“Unearth A Story”
Summer Library Program
- Summer Reading is for babies/toddlers, children, teens, and adults!
- See all the events in a printable calendar! (Events subject to change.)
- Use a printed reading log or the Beanstack app.
- Earn tickets to enter into weekly and Grand Prize Drawings, when you log your reading minutes and activities you have completed.
- Activities you may complete include Family Programs, Adult Programs, Scavenger Hunts for children and families, and programs, Tween & Teen Programs, a StoryWalk® on the Library Nature Trail, writing book reviews, and so much more!
- Last day to physically turn in your paper form is THURSDAY, July 30, 2026 before 5 pm (closing.)
- Read the full details here!
Outdoor Storytimes
Tuesdays June 2 – August 25, 10:15 am
Held outside on the Children’s Patio.
In case of high temperatures or bad weather, Storytime will be held in the
Children’s Room.
Presented by Northwest Connection Family Resources.
StoryWalk® Series
Every week a different book will be posted.
Walk the trail to read alone or bring your family.
At the end of the walk please let the library know you’ve read the book by completing a short survey on Google forms.
- Over and Under the Pond by Kate Messner
- The Very Impatient Caterpillar by Ross Burach
- The Tiny Seed by Eric Carle
- What Can You Do with a Rock by Pat Zietlow Miller & Katie Kath
- What Do You Do with a Tail Like This by Steve Jenkins & Robin Page
- Once Upon a Book by Grace Lin & Kate Messner
- If I Had a Gryphon by Vikki Van sickle & Cale Atkinson
- Bowwow Powwow by Brenda J. Child
- Dinosaur Bones by Bob Barner
Family Programing
Lake Superior Zoomobile - June 11
Registration Required for 10:30 am, 11:15 am OR 12:00 pm sessions.
Register at Check-out desk or by phone 715-634-2161.
Family Entertainment
Youth/Family – Thursdays @ 10:30 am
June 11 – Lake Superior Zoomobile – Registration Required for 10:30 am, 11:15 am OR 12:00 pm sessions
June 19 – Rondini the Bubble Guy
June 25 – Mammoth Hunter
July 2 – Sarah’s Serpentarium
July 9 – Pint Size Polkas
July 16 – Isaiah the Magician
July 23 – Pam Corcoran the Puppeteer
July 30 – Dinosaur Dimensions
T-Rex Tea Party
June 26 @ 10:30 am
Families with children ages 4 – 11 are welcome to join us for a dinosaur story about manners, play games, make crafts, and enjoy “tea” wih snacks! Bag of dinosaur treats provided by Lynne Marie’s Candies. Supplies Limited to 30 children.
In Library Activities
Outdoor Scavnger Hunt:
Learn to Say it in Ojibwe
- Find the pictures of the animals on the library trail and learn how to say their names in Ojibwe along the way!
- Bring back to the front desk for a small prize.
- Forms can be obtained at the check-out desk.
- If you liked learning Ojibe, pleasae try Transparent to learn more Ojibwe or more than 100 other languages for free with a library card.
ISpy for June and July
Stop by the library to play I-Spy and see what you can “Unearth” in June and July! Find the objects listed on the provided form. Checkmark them on the form, fill in your contact information, and turn it into the front desk for a fun little prize!
Take-N-Make Kits
Kits for ages 0 to 11
Details coming soon!
Stop by the front desk for a kit!
Monthly Scavenger Hunts in the Children's Room
Stop by the library to play an indoor scavneger hunt in the children’s room. Stop by the checkout desk for the form. Complete the form and and turn it into the front desk for a fun little prize!
Check out the Scavenger Hunt in town for June and the Bioblitz in July!
Find the "Digby the Dinosaur Reading a Book"
- Let us know when you found Digby the Dinosaur holding a different colored book each week and with a number that also changes weekely..
- Digby the Dinosaur will be in a different place in the Children’s room each week and will have a different number on it and be a different color.
- Turn in the form to get a small prize!
One entry per week per child.
Scavenger Hunts
Monthly Scavenger Hunts in the Children's Room
Stop by the library to find the dinosaurs in the library in the month of June. In July find items that you need for an archeological dig and what you might find. Stop by the checkout desk for the form. Complete the form and and turn it into the front desk for a fun little prize!
Check out the Scavenger Hunts in town!
Scavenger Hunts Outside of the Library
June 8 – June 30
Dinosaur Scavenger Hunt
June 8 – 30
Join us for a scavenger hunt for images of dinosaurs on the library trail and at downtown Hayward businesses.
Posters with a dinosaurs will be on display at the business in a door or window visible from the sidewalk.
Dinosaurs will also be along the Library Nature Trail.
To participate, pick up a form at the library or you can print the form.
Submit your completed forms for a chance to win a $20 Anglers Bar and Grill Gift card by 5 pm on June 30, 2026.
