September Grab and Go Adult Craft – Free DIY Halloween Candy Jar
Get ready to share your favorite sweet treat for Halloween in your very own DIY candy jar! This festive, yet understated, Halloween Candy Jar will be a delicious addition to your fall décor. Come into the library for your own Grab and Go DIY Halloween Candy Jar Kit beginning September 1st. Adult patrons can bring home one Free DIY Halloween Candy Jar Craft Kit from the Perry Public Library. This craft kit includes materials and instructions for making one candy jar. This September Craft is free, courtesy of the Perry Public Library, and available while supplies last. For questions, visit www.perry.lib.ia.us or call 515-465-3569.
Hometown Heritage at the Carnegie Library Museum Presents: Hispanic Heritage Month Exhibit – September 1 through September 30
Come learn about Hispanic Heritage at the Carnegie Library Museum throughout the month of September. This exhibit will highlight how Hispanic culture thrives in Perry and feature some of the most influential people in Hispanic culture. Kids can also pick up a craft during the month to take home to complete with their families. The Hispanic Heritage Month Exhibit is free and open to the public. Carnegie Fall Library hours are as follows after Labor Day: Sunday 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm, Monday closed, Tuesday-Wednesday 10:00 am to 4:00 pm, Thursday 10:00 am to 7:00 pm, and Friday-Saturday 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. For questions, call 515-465-7713 or visit www.perry.lib.ia.us.
Fall Toddler Time Tuesday Storytime (2 and 3-Year-Olds): Full STEAM Ahead – September 5, 12, 26
Toddler Time will go Full STEAM Ahead this fall as we incorporate literacy, science, math, and art into our storytimes! Benefits of incorporating STEAM (Science-Technology-Engineering-Art-Math) include encouraging creativity and innovation, developing problem-solving skills, enhancing resilience, and promoting lifelong learning. Plus, it’s just plain fun! Sensory bins, flannel boards, hands-on experiments, and crafts will help each little scientist learn more about the world around them. Toddler Time meets on Tuesdays from 10:30 am to 11:15 am, (PLEASE NOTE NEW TIME), starting September 5. This is a free program, but registration is required. To register, visit the library, go online at www.perry.lib.ia.us, call 515-465-3569, or email lpieper@perry.lib.ia.us.
Fun with Fours and Fives Wednesday Storytime (4 and 5-Year-Olds): Full STEAM Ahead – September 6, 13, 27
Fun with Fours and Fives will go Full STEAM Ahead this fall as we incorporate literacy, science, math, and art into our storytimes! Benefits of incorporating STEAM (Science-Technology-Engineering-Art-Math) include encouraging creativity and innovation, developing problem-solving skills, enhancing resilience, and promoting lifelong learning. Plus, it’s just plain fun! Hands-on experiments and crafts will help each little scientist learn more about the world around them. Fun With Fours and Fives meets on Wednesdays from 10:30 am to 11:15 am, (PLEASE NOTE NEW TIME), starting September 6. This is a free program, but registration is required. To register, visit the library, go online at www.perry.lib.ia.us, call 515-465-3569, or email lpieper@perry.lib.ia.us.
Fall Wee Wonders Storytime Thursday (Birth to 24 Months): Full STEAM Ahead – September, 7, 14, 28
Our fall Wee Wonders program starts up again in September. We meet from 10:30 am to 11:15 am Thursdays through the first week of December, (PLEASE NOTE THE NEW TIME), starting September 7. Wee Wonders is an early literacy lap-sit program for babies from birth through 24 months. We sing songs and rhymes, read simple books, do fingerplays, bounces, and incorporate motor skills with shakers and scarves. There is a period of social play at the end of each program. Each participating baby gets a free board book every time they come to the program. This is a free program, but registration is required. To register, visit the library, go online at www.perry.lib.ia.us, call 515-465-3569, or email lpieper@perry.lib.ia.us.
Tween Zone: Mini Clay Creations and More – September 5, 2023
Tween Zone is a new program for “tweens,” ages 8 through 12, from 4:00 pm to 5:00 pm. on the FIRST Tuesday of the month. Miss Laura will have a craft for anyone interested, and participants can also tinker with our Maker Space Cart, play with our Beam projector, play board games, play with our Wii console, color coloring pages, or just sit and hang out. September’s craft will be mini clay creations. This is a free activity and no registration is required. For more information, visit www.perry.lib.ia.us, call 515-465.3569, or visit the library.
