Our Daily Show Interview! Plenty of Events for Everyone at Hayner!
Get The Latest News!
Don't miss our top stories and need-to-know news everyday in your inbox.
ALTON - The Hayner Public Library District has another busy month ahead, and Executive Director Mary Cordes invites the community to join them.
“All of our programs have been filling up, which is great,” Cordes said. “We’ve had some good stuff lately.”
On Thursday, Oct. 30, 2025, kids are invited to a special Trick-or-Treating Story Time at 10 a.m. at the Alton Square Mall library. In addition to enjoying stories and crafts, kids can wear their costumes and trick-or-treat inside the library.
From 4–5 p.m. every Friday, teens are invited to the mall library for Teen Expressive Art, an hour dedicated to crafts and artistic endeavors. This Friday, Oct. 31, teens can paint a mini canvas to be hung in the TeenSpace section of the library.
November is National Novel Writing Month, and the library will support local writers by providing them with a quiet space to write from 12–4:30 p.m. every Sunday afternoon at the mall. The Writers Open House invites writers to connect and focus on writing a rough draft of a novel throughout the month of November.
At 4 p.m. on Nov. 3, 2025, teens are also invited to Comic Chaos, a new book club that focuses on comic books, graphic novels, anime and manga. Every few weeks, the teens will meet to discuss the book and choose their next selection, all of which can be found on Comics Plus, the library’s newest database.
Cordes is especially looking forward to a presentation by local author Ed Wheatley titled “From St. Louis to Cooperstown: Baseball Legends Born and Made in the Gateway City.” At 6 p.m. on Nov. 4, at the mall library, Wheatley will talk about baseball Hall of Fame legends from St. Louis.
From 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Nov. 5, State Senator Erica Harriss will offer traveling office hours at the mall library. You can meet with a representative from Harriss’s staff to talk about local issues and concerns.
Cordes shared she is “really excited” for a Nov. 5 program titled “Here Lies Lovejoy – A History of Elijah P. Lovejoy’s Life, Death, and Memorial.” From 6–7 p.m., librarians and members of the Lovejoy Memorial Board will share information about Lovejoy’s legacy at the Genealogy and Local History Library.
A special RUFF Story Time is planned for 10 a.m. on Nov. 20 at the mall featuring Koda, a therapy dog. Kids are invited to “love all over” Koda and learn more about what therapy dogs do, Cordes said.
At 6 p.m. on Nov. 20, the mall library will present John Lynn: Main Street, Illinois. Lynn, an Illinois historian, will share information about the charm and personality of Illinois towns.
From 2–3 p.m. on Nov. 23, the library will host “An Afternoon with The Riverbend Community Orchestra” in the courtyard at the mall between the library and JCPenney. Cordes noted that The Riverbend Community Orchestra is a full orchestra that draws big crowds, and she looks forward to listening to their music.
All of these programs are completely free to attend, though registration is encouraged for most of them to secure your spot. To register, call 1-800-613-3163.
For more information about Hayner Library and their upcoming events, visit their official website at HaynerLibrary.org.
More like this:
