The Friday Grab Bag is a weekly series that highlights fun, unique, and interesting happenings in Colorado libraries, and includes news from the Colorado State Library as well as images from the Colorado Historic Newspapers Collection. Let’s open the Friday Grab Bag!
Library Events & Programs
Summer Learning
Broomfield Library’s Vegetable Garden Basics series continues on July 14 with Summer Garden Maintenance. Join them at the Teaching Vegetable Garden at Brunner Farmhouse to practice pruning, troubleshoot water and heat issues, and learn when and how to start harvesting.
Eagle Valley Library District invites you to join local photographer Raj Manickam for The Art of Observation: Storytelling with Photography, a presentation on July 13 at Eagle Public Library.
Englewood Public Library welcomes Tracy Csavina from the City of Englewood Parks Department for Colorado Native Plants on July 11 at 1:00 pm. Explore how native plants support pollinators, conserve water, and strengthen local ecosystems, and learn how to incorporate native plants into your own landscape.
Join High Plains Library District for Canning Strawberry Jam on July 13 at Eaton Public Library. This class is perfect for beginners or anyone looking to refresh their canning skills.
Poudre Libraries is offering Print That Thing! Getting Started with 3D Printing on July 15 at Old Town Library. This introduction will cover the basics of finding and creating designs for printing at the library.
Buena Vista Public Library invites you to step back in time and discover the rich history of Buena Vista during a guided Historic Walking Tour with local historian Suzy Kelly on July 14 from 9:00 to 11:00 am. During this leisurely walk through downtown Buena Vista, you’ll learn about the people, places, and stories that shaped the community. The tour begins at the Depot, located at the intersection of West Main Street and US Highway 24, and concludes at the Buena Vista Heritage Museum.
Music and Art
Ridgway Library District is hosting an Art Show Opening Reception on July 11 from 4:00 to 7:00 pm. Melissa Demuth and Sam Murch Photography will be featured in the exhibit titled Earth and Echo: Explorations of Nature Through Paint and Photography.
Take a break from your day with Piano on the Patio with Oliver Henry at Wilkinson Public Library on July 13. This lunchtime series occurs the second Monday of the month from 12:00 to 1:00 pm.
Basalt Regional Library welcomes musicians Jan Garret and JD Martin for Songwriting Sessions, a 4-part series in July and August. Jan & JD will guide participants through exercises designed to build songwriting skills and spark creativity.
Put on a pair of wireless headphones and dance your way through the library at Buena Vista Public Library’s Silent Disco! Join them on July 16 from 4:00 to 6:00 pm for a sensory-friendly dance party featuring a curated playlist of favorite hits from the ’80s and ’90s. Participants will check out headphones in the meeting room before heading to a designated dance area in the library stacks. Registration is required. This program is intended for adults.
Jefferson County Public Library is offering a Visual Art Workshop for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Youth on July 16 at Columbine Library. Participants will design fabric in the West African textile tradition using natural pigments and mark making tools, guided by Arvada Center Teaching artists with ASL interpretation.
America 250 – Colorado 150 Celebrations
New Kits on the Block! The Colorado State Library just launched USA 250 and Colorado 150 kits. These travelling pop-up exhibits contain fascinating reproductions, a wealth of written and visual material, printing activities, games/past times from bygone eras, and more. The kits can be customized for a range of audiences, and some even correspond to book club sets to keep the conversation going.
Loveland Public Library invites you to join writer, researcher, and hiker Sarah Hahn Campbell for Her Place on the Map: 18 Women and the Colorado Wonders Named for Them on July 11 from 12:00 to 2:00 pm. She will share the fascinating journeys behind her visits to 18 Colorado mountains, lakes, and trails named for remarkable women.
Clearview Library District is hosting two upcoming Colorado 150 events. First, on July 14 at Windsor Art & Heritage Center, local authors Sarah Hahn Campbell and Afton Rorvik will present Unearthing Colorado’s History followed by a book signing. Then, on July 15 at Severance Library, community members are invited to Kitchen Keepsakes: A Recipe Swap, which celebrates food as a way to share local history and culture.
Pine River Library is throwing a Bayfield 120, Colorado 150 Birthday Bash on August 1 from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm. To celebrate, they invite their community to enjoy food, live music, and activities for all ages.
Delta County Libraries invites you to come celebrate Colorado’s 150th Birthday at Cedaredge Library on August 1 from 10:30 am to 4:00 pm. The event will include storytime, crafts, a book sale, and an ice cream social.
Mesa County Libraries and the Mesa County Historical Society welcome the public to History at High Noon: Traces of Western Colorado from 1776-1876 on July 16 at the Central Library. This presentation will focus on the history of areas in Mesa County and Montrose County during a 100-year time window that saw dramatic change and significant events.
What’s New from the Colorado State Library
Digital Colorado
The Plains to Peaks Collective Launches a New Discovery Platform
Book Club Sets
Book Club Author Suggestion: David McCullough
Learning Opportunities
All events are online except where a location is noted.
- Hidden Gems: Colorado Department of Military and Veterans Affairs
- August 11, 11:30 – 12:15 pm
- Find even more learning opportunities:
- View CSL events on the Libraries Learn calendar.
- Visit Maine State Library’s Continuing Education Calendar for national events (note: all MSL events are listed in Eastern time). A different view of these events is available at Free Online Learning Opportunities for July 2026.
Library Jobline
Are you considering a job change this year? Check out Library Jobline for hot new library employment opportunities, like this selection from around Colorado.
- Continuing Education Senior Consultant – Colorado State Library
- Executive Director – Jefferson County Public Library
- Public Services Manager – Jefferson County Public Library
- Innovation Technician – High Plains Library District
- Librarian – Children’s Services – High Plains Library District
- Teaching and Learning Student Assistant – Auraria Library
- Library Security Clerk – City of Aurora, Library & Cultural Services
- Youth Services- Part Time Position – Penrose Community Library District
- Programming Coordinator – Salida Regional Library
- Library Instruction Assistant – Red Rocks Community College
This post is part of the Spotlight on Sharing initiative, which aims to increase the visibility of Colorado library programs and resource sharing.
Do you have a story from your library to share? Email Amy Hitchner, [email protected].
All images are from the Colorado Historic Newspapers Collection, a service of Colorado State Library.
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