Centralia Regional Library District

Eat, Play, Grow
2025-02-03 16:00 - 17:00, 2025-03-03 16:00 - 17:00 (America/Chicago) | Centralia Regional Library District, 515 East Broadway, Centralia, IL, 62801, United States
Join us for free and fun nutrition and activity lessons that bring together art, stories, and music for preschoolers and their caregivers!
This event is free and happens on the first Monday of each month starting January 2025, 4-5pm. You can sign up by just coming to class!
For more information, contact Krystal Pruden at kpruden@illinois.edu, by phone at 618-548-1446, or at 1404 East Main Street in Salem, Illinois, 62881. Contact Krystal if you need reasonable accommodations to participate in this program.
The Illinois Extension and Eat-Move-Save is an equal opportunity provider. This material funded by USDA’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). College of Agricultural. Consumer and Environmental Sciences. University of Illinois; United States Department of Agriculture; Local Extension Councils Cooperating.

An Evening with James McBride
2025-02-04 19:00 - 20:00 | Online, IL, United States
Illinois Libraries Present James McBride, an award-winning author, musician, and screenwriter. His landmark memoir, The Color of Water, was published in 1996 and is considered an American classic, read in schools and universities across the United States. His 2013 novel, The Good Lord Bird, won the National Book Award for Fiction and was adapted by Ethan Hawke and Jason Blum into a Showtime series bearing the same name. His latest, The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store, was named one of the New York Times’ 100 Notable Books of 2023.
In 2016, President Obama awarded McBride the National Humanities Medal “for humanizing the complexities of discussing race in America. Through writings about his own uniquely American story, and his works of fiction informed by our shared history, his moving stories of love display the character of the American family.” In 2024 he became the latest recipient of the Library of Congress Prize for American Fiction. A native New Yorker, McBride is a Distinguished Writer in Residence at New York University.
Heather Marie-Montlilla of PBS Books will join McBride in conversation.
Register
If you can’t make it to the live event, go ahead and register anyway; a recording will be sent to you for a limited time.

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

Chess Club
2025-02-08 14:00 - 16:00, 2025-03-08 14:00 - 16:00 | Centralia Regional Library District, 515 East Broadway, Centralia, IL, 62801, United States
Whether you’re wanting to learn or just wanting to play, come join our Chess Club at Centralia Regional Library!
This club meets in the 2nd floor Monken Activity Room of the Library on the 2nd Saturday of each month, from 2-4pm. The Activity Room is accessible by elevator and stairs. No registration is required and all ages are welcome!

LEGO Club
2025-02-10 16:00 - 17:00 | Centralia Regional Library District, 515 East Broadway, Centralia, IL, 62801, United States
Show off your love of LEGO and LEGO building skills in Centralia Regional Library’s LEGO Club for ages 7-11!
This fun, interactive club meets every 2nd Monday of the month at 4pm, unless of a holiday or other closure.
February’s meeting will be in the 2nd floor Junior Room. The 2nd floor is accessible by elevator and stairs.

Crochet Club
2025-02-10 16:00 - 17:30 | Centralia Regional Library District, 515 East Broadway, Centralia, IL, 62801, United States
Join Centralia Regional Library District’s social Crochet Club!
Whether you’re new to the craft or a professional, bring your own project to work on as we chat and swap tips and ideas with each other. We will have extra yarn and hooks for those without. Please note that this is not a formal class.
No age restrictions or registration required to join–just come on in!
Crochet Club meets in the second floor Monken Activity Room on the second Monday of every month, unless otherwise noted. The Activity Room is accessible by elevator or stairs.

Family Fun
2025-02-11 16:00 - 17:00 | Centralia Regional Library District, 515 East Broadway, Centralia, IL, 62801, United States
Get ready for some Family Fun!
Each month we have a different themed craft and activity for everyone of all ages to do. The featured activity for this Family Fun is a folded paper heart craft. Other games and activities will be available too, so bring the whole family for an hour of fun!
This event takes place in our 2nd floor Youth Area, accessible by elevator and stairs.

Staff Meeting - Library Closed
2025-02-12 | Centralia Regional Library District, 515 East Broadway, Centralia, IL, 62801, United States
The Library will be closed for an all-day staff meeting. Our online collections are available 24/7.

