One thing you will not find the Abilene Public Library short in, it's great programming for the community throughout the summer months. We've got great events for all ages to take advantage of and all are completely free to be a part of.

From crafting sessions to movie days, STEAM activities to learning workshops for adults, live productions to visits from the Abilene Zoo and their animal ambassadors, our days will be filled with family-friendly activities for you to engage in.

Below you will find a sampling of the types of events that will be hosted throughout the summer, but feel free to print our activity guide below for a full look at our summer events.

Print 2023 Summer Events Guide

Art in the Park Series

A popular activity for youth and families, we'll be conducting our summer Art in the Park series. Hosted at Red Bud Park, across from the playground, youth of all ages will have the opportunity to engage in hands-on art activities. In the past we've hosted pendulum painting, sand art, tie-dye creations, slime, etc., and we'll have more fun art projects to engage in. Sessions last 45-minutes to an hour and all materials are supplied by library staff. It's a great way to have fun outdoors with your library.

Art Exploration Series

Your library will be partnering with the National Center for Children's Illustrated Literature (aka NCCIL) to host fun programming on the second Tuesday afternoons of each month after the Children's Art & Literacy Festival. This series will focus on Art Exploration where youth will get hands-on in a host of at activities inspired by children's literature. All materials will be supplied for this interactive series for local youth.

CALF Time Series

After the Children's Art & Literacy Festival (aka CALF) has ended, your library will conduct regular storytimes that focus on sharing the stories of those authors/illustrators who have been honored at past annual events. Your library will be creating a special CALF Collection where the books of all CALF honorees will be located to highlight the works of these wonderful creators. Come out to enjoy stories, songs, at each event.

Interactive Puppet Shows

On hiatus since the pandemic of 2020, library staff will bring back our summer puppet show for youth of all ages. We'll create a wonderful show filled with stories adapted from the featured theme of the summer, and incorporating multiple staff who will bring those stories to life through puppetry. This show will be conducted four times throughout the summer with each branch library hosting a session, as well as the NCCIL.

Young Audiences Series

Brought to you by the Abilene Cultural Affairs Council, the Main Library will serve as host to a series of live performances designed for youth of all ages. With two sessions hosted on each day of this series, this program fills the auditorium with youth to engage in a live production that gets youth involved in the storytelling process, while teaching them at the same time.

Crafting Sessions for All Ages

Multiple craft sessions will be hosted throughout the summer and across all library branches. With sessions for youth, teens, and adults, we'll supply all the materials and instruction needed to have participants engaged in creating some incredible projects. 

Abilene Zoo Summer Series

Each branch library will welcome the Abilene Zoo to come for a visit, along with their animal ambassadors, to teach youth about some of the wonderful animals who live at the zoo. It's a popular series for youth to attend who love animals, and a great way to interact with both staff and animals while inside the library. 

Various Gaming Series

If you enjoy gaming, we've got you covered at your library. We have several gaming sessions that are open for various ages to engage in on a regular basis.  Such includes a weekly family gaming series to play traditional games, a weekly Pokemon Meetup session for all ages, a weekly teen and adult Dungeons & Dragons Club meetup, a chees club meetup for all ages, and more. Come engage in these social events with others who enjoy the same type of gaming as you.

Big Country Master Gardeners Series

Volunteers from this organization will continue their monthly sessions at the library to teach the community on various topics on landscaping and gardening for our part of Texas. Designed for adults, each session brings out a great audience interested in learning from these presentations, and we'll have them ready for you to take advantage of throughout the summer as well.

Movie Sessions for All

Everyone loves movies and we'll be hosting regular movie sessions for the community to attend. From family movies to the latest blockbusters, these sessions are great at offering you a chance to leave your house to attend a movie and not have to worry about breaking the bank in the process. You're free to bring your own snacks and drinks to enjoy while inside the room the movie is being played so don't miss your chance to attend a session (or several) this summer.

STEAM Series for Youth

Regular educational sessions will be hosted across all library branches in this popular series designed to strengthen the critical thinking skills of youth. Activities will include those that will have youth delving more into the subjects of science, technology, engineering, the arts, and math as a means to help youth avoid the summer slide while on summer vacation. Materials and light instructions are provided at each session to help get youth started.