 and younger must be accompanied by an adult.

DPL is working to make our programs accessible to all. Please email us at webmail@duluthmn.gov to let us know how library staff can support you to participate fully and comfortably.

Visit online: duluthlibrary.org Thank you to the following orgs for making free library programming possible!

For ages birth to PreK and caregivers. Enjoy stories, songs, rhymes, and movement together with your little ones and build early learning, listening, and social skills. No registration.

Gold/Green Play: 10:45-11:30 am

Baby Storytime • Birth to 24 Months + Caregivers

For ages birth to 24 months and caregivers. Join us for songs, rhymes, and simple stories followed by time for babies and caregivers to play and socialize. No registraion needed.

Thursdays 10:15-10:45 am Gold/Green

Musical Story Hour • Birth to 5 Years + Caregivers

Join the Music Together® in the Valley program for a storytime that builds early learning skills through music, movement, and play, with your children. No registration needed.

Fri.

Aug 21

10:15-11:15 am Plaza

Mount Royal Branch Family Storytime • Birth to PreK + Caregivers

For ages birth to PreK and caregivers. Enjoy stories, songs, rhymes, and movement together with your little ones and build early learning, listening, and social skills. No registration needed.

Thursdays

10:15-10:45 am

Blue

Baby Storytime • Birth to 24 months + Caregivers

For ages birth to 24 months and caregivers. Join us for songs, stories, and play time with your baby. No registration.

Tuesdays 10:15-10:45 am

Blue

Musical Story Hour • Birth to 5 Years + Caregivers

Join the Music Together® in the Valley program for a storytime that builds early learning skills through music, movement, and play, with your children. No registration needed.

Thurs. Aug 20

Story and Play at the Park Storytime: 9:30-10:00 am Playtime: 10:00-11:30 am

Join us at a different neighborhood park each week for storytime and youth-focused recreation activities with Duluth Parks and Rec! Little Library Go will be present as well, with mobile library services. Storytimes introduce kids to books, rhymes, music, and other early literacy activities! Geared to children ages birth to 5 and caregivers, but all ages are welcome.

Sat Aug 1 — Portman Park • 4601 McCulloch St Mon Aug 3 — Observation Park • 914 W 3rd St Mon Aug 10 — Fairmont Park • Grand Ave

10:15-11:15 am Plaza

West Duluth Branch Family Storytime • Birth to PreK + Caregivers

For ages birth to PreK and caregivers. Enjoy stories, songs, rhymes, and movement together with your little ones and build early learning, listening, and social skills. No registration needed.

Wednesdays

10:15-10:45 am

Evergreen

Baby Storytime • Birth to 24 months + Caregivers

For ages birth to 24 months and caregivers. Join us for songs, stories, and play time with your baby. No registration.

Fridays

2:30-3:00 pm Alcove

Musical Story Hour • Birth to 5 Years + Caregivers

Join the Music Together® in the Valley program for a storytime that builds early learning skills through music, movement, and play, with your children. No registration needed.

Wed. Aug 19

10:15-11:15 am Plaza

Main Library For Kids and Their Caregivers

For Adults

Learn what makes a story, practice writing a story, then create! your own hardcover book. There will be a brief lesson to explore ideas like plot, characters, and setting. Registration required.

Learn the basics of macramé, then create your own plant hanger using cotton cord, a wooden ring, and a few simple knotting techniques. All supplies provided. No experience needed. Just for adults due to necessary skills. Registration is required.

Write Your Own Story! • Grades K-6

Mon. Aug 3

1:00-2:30 pm

Green

Maker Mondays at Main! • Grades K-6

Make a Macramé Plant Hanger • Adults

Tues. Aug 4

5:30-7:30 pm

Green

Try a new project every Monday to keep you inspired and having fun this summer. Some projects will involve messy materials, so please wear appropriate clothes. The projects change week to week; stay tuned for details about future projects! No registration.

Materials provided. Held July 6, 13, 20, 27

Science Fiction and Fantasy Book Club: Space Opera

Kids Garden Club Series • Grades 2-5 + Caregivers

Adventure Book Club: Wild Dark Shore (offsite)

Every Monday

1:00-3:00 pm

Green

Learn in the library’s garden with new topics and projects each session. 8/12: Plant Art; 8/19: Garden Season Celebration. Kids 7 and younger will need caregiver support. Things may get messyplease dress accordingly. Meet in the gardens on the library’s upper plaza, near 5th Ave W. If the weather is bad, we’ll take it inside to the Youth Services area. No registration needed, just drop in!