Teen Reading Club
2025-02-13 14:00 - 15:30 | Centralia Regional Library District, 515 East Broadway, Centralia, IL, 62801, United States
Join Centralia Regional Library District’s Reading Club for teens (ages 13-17)!
This club is a laid-back type, with snacks and activities/games. Each month we’ll have a different book to discuss at the beginning of the meeting, but it’s alright if you don’t read it–all reading is welcome here, so tell us any kind of story you’ve read. It can be from a game, a movie, a news article, fanfiction, whatever!
And the more meetings you attend, the more entries you’ll get into a prize giveaway at the end of the year!
February’s book is The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon.
If you would like to join, fill out the online form or come into the Library to fill out a paper form whenever you’d like. We hope to see you there!

Presidents' Day - Library Closed
2025-02-17 | IL
The Library will be closed in observance of Presidents’ Day. Our online collections are available 24/7.

Book Club
2025-02-18 18:00 - 19:30 | Centralia Regional Library District, 515 East Broadway, Centralia, IL, 62801, United States
Join the Centralia Regional Library District’s Book Club for adults!
For this meeting, we are reading Truly, Madly, Deeply by Karen Kingsbury.
If you are interested in joining us by becoming a Book Club member, please fill out our member form, especially if you would like for us to place a hold on the book for you. You do not need to have a library card or live in Centralia to join.
Join the Facebook Group!

Board Meeting
2025-02-19 16:00 - 18:00, 2025-03-19 16:00 - 18:00 | Centralia Regional Library District, 515 East Broadway, Centralia, IL, 62801, United States
The Centralia Regional Library District Board of Trustees meets the third Wednesday of every month.
Meetings are held in Monken Activity Room, 2nd floor, at the Main Library at 4:00 pm on the date designated and are open to the public. Accessible by elevator or stairs.
A link to the meeting agenda will be posted on this page and a paper copy at the Main Library.

Slowing Down with Amy Tan
2025-02-19 19:00 - 20:00 | Online, IL, United States
National Humanities Medal winner and bestselling author of The Joy Luck Club, Amy Tan joins us to share on her body of work and reflect on the wonder of slowing down and savoring the quiet moments. Her connection to nature is captured in her latest, The Backyard Bird Chronicles, a collection of sketches and essays which debuted at #1 on both the New York Times and the Indie bestseller list.
Born in the U.S. to immigrant parents from China, Tan’s first bestselling novel, The Joy Luck Club, offered a look at the immigration experience from the perspective of mothers and daughters. Other New York Times best-sellers followed, including The Kitchen God’s Wife, The Hundred Secret Senses, The Bonesetter’s Daughter, Saving Fish from Drowning, and The Valley of Amazement. Tan is also the author of two children’s books, a memoir, and other works. In keeping with her love of science and childhood love of doodling, she recently took up nature journal sketching. When she found herself overwhelmed by our increasingly divisive culture, she turned to nature and the world of bird life outside her own window.
Register
If you can’t make it to the live event, go ahead and register anyway; a recording will be sent to you for a limited time.
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

The Great Puzzle Race
2025-02-22 14:00 - 15:30 | Centralia Regional Library District, 515 East Broadway, Centralia, IL, 62801, United States
Now sponsored by Ravensburger!
Compete in teams of four to be the first team in 60 minutes to complete a 500-piece jigsaw puzzle. All puzzles are of the same image. Winners will receive prizes!
Teams must have four (4) members and all members must be present on the day of the race to compete. Only one (1) team member needs to submit a form for all members of the team. Team members can be of any age.
The first eight (8) teams to register will be admitted into the race; should any of these teams pull out of the race, those who did not make the initial cut will be considered. Two (2) teams must be present for the race to happen. You must contact us before 4:00 p.m. on Thursday, February 20, 2025, if you cannot make it to the race.
Register your team.

