Summer Newsletter 2026
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Spring is the time of year when it is summer in the sun and winter in the shade.”
~Charles Dickens
Greetings Friends,
Spring is in the air and there are so many fun programs at the Soldiers Grove Library to brighten up your days! New things in the library:
New Hours in 2026: The library has shifted its hours on Friday and Saturday only; still three hours to suit your library weekend needs. Open hours are 9:00 a.m. until 12:00 noon. The library remains open to the public 32 hours each week to offer services such as printing, faxing, and computer use.
Friends of the Soldiers Grove Public Library In 2024, a group of dedicated library enthusiasts established Friends of the Soldiers Grove Public Library,a 501(c) 3 organization.
The goals of the Friends group are to promote library programs for all ages, to seek out funds to further the mission of the Soldiers Grove Public Library and enhance the library for the community we serve.
Membership is open to everyone, with minimal time commitment. As a member, you have the opportunity to provide resources to the library and assist in keeping it an integral part of the community. If you would like to contribute a tax-deductible gift to the Friends of the Library, you may donate by mail or in person at the library. The Friends group meets every other month on the third Wednesday at 3:00 p.m. If you would like to attend and/or be a part of this group contact Cele Wolf (email: c7wolf@gmail.com) or by contacting a staff person at the library.
This year, the library will celebrate 55 years in the Soldiers Grove Community. More information to come on celebratory events.
Tuesdays in April, 10:30 AM– Story time with Ms. Morgan
All are welcome to join us as we explore fun topics through stories, songs, and crafts. The program is geared for families with toddlers/pre-school aged children. Homeschool families are also welcome. Members of the community are welcome to volunteer their time as readers or craft leaders. Please reach out to our librarians, Sarah or Morgan.
Every Tuesday, from 3:30-6:00 PM Dungeons and Dragons: Join a dungeon master to create a character and role play adventures, while learning all about this popular role playing game. No experience required. Geared toward ages 10+
Tuesday, April 7, Crawford County Farm Bureau & 4-H Essay Contest 5:00-6:00 pm
A free event, open to any youth of all ages, young and old welcome. Participants will learn more about the soil essay contest sponsored by Crawford County Farm Bureau and Crawford County 4-H and how they can participate in it.
Book reading of The Soil in Jackie’s Garden by WI author, Peggy Thomas. A lesson on soil with a fun, build-a-soil snack. Joe Childs will talk about soil in our area with an interactive display.
The theme for the essay contest is “Dig Into Wisconsin, Where Good Things Grow”.
April 9, Thursday, Seed Swap & Seed Starting Open House from 1:00-6:00 PM at the Soldiers Grove Library. Everyone is welcome — no experience or seeds necessary!
Seed Swap Guidelines
If you plan to bring seeds to share, please:
• Make sure seeds are clean, dry, untreated and free of pests or mold
• Package seeds in labeled envelopes or containers
• Include plant name and year collected or packed
All supplies will be provided. Refreshments available, while they last.
National Library Week: Millions of people visit their libraries every week—and for good reason. During National Library Week, April 19–25, 2026, take time to discover what brings you joy at your library. Visit your library and bring friends or family along.
Encourage a friend to get a library card—it’s a simple act that opens up a world of opportunity.
Browse the shelves, join a book club, or attend a storytime. Get started on your next creative project, or find expert help with research, job hunting, or uncovering your family roots. Libraries connect us to ideas, information, and each other—and they’re built for everyone.
April 20 Solar Town Book Club, at 6:00 PM will be discussing A Walk in the Park by Kevin Fedarko. Book club usually meets the last Monday of the month. Call ahead to reserve a copy of the next book.
April 22, 30 at 4:00 PM (May 7, 22 at 4:00 PM; May 5 & 12 at 10:30 AM) EGGSploring Chickens!
The Soldiers Grove Library in partnership with Crawford County 4-H is excited to offer an egg-citing program, “Chicken Quest”!
The program will start on April 22 with setting eggs in the incubator and ends May 12 with the hatching of the eggs. Throughout the 21 days there will be programs that take participants on a quest learning about incubation, embryology and chicks.
Stop in for any/all of the sessions. The event is free and open to the public.
