Teens, join Margaret for Mystery in the Infinite Beyond on Saturday, September 12! From 1:30-3:30 p.m., play a tabletop game on the lawn next to the library, with live-action challenges. Have you played Among Us? This will be similar, but in person rather than on a computer.
For ages 11-18. Free! No need to sign up. Snacks will be served.
The Teen Program is held on the 2nd and 5th Saturdays of the month.
The button maker will be available at the Litchfield Library all day on Saturday, September 12th! Library users are invited to stop in and create their own video-game themed button.
This event is for all ages. Children under 8 years of age need to have an adult or teen caregiver along.
Stop by the Litchfield Library’s lawn for a celebration of reading and libraries! On Friday, September 18, Litchfield will be a location for the statewide program Minnesota Libraries Read Together. Stop by between 2:00 and 5:00 p.m. with a lawn chair or blanket and a book, or sit on one of the library’s folding chairs or tablecloths and grab a book from the library. Then read alongside others from the community. Talk with others about what you’re reading, if you wish!
Come for a short while or the whole 3 hours. Open to all ages. No need to sign up.
In the event of bad weather, the program will be held in the lobby.
Knitters of all ages are welcome to bring their work in progress to Knitting Club on the 3rd Thursday of the month, 12:30-1:30 p.m. Crocheters welcome, too!
Enjoy social time with other fiber artists. Need advice? Kristin is a state fair blue ribbon knitter and can share her knowledge.
Dates:
September 17
October 15
November 19
December 17
Litchfield Library will offer two informal Homeschool Gathering programs this fall: Wednesdays, September 16 and November 18, 1-3 p.m. These will be casual opportunities for families to meet each other and for the kids to do fun activity stations. No formal instruction will be offered.
Free! No need to sign up. Open to families with homeschool students of any age.
If the weather cooperates, September’s program will be held on the lawn next to the library.
Library Column for September 10, 2026
By Jennifer Barnes, Litchfield Children’ s Librarian
In the blink of an eye, or so it seems, summer ended and the calendar flipped to September, and our fall programming schedule has begun. I feel a sense of relief that we have successfully wrapped up our annual Summer Reading Program. From donated prizes to cooperative programming that took us beyond the library walls, the community has been so supportive, and that support contributed a great deal to the success of this year’s program.
We would like to extend our thanks to local businesses and organizations who donated tour 2026 Summer Reading Program: Plant a Seed, Read:
Arby’s-Hutchinson
Jimmy’s Pizza- Litchfield
Taco John’s-Litchfield
Stockmen’s Nursery
Rise + Roam
Ramsey Printing
Dairy Queen-Litchfield
Subway
McDonald’s
Fantastic Sams
Kwik Trip
Pizza Hut-Litchfield
Startled Fruit Design
Simply Good Coffee
Litchfield Area Community Foundation
We had 345 youth sign up this year, and of those 58 were tweens and teens aged 11-18. Loads of reading logs were turned in throughout the summer, so much so that we had to go shopping to refill our prize stash at least three times.
This summer the library provided 47 youth programs, with an approximately 1600 people attending these events. A sample of activities we did this summer include making teacup fairy gardens, turmeric sun painting for teens, painting and art classes, and the MN Science Museum. And who can forget the Raptor Center? The library also sent home approximately 253 take-n-make crafts for kids and teens.
This year the library tried several new things. We took programming offsite. This included a monthly bilingual storytime at Memorial Park, an event at Jimmy’s Pizza, storytime at the Community Market, and a storytime and craft at Rise + Roam. We wrapped up August with a storytime at the Wreede Good Apple Orchard and a Venus flytrap escape room for teens.
We had numerous community organizations as special guests for our Friday morning storytimes: our local Farm Bureau, a representative from the local branch of Pheasants Forever, the Watercade Royalty, the Meeker County Dairy Princesses, a local USDA conservationist, and a state park naturalist.
In addition to all of this, we had wonderful online participation as followers tried to guess where in town the Good Egg had been each week. Thank you to all of the businesses and organizations who graciously assisted me as I photographed the Good Egg all around town. Meanwhile, the Bad Seed hid all around the library, and countless children spent time finding this mischievous mascot. As promised, one lucky child won the Bad Seed stuffie. We drew a name from all of the reading logs that were turned in.
It truly is a community coming together that made our 2026 Summer Reading Program such an enormous success. We cannot express our gratitude enough. Thank you again to the businesses and community organizations who donated. Whether it be tangible items or time, your support has not gone unnoticed. Thank you also to the patrons who showed up. Parents, grandparents, teens, childcare centers, and all of the kids who are excited to come to the library-you make us smile. You are the reason we work hard each day. You are the reason the library is a community hub. Thank you.
Kids’ Craft Time is a monthly program that gives children in grades K-4 an opportunity to create using a variety of craft materials provided by the library. It will be held on the 3rd Tuesday of the month, September through December, 4:30-5:30 p.m.
This is geared for school-age children; however, older and younger siblings are always welcome. Children under 8 years of age must have an adult/teen caregiver along to assist them.
Free! No need to sign up.
Dates:
Storytimes will resume on Wednesday, September 9, and run through Friday, December 11. Baby/Toddler Storytime is held on Wednesdays, 10:15-10:45 a.m., and is a simple storytime with plenty of songs and movement and no craft. Preschool Storytime is held on Fridays, 10:15-11:15 a.m., also with songs and movement, but with more stories and a craft or activity.
No need to sign up for either program. Children younger than 8 must be accompanied by an adult or teen caregiver.
No storytime on Friday, October 16, or Wednesday, November 11.
LEGO Night is an hour in which children can come and free build with the library’s LEGOs! It is meant for youth under 14, however older siblings and family members are always welcome.
Youth under 8 years of age need to have an adult or teen caregiver along.
LEGO Night is held on the 2nd Tuesday of each month from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.