Wed. Aug 12, 19

3:00-4:00 pm

Upper Plaza

Messy Play on the Plaza • Ages 2-5 years

Meet monthly to discuss compelling human stories within the genre of Sci Fi and Fantasy. August’s selection: Space Opera by Catherynne M. Valente. Meet on the Michigan St Plaza; Local History Center if inclement weather. No registration. For adults.

Tues. Aug 11

6:00-8:00 pm

Gold

Discuss Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy along Superior’s wild shore at Brighton Beach Park, then head out on an optional gentle hike. This haunting literary thriller explores isolation, survival, and the fragile bonds between strangers on a remote island. Registration is required on the Duluth Parks and Recreation website at duluthmn.gov/parks.

Fri.

Aug 14

10:00 am-12:00 pm Brighton Beach

Enjoy some messy play outside on the plaza and we’ll do all of the clean up! Wear clothes and shoes that can get wet and dirty.

Activities geared to children ages 2-5, but siblings are welcome too.

For Tweens and Teens

Sensory Friendly

Watch anime, try a craft, play games, and hang out with others who love anime and manga. Pizza will be served while it lasts!

Meets monthly. No registration needed. For teens in grades 6-12.

Tues. Aug 18

3:30-4:30 pm Green

Thurs. Aug 13

Friday Movies • Families, Kids and Caregivers

Join us for sensory-friendly movies in our comfortably cool Green Room! Feel free to bring your own snacks and anything else to be cozy. To make this movie sensory friendly, the lights will be dim and the volume will be kept low. Subtitled in English. There will be fidget toys to borrow as well. No registration. For families and kids and their caregivers. Movies rated PG.

Fri. July 31 1:00-3:00 pm The BFG; 2016; PG; 117 minutes Fri. August 7 1:00-3:15 pm Mary Poppins Returns; 2018; PG; 130 minutes

Green Green

City Sounds: Concerts on the Plaza Thursdays • 5:30 - 7:00 pm

Join us for the sound of big bands, rain or shine!

Seating provided; feel free to bring your own.

July 30 Windjammers August 6 Blue Water Big Band August 13

Big Time Jazz Orchestra

August 20 Duluth Symphonic Winds

Teen Anime and Manga Club • Grades 6-12

4:00-6:00 pm

Green

Annual Summer Book Sale Build your home library and contribute to a good cause at the same time! All proceeds go to support the Duluth Public Library in offering free events to the community. Cash, checks, cards accepted.

Monday, August 24 • 10:00 am-4:30 pm

Members Pre-Sale—become a member to shop early

Tuesday, August 25 • 10:00 am-7:30 pm Wednesday, August 26 • 10:00 am-4:30 pm Thursday, August 27 • 10:00 am to 3:00 pm Bag Sale—enjoy special deals on the sale’s last day

Dungeons & Dragons for Teens • Grades 6-12

Mount Royal Branch

Meet for guided D&D “one shot” campaigns. Registration is required to reserve your spot. Exclusively for teens. Two sessions.

Storytimes

For information regarding Mount Royal Branch storytimes, please refer to page 2 of this guide!

Junk Journals for Teens • Grades 6-12

Curious what a ‘‘junk journal” is and how to make one? Join us for three sessions, each focused on a different aspect of junk journaling. More details on the library calendar. Just for teens.

Tues. Aug 4, 11, 18

3:00-4:30 pm

Blue

Wed. Aug 12, 19

4:00-6:00 pm

Blue

Crafternoon • PreK-Grade 5

For PreK to grade 5. Drop in and join library staff for a variety of crafts. No experience or registration needed. Supplies provided.

Fri.

Aug 14

3:00-4:00 pm

Blue

Tie-dyed for Pride • Grades 4-12

Drop in to discuss a variety of titles. For Aug: The Book Club for Troublesome Women by Marie Bostwick. New members welcome!

Let’s celebrate our brightest selves for Duluth-Superior Pride weekend by creating tie-dyed items as unique and colorful as we are! All materials will be provided. Tie-dyeing can be messy, so wear clothes you wouldn’t mind getting stained. Registration required.

Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) 101 • All Ages

Marble Rollercoaster Science • Grades 2-5

Mount Royal Book Club • Adults Wed. Aug 5

3:00-4:00 pm

Blue

UMD professor and Academic Technologist Adam Brisk will introduce and discuss must-know information about generative AI as it spreads to many areas of our lives. No registration.