Book Bites
2025-02-24 16:00 - 17:00 | Centralia Regional Library District, 515 East Broadway, Centralia, IL, 62801, United States
Get a taste for reading with Centralia Regional Library’s book club for ages 7-11!
In this interactive club, kids will sit down at a place mat where they will be treated to the first chapter of a book on their plate. If they like the book, they may check it out and take it home. If they want to sample another book, they will trade places with another attendee to read the first chapter of their book, until everyone goes home with a book they like!
This book club is a fun way to get into reading for even the most stubborn of readers. There is no registration required to join, but a library card is needed to check a book out.
Book Bites will meet the 4th Monday of each month at 4pm, unless of a holiday or other closure. It will be in the 2nd floor Teen Room, accessible by elevator and stairs.

Family Fun
2025-02-25 16:00 - 17:00 | Centralia Regional Library District, 515 East Broadway, Centralia, IL, 62801, United States
Get ready for some Family Fun!
Each month we have a different themed craft and activity for everyone of all ages to do. The featured activity for this Family Fun is a Dr. Seuss Green Eggs & Ham game. Other games and activities will be available too, so bring the whole family for an hour of fun!
This event takes place in our 2nd floor Youth Area, accessible by elevator and stairs.

Bingo with High Point Residence
2025-02-26 15:30 - 16:30 | Centralia Regional Library District, 515 East Broadway, Centralia, IL, 62801, United States
Come play bingo with us and High Point Residence!
It’s free for anyone of any age to play with free prizes up for grabs, from snacks to home goods and seasonal decor to toiletries, so come join us!

Women's History Month Educational Scavenger Hunt
2025-03-01 - 2025-03-31 | Centralia Regional Library District, 515 East Broadway, Centralia, IL, 62801, United States
Learn some history, win a prize! Each worksheet is different, so you can hunt several times if you want to learn even more (prizes are only given for the first completed worksheet; if you completed last year’s scavenger hunt, your prize will be different).
This scavenger hunt can be done at any time during the month upstairs in the Youth Department (accessible by elevator and stairs). Get the whole family involved!

Healthy Cents: Eat. Move. Save. Illinois Nutrition Education Program
2025-03-01 15:00 - 16:00 | Centralia Regional Library District, 515 East Broadway, Centralia, IL, 62801, United States

Exploring Space with Coralie Adam
2025-03-04 19:00 - 20:00 | Online, IL, United States
Get an inside look at the space industry with Illinois’ own Coralie Adam. She’ll be joined in conversation by Renae Kerrigan, Curator of Science and Director of the Dome Planetarium at Peoria Riverfront Museum.
Born and raised in Illinois, Coralie holds a B.S. in Aerospace Engineering and Astronomy from the University of Illinois, and an M.S. in Aerospace Engineering Sciences from the University of Colorado. She leads the multi-mission Optical Navigation team at KinetX Aerospace, the first privately held company to provide deep space navigation and flight dynamics expertise to NASA. At KinetX, Coralie has had lead roles on the navigation teams for NASA’s New Horizons, OSIRIS-REx, Lucy, and OSIRIS-APEX missions. Coralie’s work enabled the first exploration of the Pluto system and the historic sample collection of near-Earth asteroid Bennu. In addition to leading the OSIRIS-REx optical navigation team, she co-convened the scientific investigation of Bennu’s active particle ejection phenomena. Coralie is currently the Deputy Navigation Chief on NASA’s Lucy mission to the Jupiter Trojan asteroids, as well as supporting several commercial and government exploration initiatives to the moon and beyond.
Register
If you can’t make it to the live event, go ahead and register anyway; a recording will be sent to you for a limited time.
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

Family Fun
2025-03-11 16:00 - 17:00 | Centralia Regional Library District, 515 East Broadway, Centralia, IL, 62801, United States
Get ready for some Family Fun!
Each month we have a different themed craft and activity for everyone of all ages to do. The featured activity for this Family Fun is a DIY Shamrock Suncatcher. Other games and activities will be available too, so bring the whole family for an hour of fun!
This event takes place in our 2nd floor Youth Area, accessible by elevator and stairs.