April 23 at 4:00 PM, Create Felt Chicks
Maura Otis will lead and demonstrate how to create felted and hand stitched chicks. They are adorable and perfect for the spring season! Geared for ages 17 & up.
The event is free and open to the public.
“One benefit of summer was that each day we had more light to read by.”
-Jeanette Walls, The Glass Castle
Greetings library friends,
Summer has arrived and we are so excited for all the fun we have planned. Color Our World is the summer reading program theme. Please join us for one of the many fun-filled events. Please note, some events may require registration, so call the library to get on the list!
Color our World Summer Reading! Come to the library and pick up your reading logs. We will have prizes throughout the summer including pizza, books, markers, crayons, water bottles, stickers, and more!
Fun with Friends—First Saturday of the month—August only! This delightful kid-led program will take place on the first Saturday of the month from 11:00-12:00 pm. Each month will explore a different craft and/or game. Snacks will be provided. Geared toward ages 6-12, but all ages are welcome. See you August 2nd!
Drop-in mending circle—also on the first Saturday of the month from 11:00-12:30 pm (August only)—Bring your worn, torn and tattered items for an opportunity to learn a new skill. We can help you take something old and repair it for continued use. No experience needed, guidance will be provided for darning, patching and mending. This program is geared for adults, but bring your children so they can join concurrent programming. Join us August 2nd from 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Stained glass sidewalk chalk—Tuesday, June 17 2:00-4:00 pm. Feeling creative? Join us to color our sidewalks outside of the library and community building in Soldiers Grove. We will provide all the painter’s tape and sidewalk chalk. **Note date change from original calendar date due to expected rain*
Friday Story hours @ 10:30 am: Weekly story hours each Friday at 10:30, beginning June 13th– August 1st. Join us for stories, songs, crafts and snacks. Geared for ages 3-6, but all ages are welcome. We can’t wait for you to join us! **No Story Hour Friday, July 4th**
Family canoe trip on the Kickapoo: Monday, June 23rd. Interested in canoeing with us on the Kickapoo River? We will rent canoes for families on Monday, June 23rd. We will begin our journey around 9:30 a.m. and finish around 11:30/noon with a picnic on the shores of the Kickapoo. Registration required. Please contact the library director to register. 608-624-5815
Plastic-Free display: Visit the Soldiers Grove Public Library to see a unique display from a Viroqua organization committed to helping us wean our dependency on plastic and treat our earth more gently. The display will be up from mid-June to mid-July. Come in to find resources and activities involved for living a plastic-free lifestyle!
Paint & Sip: June 24th 4:00-6:00 p.m. Ages 12-17; Join us for a fun evening of a guided painting while sipping some boba tea! You will be able to take the painting home with you by the end of the event. All supplies will be provided! Call 608-624-5815 to register.
Solartown Book Club: Join us virtually or in-person for intelligent, lively discussions! We meet June 30th at 6:30 p.m. Please contact Sarah if you want to join or if you have some book suggestions for our future meetings. The next book for discussion is The Women by Kristin Hannah. We will not meet again until August 25th.
Movie Nights at the Library: Join us June 26th at 5:00 p.m. for the showing of Inside Out 2. **Note: Change of date from original schedule**. Bring your lovies and blankets. Movie description: Disney and Pixar’s “Inside Out 2” returns to the mind of newly minted teenager Riley just as headquarters is undergoing a sudden demolition to make room for something entirely unexpected: new Emotions! Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear and Disgust, who’ve long been running a successful operation by all accounts, aren’t sure how to feel when Anxiety shows up. And it looks like she’s not alone.
Weave bookmarks & bracelets: Thursday, June 26th @ 2:00 p.m. Ages 5 and up. We will be weaving string through straws to make bracelets and bookmarks.
Excerpt from the Wisconsin State Journal:
SOLDIERS GROVE — The floods still come, but there is less worry in this northern Crawford County village.
For nearly 40 years, Main Street here has been absent hardware and grocery stores, the library, post office, fire department, bars and cafés.
But community remains, on higher ground, out of the reach of the Kickapoo River.
After decades of devastating floods, Soldiers Grove began working in the 1970s on what would become a $6 million relocation plan. By 1983, nearly 50 businesses and homes in the downtown were demolished, with new structures constructed on higher land along Highway 61 on the village’s southeast side.