Scavenger Hunts Outside of the Library
July 1 – 31
Bioblitz Scavenger Hunt
July 1 – 31
Get outside and take pictures during July of plants, insects, and animals at the Library Nature Trail, Hospital Trails, and/or Town of Hayward Recireational FOrest. Upload your photos to out iNaturalist porject for a chance to win a $10 Kiwk Trip Gift Card and a $15 Little ear Nrtition Gift Certificate. Information Session will be held June 30 at 1 pm.
Experiment Explorers – Ages 10-13
1:30 – 3:30 pm
June 1
June 22
June 29
July 13
July 27
Programs for 10 – 13-year-olds will be held on the following Mondays from 1:30-3:30 pm: June 1, June 22, June 29, July 13 and July 27.
Join us for experiments and crafts relted to the 2026 Summer Reading Porgram theme: Unearth a Story! We’ll try cookie excavation, pasta paleontology, fossil making, suncatcher and lantern making and more! Partnered with 4-H & Youth – Sawyer County Extension. Awesome science activities!
Building Crew
Mondays: June 8, June 15, July 6, July 20
1:30 – 2:30 pm
Builders will be presented with a challenge and will have 40 minutes to build
Attendees under 12 years must be accompanied by an adult.
Teens & Adult Program
Experiment Explorers – Ages 10-13
1:30 – 3:30 pm
June 1
June 22
June 29
July 13
July 27
Programs for 10 – 13-year-olds will be held on the following Mondays from 1:30-3:30 pm: June 1, June 22, June 29, July 13 and July 27.
Join us for experiments and crafts relted to the 2026 Summer Reading Porgram theme: Unearth a Story! We’ll try cookie excavation, pasta paleontology, fossil making, suncatcher and lantern making and more! Partnered with 4-H & Youth – Sawyer County Extension. Awesome science activities!
Classic Movies
Tween Time
1 pm – 2:30 pm on the following Wednesdays:
- June 17 – Life Sized Games
- July 1 – Clay Frogs
- July 9 – Choose the Activity
- July 15- Tie Dye
- July 23 – Nerf Competition
- August 5 – Cyanaotype (Sun Art)
- August a9 – Squeegee Paintings
Tween Club
1-2:30 pm on the following Wednesdays:
- June 10 – Games
- June 24 – Glass Painting
- July 8 – Tie Dye Painting
- July 22 – Cyanaotype (Sun Art)
- August 12 – Squeegee Painting
Movies
June 10 & July 8 @ 10:00 am
Free popcorn & movie!
Programs
June 1 @ 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm
July 6 @1:00 pm – 3:00 pm
Memoir Writing Group
June 2 @ 5:30 pm – 6:30 pm Craft and Conversation
Diamond Art Magnets
USA 250th Anniversary
Learn how to make a diamond art star magnet!
We will have all the supplies but feel free to bring
anything you want to add. No prior experience necessary.
Registration is required for this event, as space is limited to 15 Teen and Adult participants.
Register by calling 715-634-2161 or by stopping at the front desk. If the class is full, feel free to stop by and enjoy the conversation.
June 2 @ 10:30 AM – 12:00 PM
Join us as Margaret Winter from Mediqwest informs you in this session about how to prevent Medicare Fraud.
FREE
June 16 @ 6 pm
Meet the Author Kimberly Ann Kaylor
Join Kimberly for a discussion of her book, Yamas and Niyamas: Ancient Wisdom for the Work We Do, which connects yoga philosophy with today’s work in business, education, and community service.book Yamas and Niyamas: Ancient Wisdom for the Work We Do. This book is designed to link the ancient wisdom yoga students learn when they study to become yoga teachers with the work we do today, whether that is in a corporate setting, as a teacher, or as a community volunteer.
June 17 @ 10:30 am
Social Security for Widow/ers
presented by
Margaret Winter from Mediqwest
Come to the informational session about social security if you are a widow or widower.
June 20 @ 10:30 – 12:30 pm
Tea and Potpourri Planting
with
Grassroots Gardening Gurus
The Grassroots Garden Gurus are planting plants used in teas and potpourri mixes. Join us to help plant, enjoy some tea, and talk plants.
June 23 @ 5:30 pm
Wisconsin’s Geoheritage Talk
Presented by
Ken Bradbury
Join UW Scientist, Dr. Ken Bradbury as he describes how Wisconsin’s unique geologic setting has influenced culture and industry to make the state what it is today.
June 25 @ 6 pm
& July 23 @ 6 pm
Short Form Book Society Meeting
Open to tall!
Join a new kind of book club at the Sherman & Ruth Weiss Community Library. Our plan is to explore the power of the short form, focusing exclusively on novellas and curated sets of short stories under 200 pages. From the precision of the classics to the world-building of contemporary sci-fi, we look at how writers can do more with less. We skip the “likes and dislikes” to focus on the finer nuances of our selections.
