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
Fun Summer Learning
Vail Public Library invites families to 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten Reboot + Ventriloquist Performance on June 29 at 11:00 am. Come sign up for the reading program and enjoy the show Sketchasaurux Rex performed by Meghan and friends with Rocky Mountain Puppets.
Lafayette Public Library welcomes the Denver Museum of Nature & Science for a Discovery Station filled with hands-on activities, eye-catching artifacts, and plenty of curiosity-boosting surprises. Museum educators will be on site for this pop-up event on June 13 from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm.
Delta County Libraries invites you to see the Packhorse Librarians at the Pioneer Days Parade in Crawford on June 13 at 9:00 am. Afterwards, head to the Crawford Library to kick off the Summer Reading Program with a dig site for kids to discover fossils, shark teeth, and cool rocks!
Pick ‘n’ Mix
Gunnison County Libraries’ second annual Adult Spelling Bee is June 26 at Gunnison Library. Join the fun and compete for prizes and bragging rights.
Loveland Public Library invites teens to level up their room’s decor by creating DIY Botanical Coasters on June 16. Using a flower motif and pressed flowers, teens will create a molded resin coaster that will brighten up any space.
Aurora Public Library welcomes CSU Master Gardeners for Dealing with Drought on June 25 at Central Library. Learn to keep your landscape healthy during extended drought and water restrictions.
Join the Eagle County Historical Society and the Eagle Valley Library District’s Local History Department as they honor local author Malcolm Osborn and educator Steve O’Neil with the 2026 Preservation Award on June 14, 2:00 pm, at Avon Public Library. The award ceremony will also feature journalist and author John LaConte discussing his new book, Notorious Hunter Sir St. George Gore: Deadly Legacy in Colorado.
Buena Vista Public Library is hosting a Book Tasting on June 18 from 4:00 to 6:00 pm. Patrons are invited to explore new genres and formats at this cafe-style themed event featuring a curated selection of titles and timed experiences at various tables. Registration is required.
America 250 – Colorado 150 Celebrations
Clearview Library District is celebrating America 250 with two upcoming events. On June 16, they will offer Semiquincentennial Spotlight: American Government 101 at Windsor Library. This session will provide a refresher of the Legislative, Executive, and Judicial branches, including their individual powers, limits, and how they work together. Then, on June 24 at Severance Library, they will host the Barbeque Brass Quintet for Star Spangled Sounds, a summer concert honoring our nation’s 250th anniversary, featuring classic American songbook and contemporary works inspired by the mountains and endless sky of the Great American West.
Alamosa Public Library is throwing a 250/150 Birthday Party on June 27 at 10:30 am. Celebrate the birthday of our state and our nation with cake and activities!
High Plains Library District is hosting Sesquicentennial Explorers: Digging into 150 years of Colorado’s History on June 18 at Erie Community Library. Join them on their quest to dig into the history of different Colorado cultural groups.
Montrose Regional Library District invites you to celebrate Colorado turning 150 with a Colorado Flag Book Craft. Join them on June 17 at Montrose Library to make a replica of the Colorado flag using rolled up recycled book pages.
Is your library planning any 250-150 events? The Colorado State Library would love to feature them in the Friday Grab Bag. Email Amy Hitchner with an event link or the details.
What’s New from the Colorado State Library
Library Research Service
Welcome to the Curiosity Center: A Safe Harbor for All Students
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 June 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.
- Youth and Teen Collection Librarian – Montrose Regional Library District
- Librarian II – Youth Services – Eagle Valley Library District
- Full-time 40 hour Children’s Guide – Anythink Wright Farms (Bilingual Spanish speaking preferred)
- Part-time 20 hour Wrangler – Anythink Bennett (Bilingual Spanish speaking preferred)
- Patron Services Supervisor – High Plains Library District
- Bilingual (Spanish) Workforce Library Associate – High Plains Library District
- Library Page – High Plains Library District
- Library Assistant (Part-Time 20 Hours, Youth Services) – Bemis Library
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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- Friday Grab Bag, May 29, 2026 - May 29, 2026