Gardening Series

April 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 & May 6

The Master Gardeners from Iowa State University Extension and Outreach are back for a six-part gardening series to share what's new with gardening, how to keep bees, and the Cedar Valley Monarch Zones Project. Age group: Adults

April 1 | 6 pm - 7 pm

Steven Eilers: It’s a Heatwave! Gardening in Heat and Drought

April 8 | 6 pm - 7 pm

Gaylord Stauffer: Seasonal Changes, Colors, Shapes & Sizes in the Garden

April 15 | 6 pm - 7 pm

Margaret Empie and Steve Carignan: Plants vs Weeds and How to Tell the Difference

April 22 | 6 pm - 7 pm

Tony Varda: Keeping Bees and Raising Honey

April 29 | 6 pm - 7 pm

Paul Kammerdiner: The Cedar Valley Monarch Zones Project

May 6 | 6 pm - 7 pm

Heidi Tietz-DeSilva: What’s New in the Greenhouse for 2024

Investment Seminar with Mike Finley

Wednesdays from April 3 - May 22

5:30 pm - 7:00 pm

Let Mike Finley, aka "The Crazy Man in the Pink Wig", help you build a better relationship with your money by attending this 8-week seminar dedicated to investing and managing your investments. Whether you're a seasoned or novice investor, this seminar will teach you how to make your money work for you.

Feel free to join any session either in person or virtually. To access the virtual session, simply click here.

Design Your Life: A Program for Seniors

April 9 | 10 am - 11 am | Conference Room

Healthcare disparities in Dementia with

Dr. Elaine Eshbaugh

Nearly 90% of seniors want to stay in their own homes as they age. Join us for this educational series to learn new and innovative ways to help you age in place.

Presented by Fortified for Life and the Waterloo Public Library.

For more information contact Jake Bates at 319-260-4267.

Lace-Up Your Skates

April 12 | 2 pm - 3 pm | Young Arena

WPL and Young Arena have teamed up once again to bring children grades 1-5 skating, crafting, and snacking on a no-school day in Waterloo! Registered children will receive a free skate rental and 1 hour of ice time, take part in an icy-themed craft, and enjoy a pre-packaged snack.

Registration is required by April 11. Limited to 50 participants. Please register here.

Children must be accompanied at the event by a responsible adult. No drop-offs, please.

Age group: Grades 1-5

Second Breakfast

April 13 | 11 am - 12 pm | Conference Room

In collaboration with the Black Hawk Children's Theater's production of THE HOBBIT, we will be holding an opening weekend celebration of all things Middle Earth! Enjoy crafting stations where you'll be able to make your own Hobbit-themed journal, Hobbit origami, and more! Play games like Pin the Ring on Bilbo and Mt. Doom ring toss. Everyone in attendance will have the chance to win a pair of tickets to the BHCT production of THE HOBBIT.

Age group: Families

Cut Flower Garden: Seed Starting Workshop

April 18 | 4:30 pm - 5:30 pm or 6:30 pm - 7:30 pm

Join flower enthusiast Miranda for this seed starting workshop with a focus on growing beautiful cut flowers for your home garden. Begin with making ziplock green houses and biodegradable seed starting pots that will be filled with Zinnias, Teddy Bear Sunflowers, Globe Amaranth, and Cosmos, a combination sure to attract pollinators and look fantastic in a vase or bouquet! Seeds and other supplies are provided, and participants will be sent home with a care guide for each flower.

This year we're offering two sessions of this program: 4:30pm-5:30pm AND 6:30pm-7:30pm. To make sure everyone who wants to participate gets the chance to, you may only register for one of the sessions. Registration is required. To register, click on the desired timeslot above.

Writing What's Around Us:

An Earth Day Poetry Workshop

April 22 | 2 pm - 4 pm | Conference Room

In honor of both Earth Day and National Poetry Month in April, WPL is hosting a nature-inspired poetry workshop! We'll briefly meet at the library to discuss nature poetry before heading to the Riverloop, where we'll start with some guided writing exercises and finish with free writing time. Everyone will be invited to share their poetry at the end of the workshop, but it is not mandatory. Registration is required. Please register here.



Storytime with Maizie Mermaid

April 27 | 10:30 am - 11 am | Storytime Corner

Join us for a very special storytime with Maizie Mermaid! Enjoy a mermaid-themed story, learn how to dance like a mermaid, and color a Maizie Mermaid coloring page. Kids will even have a chance to have their picture taken with Maizie at the end of the program! Age group: Birth-Kindergarten



TEEN Hive Night: Seed Bombs

 April 4 | 4 pm - 5 pm | The Hive

Get your garden on in an epic explosive way - we're making seed bombs in the Hive using colored paper and seeds indigenous to Iowa!

Registration is required. Please register here.

Age group: Teens

Teen Manga Club!

April 10 | 4 pm - 5 pm | Teen Department

We're hosting a Manga club for teens! We'll talk about our favorite series, favorite characters, and enjoy some fun treats, including snacks from a monthly Snack Box subscription. Don't see a series in our collection that you think we should have? We'll also talk about making suggestions for what the library should order so others can check them out and enjoy! Whether you're a seasoned reader or new to Manga, we've saved a spot for you!

Age group: Teens

Board Game Night

April 23 | 5 pm - 7:30 pm | Conference Room



In collaboration with Friendly Meeple, the WPL is hosting Board Game Night! We'll be playing games from Friendly Meeple's personal library of 400+ board games, as well as the games in our collection available for checkout. This event is free and open to anyone wanting to get their game on!

Age group: Adults