During November, you’ll find the work of artist Patti Stricker on the Art Wall in the Adult Services Department at AAPLD. Patti’s colorful paintings transform simple objects– from old watering cans, to vegetables– into dramatic and eye-catching art. Patti’s love for painting began in her teens, and has been nurtured through continuing education. Her art will be displayed through the month of November. Learn a little more about this talented artist.

The Artist: Patti Stricker
Community: Lake In The Hills
Background/training: I’ve been painting since high school and have attended painting classes at McHenry County College the last six or seven years.
Preferred media: I paint in acrylic because it dries fast, and you can paint over anything you don’t like.
Preferred subject: I like to paint subjects that are usually overlooked, old, or deteriorating; produce or distorted portraits.
What do you want people to think/feel when looking at your work? I just want people to feel emotions; positive or negative, happy or sad.

If you’re a local artist interested in exhibiting your work, please submit samples of your work and contact information to social@aapld.org

AAPLD’s popular Seed Library returns on Saturday, March 1, 2025!

For our new season, we’ll offer the wide variety of flowers, vegetables, herbs and fruit you’ve come to love, plus some new surprises! An updated catalog will be posted in the coming months, for a preview of what’s to come.

One thing we’re changing: no more order forms!  Just come in, select up to 20 seed packets (1 packet per variety), and go!  You’ll see first hand what’s available, and won’t have to wonder if your seed order went through.

The Seed Library, offered in cooperation with the University of Illinois Agricultural Extension, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Illinois Master Gardeners of McHenry County, provides free seeds to local gardeners. You don’t need a library card to access seeds, nor do you have to return leftover seeds at the end of the season. To learn more, call the Adult Services desk, 847.458.6060, reach out on chat, or email info@aapld.org

We’re looking forward to a bountiful season!

This month on the Art Wall, in the Adult Services Department at AAPLD, you’ll find the work of artist Kim Anderson. A bead artist and retired law enforcement professional, Kim has turned her talents to watercolors and acrylics. Her art will be displayed through the month of October. Learn a little more about the talented artist behind the work.

The Artist: Kim Anderson
Community: Lake In The Hills
Background/training: For many years, my medium was beads, having been blessed with friendships with some of the premier artists in the Chicago bead community. Recently, I’ve been working with acrylics and watercolors, fine-tuning my style under the guidance of artist and teacher Eddwin Meyers.
Preferred media: Acrylics, watercolors and beads
Preferred subject: Flowers, and small quiet moments with lots of vibrant color and detail.
What do you want people to think/feel when looking at your work? I enjoy painting on a smaller scale, a study of the tiny details that make up the beauty, emotion and sense of a scene. I hope that viewers will come away with a greater appreciation of things normally taken for granted or wholly missed. Look, smile, and enjoy!

If you’re a local artist interested in exhibiting your work, please submit samples of your work and contact information to social@aapld.org

New York Times best-selling author Abbott Kahler, (formerly writing as Karen Abbott) is coming to the Luecht Auditorium at McHenry County College on Thursday, Nov. 14 at 7:00 p.m. for a special presentation hosted by McHenry County Libraries – Let’s All Read Together Community Reading Program. Kahler will discuss her new book, Eden Undone, an incredible true story of murder, romance and a fateful search for utopia in the Galapagos Islands.

“At the height of the Great Depression, Los Angeles oil mogul George Allan Hancock and his crew of Smithsonian scientists came upon a gruesome scene: two bodies, mummified by the searing heat on the shore of a remote Galapagos island. Using never-before-published archives, Kahler weaves a chilling, stranger-than-fiction tale worthy of Agatha Christie. Set against the backdrop of the Great Depression and the march to World War II, Eden Undone explores the universal desire to seek utopia– and lays bare the human fallibility that inevitably dooms the quest.”

In advance of the program, participating McHenry County libraries will hold discussions of Eden Undone.  Each library has copies of the book available to borrow. Algonquin’s discussion will be at Scorched Earth Brewing Company on Wed. November 6, at 7:00 p.m. Registration is required for both the book discussion and Kahler’s presentation, and both events are free. Copies of Eden Undone and some of Kahler’s previous books will be available for purchase and signing at the Nov. 14 event, courtesy of Read Between the Lynes bookstore in Woodstock.

Kahler is the author of six biographies and historical true-crime books including Sin in the Second City;  American Rose; Liar, Temptress Soldier, Spy; The Ghosts of Eden Park, and Where You End. She also hosts the podcast, Remus: The Mad Bootleg King, about legendary bootlegger, George Remus.

The McHenry County Libraries – Let’s All Read Program encourages residents to come together for a shared reading experience. Sponsoring libraries include Algonquin Area Public Library, Cary Area Public Library, Crystal Lake Public Library, Fox River Grove Memorial Library, Harvard-Diggins Library, Huntley Area Public Library, Johnsburg Library, Marengo-Union Library, McHenry Public Library, Nippersink Public Library, and Woodstock Public Library.