Wed. Aug 5 6:00-7:00 pm Blue

Ambulance Storytime • Ages Birth-5 and Caregivers

Stop by for stories, songs, and the chance to check out a real ambulance with Assistant Supervisor and Paramedic Belissa Ho!

Thurs. Aug 6

3:00-4:00 pm

Blue

River Animals with the DNR • K-6 and Caregivers

Take an aquatic adventure at the library to learn about river dwellers from Interpretive Naturalist Kristine Hiller. There will also be a take-home fish-printing craft to try. No registration.

Fri.

Aug 7

3:30-4:30 pm

Blue

Tues. Aug 18

1:30-3:00 pm

Storytimes

For information regarding West Duluth Branch storytimes, please refer to page 2 of this guide!

Drop in to create your own rollercoaster with pool noodles and marbles while learning about ideas like motion and force.

Fri.

Aug 21

2:00-3:00 pm

Wed. Aug 26

6:00-7:00 pm

Alcove

Knit Clinic with Moki Stitches • Adults

Brenna of local business Moki Stitches will host a knitting clinic for those who already know the basics but would benefit from focused help and developing their skills. Bring a project! There will also be basic knitting supplies available. No registration.

Evergreen

Mending Clinic with CRAVEbyCRV • All Ages

Bring in an item for on-the-spot repair with local business CRAVEbyCRV! Rips, broken straps, missing buttons, and smaller repairs are welcome. No alterations. First come, first served!

Alcove

Cuentacuentos • All Ages

Para niños 0-5 y su familias. Ven con tu familia a compartir cuentos, rimas y arte en español. ¡Todos son bienvenidos!

Fri.

Aug 7

10:15-10:45 am

Alcove

Library Card Games: What’s Yr Fave? • Grades 6-12

Test out the library’s new card games and help us rate them! Rate your favorite based on various factors. Cheese pizza served!

Mon. Aug 10

1:30-2:30 pm

Blue

Find support, resources, and inspiration for your own unique journey to explore a delicious, plant-based lifestyle. No registration.

Fri.

Aug 28

10:30 am-12:00 pm

Blue

Local teacher David Moberg will share tips on how to be more inclusive of people within the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Community. Mr. Moberg will guide participants as they practice the ASL alphabet, numbers, and simple signs. Registration required.

Thurs. Aug 13

6:00-7:00 pm

Mon. Aug 17

11:00 am-3:00 pm

Explore Vegan • Adults

Tues. Aug 4, 11, 18

Local artist Serenity Kenan will lead a three-part program for young participants to create a canvas mural, Love Where You Live.

Learn more and register (required) at duluthlibrary.org.

Thurs. Aug 6

Blue

Local author and photographer Alex Messenger will present on his second book and recently published debut novel, The Ice on the Lake. Messenger’s first book The Twenty-Ninth Day, details his experience of being mauled by a bear as a teen. No registration.

Junior Naturalists • Grades K-5

11:00 am-12:00 pm

Alex Messenger Author Talk • Adults

Tuesday Mural Making with Serenity • Grades 2-5

Tues. Aug 4

Blue

Sign Language 101 • Adults and Youth Grades 6-12

West Duluth Branch

10:00 am-12:00 pm

Alcove

Evergreen

Do you enjoy exploring outdoors and learning about the natural world? Try hands-on activities while learning about topics like tracking urban wildlife, plant ID, North Shore geology, and more.

1:30-2:30 pm

Evergreen

Tie-dyed for Pride • Grades 4-12

Celebrate your brightest self for Duluth-Superior Pride weekend by creating tie-dyed items as unique and colorful as you are! All materials will be provided. Tie-dyeing can be messy, so wear clothes you wouldn’t mind getting stained. Registration required.

Tues. Aug 18

1:30-3:00 pm

Book Bingo: Bluey • All Ages

In a twist on the classic game, bingo numbers get replaced with book covers and other images. August’s theme is Bluey! Come dressed in your best Bluey garb and receive an extra door prize ticket!

Tues. Aug 18

6:00-7:00 pm

Evergreen

West Duluth Book Club • Adults

All are welcome to discuss fiction and nonfiction! If you are interested in joining, just ask for future titles at the front desk.

Fri.

Aug 21

3:45-4:45 pm

Alcove

Stories in Stone: Geology 101 • Grades 2-5

MN State Park Naturalist Kristine Hiller will share her knowledge as we use tools and rock samples to make observations about igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary rocks. Registration is required.

Wed. Aug 26

1:30-2:30 pm

Evergreen