Find the book club selection on our Book Club page!
July 7 @ 5:30 – 6:30 PM
presented by
Nancy Douglas
More information coming soon!
Registration is required for this event, as space is limited.
Register by calling 715-634-2161 or by stopping at the front desk. If the class is full, feel free to stop by and enjoy the conversation.
July 20 @ 10 am
& July 21 @ 6 pm
Unearth Your Ancestry
Presented by
Glade and Marie Nelson
- Join us for a free one-hour seminar where you’ll discover the basics of genealogyresearch.
- Learn how to trace your family tree and unlock fascinating details aboutyour ancestry.
- Seminar Outline:Introduction to GenealogyUnderstand the importance of family history and how it connects to you.
- Getting Started with FamilySearchLearn how to use this FREE resource to start building your family tree.
- Pedigree ChartA step-by-step guide to filling out your own chart.
- Helpful Video ResourcesHow-to guides on FamilySearch.
- YouTube tutorials and FamilySearch videos.
- My Family Booklet to track your findings.
- Interactive Q&A SessionHave your genealogy questions answered!
July 23 @ 6 pm
America 250: Celebrating the Land, Forests, and Waters that Sustain Us
Presented by
Dr. Mike Dombeck
Hayward Schools alum and Wisconsin Conservation Hall of Fame, Mike’s presentation will review the major conservation successes over this country’s 250-year history and challenges we face in this century. He will focus on the Chippewa & Namekagon headwaters – the ever-changing northern Wisconsin’s lands, forests and waters. He will discuss the opportunities that lie ahead and the importance of everyone’s participation and stewardship in caring for the land for future generations. This talk is in partnership with the Sawyer County Historical Society.
TBD – Late July
Fossils with Dr. Madeline Marshall
Dr. Marshall, Hayward Schools alum and Scientist, will show us how fossils form and what fossils can tell us about life in the past and today.
Programs for All Ages
Scavenger Hunt
Along the Library Trail
Learn to say it in Ojibwe
paperpie Book Fair
To Benefit the Children’s Book Collection
July 1 & 2, 2026, from 10 am to 5 pm – In the library
Online from June 8 – July 7, 2026
When you purchase books for yourself, your family, & friends, 35% of the proceeds will go to the library in the form of cash so that we can use the funds to purchase children’s books to add to our collection.
When you purchase books the library would like in the collection, you will get a dedication plate inside the book, and the chance to check out the book first!
Share the post with your friends to be entered in a drawing for a book!
Cable Natural History Museum:
Junior Naturalist and Little Programs
Junior Naturalist - grades K-6
10 – Noon
- July 10 – Beak Buddies
- July 17 – What’s the Buzz?
- July 24 – Animal Olympics
- July 31 – Nature Detectives
- August 7 – The Wetland Way
The Cable Natural History Museum’s popular Junior Naturalists program is also in Hayward! Welcoming kids entering grades K-6 for games, art, & outdoor exploration at this 2-hour drop-off program at the Library.
Meet at the Hayward Library back patio for drop-off/pick-up.
FREE, please RSVP at cablemuseum.org/events
or 715-798-3890
Find full series info at
cablemuseum.org/junior-naturalists
Your Little Naturalist - Ages 3 - 6 yrs. old
10 – 11:30 am
- July 1
- July 8
- July 22
- July 29
- August 5
Little Naturalists offers the opportunity to playfully explore our environment using our sense and imagination. This series is geared towards children ages 3-6. Adults are encouraged to stay with children and siblings are welcome.
Meet at the Hayward Library back patio for drop-off/pick-up.
FREE, please RSVP at cablemuseum.org/events
or 715-798-3890
Find full series info at
cablemuseum.org/little-naturalists
Thank you Sponsors, Partners, and Donors
Sponsors
The Read to Me and Youth Summer Reading Challenges are sponsored by the Friends of the Library in partnership with Northwest Connection Family Resources and the Hayward Library Foundation.
This year the Teen and Adult Summer Reading Challenges are sponsored by the Hayward Library Foundation.
The Beanstack app is provided by Terry & Dick Pfister.
2026 Sponsors, Partners & Donors
Partners and Donors
Apple Awards
Angler’s Bar & Grill
Cable Natural History Museum Summer Schedule
Eddy’s on Third
Great Lakes Aquarium
H & R Block – R & C Susedik, Tax & Accounting LLC
Hayward Cinema
Hayward Golf Club
Hayward Fly Fishing Company
Hayward School District
Hayward Merchantile
Hill Construction
Jack Links Aquatic & Activity Center
L & M Fleet Supply
Lake Kids
Little Bear Nutrition
Louie’s Bar and Bites
Lynne Marie’s Candies
Northwest Connection Family Resources
Wilde Gifts and Goods