Teen Reading Club
2025-03-13 14:00 - 15:30 | Centralia Regional Library District, 515 East Broadway, Centralia, IL, 62801, United States
Join Centralia Regional Library District’s Reading Club for teens (ages 13-17)!
This club is a laid-back type, with snacks and activities/games. Each month we’ll have a different book to discuss at the beginning of the meeting, but it’s alright if you don’t read it–all reading is welcome here, so tell us any kind of story you’ve read. It can be from a game, a movie, a news article, fanfiction, whatever!
And the more meetings you attend, the more entries you’ll get into a prize giveaway at the end of the year!
March’s book is Nimona by ND Stevenson.
If you would like to join, fill out the online form or come into the Library to fill out a paper form whenever you’d like. We hope to see you there!

LEGO Club
2025-03-14 16:00 - 17:00 | Centralia Regional Library District, 515 East Broadway, Centralia, IL, 62801, United States
NOTE: This meeting has been rescheduled from March 10.
Show off your love of LEGO and LEGO building skills in Centralia Regional Library’s LEGO Club for ages 7-11!
This fun, interactive club meets in the 2nd floor Youth Area every 2nd Monday of the month at 4pm, unless of a holiday or other closure. The 2nd floor is accessible by elevator and stairs.

Local Author Fair
2025-03-15 13:00 - 16:00 | Centralia Regional Library District, 515 East Broadway, Centralia, IL, 62801, United States
Illinois authors will be selling, signing, and discussing their books at this meet-and-greet in the 2nd floor Monken Activity Room (accessible by elevator and stairs). Admission is free and there will be a raffle drawing sign-up!
This year’s authors are:
– K.B. Andrews (Where the Wildflowers Grow)
– Debbie Blankenship (Gone…)
– Cris Cawthon (Be Encouraged)
– Clyde Hall (Pulp Reality)
– Jasmine Krezanoski (Meet the Pegs)
– Rick Nehrt (Rejected Silver)
– Scott Pinkowski (The Orphan Ark)
– Eunice Redeker-Hausler (Blessed by God, Led by the Spirit)
– T.L. Sanders (Prymzia series)
For questions and concerns about the fair, please contact program coordinator Charessa Sistek with the information provided below.
If you are an Illinois author that would like a chance to exhibit at our next fair, let us know!

Miss Rita's Story Time
2025-03-17 16:00 - 16:30 | Centralia Regional Library District, 515 East Broadway, Centralia, IL, 62801, United States
Raise your children to be lifelong readers by bringing them to story time at the Library!
This special Story Time is held in the Monken Activity Room on the Library’s 2nd floor (elevator accessible).
The theme for this Story Time is Spring!

Crochet Club
2025-03-17 16:00 - 17:30 | Centralia Regional Library District, 515 East Broadway, Centralia, IL, 62801, United States
NOTE: This meeting has been rescheduled from March 10 to March 17.
Join Centralia Regional Library District’s social Crochet Club!
Whether you’re new to the craft or a professional, bring your own project to work on as we chat and swap tips and ideas with each other. We will have extra yarn and hooks for those without. Please note that this is not a formal class.
No age restrictions or registration required to join–just come on in!
Crochet Club meets in the second floor Monken Activity Room on the second Monday of every month, unless otherwise noted. The Activity Room is accessible by elevator or stairs.

Book Club
2025-03-18 18:00 - 19:30 | Centralia Regional Library District, 515 East Broadway, Centralia, IL, 62801, United States
Join the Centralia Regional Library District’s Book Club for adults!
For this meeting, we are reading The Best American Essays of the Century.
If you are interested in joining us by becoming a Book Club member, please fill out our member form, especially if you would like for us to place a hold on the book for you. You do not need to have a library card or live in Centralia to join.
Join the Facebook Group!

9to5: The Story of a Movement
2025-03-21 14:00 - 2025-03-23 23:30 | Online, IL, United States
Watch the award winning documentary from the comfort of your home! The documentary highlights the creation of the 9to5 movement, established to fight for workplace equity and against wage discrepancy and was the basis for the feature film, 9 to 5, starring Jane Fonda, Dolly Parton and Lily Tomlin.
In the early 1970s, secretaries in Boston decided to fight against humiliating, harassing and illegal work environments. Their movement became national and is a largely forgotten story of U.S. twentieth century history. Director Julia Reichert was an Academy Award and Emmy Award winning documentarian.
Register
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
