Hayner Library Offers Summer Programs for Readers, Dancers, Caregivers and More

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ALTON - The Hayner Public Library District has a busy summer ahead.

Executive Director Mary Cordes expressed her excitement to offer all the great activities, programs and more fun that the library has planned through July and August. She encourages people to come out and enjoy all the free events.

“We’ve got a lot of people who are using us and just doing a lot of different things,” she said. “What I love about our staff is, it’s like, you know what, let’s just try it. Just try something new, and if it works, great, and if it doesn't, we’ll try something else different. We’ve come up with some good programs that way.”

At 6 p.m. on Tuesday, July 8, 2025, at Hayner Library’s Alton Square Mall location, community members are invited to the bimonthly X’s and Sews: A Crafting Program event. Cordes said this “perennially popular” event allows crafters to work on their projects while chatting with other artists from around the area.

At 6 p.m. on Wednesday, July 9 and Aug. 13, 2025, you can enjoy the final two Family Line Dancing classes at the Alton Square Mall performance room. Michael Wooten from Effervescent Studios will teach line dancing for ages 10 and up.

At 6 p.m. on Thursday, July 17, the Alzheimer’s Association will stop by the Alton Square Mall library for a conversation titled “Understanding Alzheimer’s and Dementia.” Cordes noted that these sessions are important for community members who are experiencing dementia or acting as a caregiver.

“Along with the programs that we like to have that are fun for the family and entertaining, we also have programs that are more impactful and meaningful to our patrons, and this is one of them,” she said. “These are workshops that are for people who are experiencing dementia and also their family members and their caregivers, because this is a pretty stressful situation to be in. It’s nice to be able to offer a program to patrons to let them know the services and programs and the support that’s there, and then also meet new people who are also going through the same thing because you aren’t the only one going through this and it’s helpful to kind of create your own care network.”

The Summer Reading Retreat will follow on July 18, 2025, at the Alton Square Mall location. From 6–7:30 p.m., attendees can make a craft, enjoy a snack, read and chat. Cordes pointed out that these quarterly reading retreats are a great way to build your community.

From 6–6:45 p.m. on Aug. 12, 2025, community members can stop by Alton Square Mall for “The Do’s and Don’ts of Travel with Judy Rynders,” a local travel agent who will share information about how to stay safe, what important documents you need, how to navigate travel discounts and more. Cordes shared that travel books are some of the most popular resources the library offers, so she was eager to create a program for local travelers.

“This is what our patrons want and we have this resource in our community, so we contacted Judy,” Cordes explained. “There’s just a lot of things people are going to have questions about. We thought it would be good to have her in to talk.”

While all of these events are free to the community, registration is encouraged. You can register by calling 1-800-613-3163.

The Hayner Public Library District has several other programs and activities scheduled for the remainder of the summer. For more information about Hayner, including a calendar of upcoming events, visit their official website at HaynerLibrary.org.

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