WOW! Wednesdays Robots (K-2nd Grades): Elephant Paste Experiment – September 6
WOW! Wednesdays are early-out STEM-related activity times for elementary students at the Library! Children in kindergarten through second grade are invited to attend WOW! Wednesdays Robots from 3:00 pm to 4:00 pm on the FIRST Wednesday of the month. For September, the Robots will be experimenting with elephant paste with Miss Laura. This fall, we are also excited to incorporate our new Maker Space Cart during WOW! Wednesdays! Kids can tinker around or participate in challenges to build things with items from the cart. Miss Laura will present a different science experiment each month, and there will be LEGOs, Snap Circuits, and other activities. This is a free activity and no registration is required. For more information, visit www.perry.lib.ia.us, call 515-465.3569, or visit the library.
September Fresh Conversations with Aging Resources of Central Iowa: Cancer Screening – September 6
Fresh Conversations is a free nutrition and physical education program for ages 60+. The program offers practical tips and sensible solutions to everyday problems that get in the way of doing what most people want to do: eat well and live well! Fresh Conversations is also an opportunity to connect with other adults for a friendly group discussion. We will meet in September to discuss cancer screening, plus try a tasty recipe on Wednesday, September 6, from 12:30 pm to 1:30 pm in the Perry Public Library Community Room. This is a monthly, free event held the first Wednesday of each month for ages 60+ and no registration is required. For more information, call the library at 515-465-3569 or visit www.perry.lib.ia.us.
Childcare Training for Adult Caregivers: Linking Literacy with Food – September 7
The Perry Public Library is partnering with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach in Dallas County to offer a Linking Literacy With Food class for childcare providers on Thursday, September 7, from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm in the Perry Public Library Community Room. ISU Extension Food & Health Specialist Tom Keinert will lead the class. This class is for adult caregivers, who will experience new ways to connect with children by incorporating food-related activities in lessons with well-loved children’s books. Registration is required by September 2. Patrons can register in person or by calling the Library at 515-465-3569. For additional information, including how to receive credit hours on childcare license renewal, contact Tom Keinert at tkeinert@iastate.edu.
Chess at the Library – September 7, 14, 21, 28
Local Chess Instructor David Oliveira is partnering with the Perry Public Library to teach, mentor, and play chess with players of all ages and experience levels. Whether you are new to chess or looking for a challenging game, mark your Thursday evenings in September for Chess Instruction and Walk-in at the Library. Students, grades K-12, will meet from 4:30 to 5:30 pm, in the library Board Room. Chess players of all ages are then welcome to meet from 5:30 to 7:30 pm, also in the Board Room, for instruction or competition. David Oliveira leads the group meetings and also offers chess instruction by individual appointments as part of the library program. Call the library for more information or to arrange a time at 515-465-3569.
We Have Issues (YA Book Club for Everyone): The Grace Year by Kim Liggett – September 11
We Have Issues: A YA Book Club for Everyone is a fun, laid-back book club where we enjoy the often-dramatic world of YA literature. We love exploring timely issues and you don’t have to be a teen/young adult to come. Our club meets every first Monday from 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm in the Library Community Room, but due to the Labor Day holiday, we’ll meet the second Monday in September. The September 11th selection is The Grace Year by Kim Liggett, a dystopian thriller described as “darkly haunting” and “an absolute page-turner” by bestselling author Libba Bray. Interested adults and teens may join the group at any time, but registration is required. Books are available at the library for a small fee for registrants. Register online at www.perry.lib.ia.us, in person, or call the library for more information at 515-465-3569.
WOW! Wednesdays Rockets (3rd-5th Grades): Elephant Paste Experiment – September 13
WOW! Wednesdays are early-out STEM-related activity times for elementary students at the Library! Children in third through fifth grade are invited to attend Wow Wednesdays from 3:00 pm to 4:00 pm on the SECOND Wednesday of the month. For September, the Rockets will be experimenting with elephant paste with Miss Laura. This fall, we are also excited to incorporate our new Maker Space Cart during WOW! Wednesdays! Kids can tinker around or participate in challenges to build things with items from the cart. Miss Laura will present a different science experiment each month, and there will be LEGOs, Snap Circuits, and other activities. This is a free activity and no registration is required. For more information, visit www.perry.lib.ia.us, call 515-465.3569, or visit the library.
Teen Boredom Busters – September 12
Teen Boredom Busters is a new drop-in program for teens in middle through high school. Come in anytime between 4:00 pm and 5:00 pm on the SECOND Tuesday of the month to tinker with our Maker Space Cart, play with our Beam projector, play board games, play with our Wii console, color coloring pages, or just sit and hang out. This is a free activity and no registration is required. For more information, visit www.perry.lib.ia.us, call 515-465.3569, or visit the library.
Paper Crafting with Kathy: Halloween Treat Boxes and Specialty Cards – September 16
Join paper crafting enthusiast Kathy Miller for a series of monthly how-to workshops featuring different paper crafting techniques and creative designs for making greeting cards. The craft series will be held one Saturday of each month – watch the calendar for the monthly scheduled date. We will meet on September 16 in the Library Community Room from 10:30 am to 12:30 pm. September’s workshop will focus on creating Halloween-themed specialty cards and treat boxes. There is a $5 materials fee for the program and payment is required for registration. Registration closes on September 9. All materials will be provided, but participants are welcome to bring their own supplies. For more information, visit www.perry.lib.ia.us, or call 515-465-3569.
Crafternoons: Free Dedicated Makerspace – September 16
Are you looking for a quiet, community space to craft? Then, we have the perfect Saturday event for you! The Perry Public Library welcomes crafters and do-it-yourselfers to our dedicated makerspace. The craft series will be held one Saturday of each month after Paper Crafting with Kathy – watch the calendar for the monthly scheduled date. You bring your ideas and supplies and we’ll supply the crafting space. Saturday Crafternoons last from 12:30 pm to 4:30 pm in the Library Community Room and offer a free community space to work on projects in a comfortable environment. Plan your next work session for Saturday, September 16, at the library. Tables are available on a first come, first-served basis, and everyone is invited. No reservations and no charge! For more information, visit or call the library at 515-465-3569.
Salvation Army Mobile Services Center – September 18
The Salvation Army Mobile Services Center comes to the Perry Public Library on the 3rd Monday of each month from 9:30 am to 3:00 pm, with a break for lunch. This free service is located in the library parking lot and helps with rent, utilities, gas, personal care items, food, and other information. For more specific information about services offered, contact the Salvation Army at 515-282-3599. This is a free service and no registration is required. For more information, visit www.perry.lib.ia.us, call 515-465.3569, or visit the library.
Monthly Book Club: These Silent Woods by Kim Cunningham Grant – September 19
September’s Monthly Book Club will read and discuss These Silent Woods by Kim Cunningham Grant, a suspenseful, atmospheric novel that centers on a father-daughter relationship. Join the discussion on Tuesday, September 19, from 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm in the Library Community Room. Everyone interested is invited to join the discussion, but registration is required. Register online at www.perry.lib.us, by phone at 515-465-3569, or in person. Books are available at the library for participants for a small fee. For more information, call Adult Service Librarian and discussion leader Mindy Farmer at 515-465-3569.
Hometown Heritage at the Carnegie Library Museum Presents: A Mexican Afternoon Tea – September 25
Come join Hometown Heritage at the Carnegie Library Museum as we celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month! Join us for a tea focusing on Mexico! We will offer two teas: hibiscus and chai-infused horchata. This will be served alongside small courses of Mexican tea cookies, conchas, and empanadas. The tea will be held on Monday, September 25, from 4:30 pm to 5:30 pm. Space is limited. Tickets can be purchased at the Carnegie Library or the Perry Public Library for $15. Contact Trista Cohea at the Carnegie with questions at 515-465-7713.
September Craft Club: Reversible Pumpkin and Snowman Porch Decoration – September 25
During the September craft club, patrons will make reversible pumpkin and snowman porch decorations. Participants will paint and decorate reversible porch statues. One side will feature a fall pumpkin and the other side will feature a winter snowman. This will make for a versatile decoration that can be reused throughout the coming months! The September Craft Club will meet on Monday, September 25 from 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm. All are welcome, but space is limited and registration is required. A $5 materials fee is due at the time of registration to reserve your spot. Please register by Monday, September 16. To register, visit the library. For more information, visit www.perry.lib.ia.us, call 515-465-3569, or ask a librarian.
