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| Take Our Short Survey By August 5 | Help shape the future of Stillwater Public Library! What's your favorite thing about the library? What could make it even better?
Take a few minutes to share your thoughts in our community survey. Your feedback helps guide future library programs, services, and priorities. We also share survey results and patron comments with library leaders and include them in our annual community impact reports to demonstrate the library's value and the difference it makes.
The survey takes just a few minutes to complete, and no registration is required. It closes on August 5, so don't miss your chance to have your voice heard.
Thank you for helping us make Stillwater Public Library an even better place for everyone!
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| Take Survey
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| Summer Reading Wraps Up in August |
There's still time to participate in Summer Explorers and enjoy free library programs throughout August! Browse our online Summer Catalog to see what's coming up before summer winds down.
Kids: Submit your Garden Guide reading tracker or Beanstack log by August 8 to be recognized as a Gold Star Reader and receive a second free book to keep.
Teens: Submit your book reviews by August 8 for a chance to win $50 gift cards to Candyland and Valley Bookseller, plus tickets to the Minnesota State Fair.
Adults: Submit your book reviews by August 8 for a chance to win gift cards to local businesses in our final weekly drawing.
August Highlights
Be sure to watch for our Fall Program Catalog, arriving later in August with exciting new programs, events, and great fall reading recommendations.
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| Submit Book Reviews Online
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| Heart Mountain Internment Camp | Thursday, August 20, 6-7:30 PM
Explore the history of the Heart Mountain Japanese American Internment Camp and the award-winning Heart Mountain Interpretive Center with architect Allen Rapacz.
Rapacz will examine the events following the bombing of Pearl Harbor that led to the incarceration of more than 120,000 Japanese Americans during World War II, with a focus on Heart Mountain in northwest Wyoming. During its three years of operation, more than 14,000 Japanese Americans passed through the camp, with a peak population of 10,767 people living behind barbed wire and guard towers far from their homes on the West Coast.
Today, the Heart Mountain Interpretive Center preserves the stories of those incarcerated and helps educate future generations about this important chapter in American history. Rapacz will discuss both the history of the camp and the architectural vision behind the interpretive center, which was designed to honor the experiences of those who lived there while creating a place for reflection, learning, and remembrance.
Allen Rapacz is a principal architect with Schutz Foss Architects and has more than four decades of experience leading civic, healthcare, educational, and cultural projects throughout the Northern Plains and Mountain West. During his career, he has worked on more than 2,500 projects, including the nationally recognized Heart Mountain Interpretive Center and the Mineta-Simpson Institute. His firm's work has received numerous design honors, including a National American Institute of Architects (AIA) Award.
No registration.
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| Nyckelharpa & Näcken | Monday, August 24, 6 PM
Explore the rich folklore woven into Nordic Folk Music, including legends of the Näcken, a shapeshifting spirit with the power to enchant musicians and their instruments. Once enchanted, their music held the extraordinary ability to make chairs dance and stop waterfalls. Musicians themselves could cast spells at one another, necessitating protective measures like a trollpåse hidden in their instrument.
Learn about the intriguing magic chart crafted by a Swedish musician in the mid-1800s, which connected musical keys with colors, seasons, and emotions. His fiddle and music book immigrated to Minnesota with his son in the late 1800s.
Registration is encouraged but not required. This program is funded by the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund, also known as Legacy Funding.
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Discover Great Reads by MN Authors |
Looking for your next great read? Explore our staff-selected picks by Minnesota authors, featuring compelling fiction and nonfiction from writers with connections to our state.
Just click on a book cover in the catalog to reserve a copy, or contact us at 651-275-4338 or visit the Information Desk.
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And don't miss these additional titles by Minnesota authors! Place a hold today, then join us on Tuesday, September 29, when Jennifer Eli Bowen, Andrew DeYoung, Loretta Ellsworth, and Anika Fajardo share their unique paths to publication and the experiences that shaped their books in a discussion moderated by library staff member Karen Karason.
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| Stillwater's Favorite Beach, 1930s |
On a hot August day in the early 1930s, photographer John Runk captured a familiar summer scene at Stillwater Bathing Beach. A handwritten note on the back of the photograph says it was taken on August 19, 1930. Stillwater Gazette newspaper coverage of the beach's opening, however, shows that it opened as a public beach in 1931. Whatever the exact date, the photo captures the beach at the beginning of its years as a favorite gathering place for families across the St. Croix Valley.
The photograph shows a wide stretch of sand, a roped swimming area, a diving platform, and the beach house tucked into the bluff along the east shore of the St. Croix River. It was most likely taken from the newly opened Lift Bridge.
Many people remember the spot by different names. Over the years, it was known as Stillwater Bathing Beach, Legion Beach, and later Kolliner Park.
Although the beach was located on the Wisconsin side of the St. Croix River, directly across from downtown Stillwater, it became part of Stillwater's park system in 1917. That year, the East Side Lumber Company gave the property to the City of Stillwater with the understanding that the bluffs would remain protected from commercial development and continue to be enjoyed by the public.
Turning the site into a public beach took a community effort. In the early 1930s, American Legion Post 48 raised more than $3,000 for the project, and the American Legion Auxiliary added another $500. Volunteers cleared away sawdust left behind from the lumber industry, spread fresh sand along the shoreline, and helped create a welcoming place for swimming and summer recreation.
The beach remained a popular destination for decades. By 1979, increasing traffic around the east end of the Lift Bridge, along with the growing popularity of other nearby beaches, brought its long run to an end.
This photograph is part of the John Runk Historical Photograph Collection in the St. Croix Collection Room at Stillwater Public Library. You can view it whenever the library is open. It's also preserved in Collections Online through the Minnesota Historical Society. Information for the article came from the vertical files in the St. Croix Collection Room, articles in the Minnesota Digital Newspaper Hub, and history volunteers at the library.
Whether you’re looking for information about an old photograph, an address in town, or ancestors, stop in with your Stillwater history mysteries. You can leave a written request at the information desk or visit on Wednesday mornings and afternoons when history volunteers are in the St. Croix Collection Room. You can also sign up for one-on-one genealogy help the first Tuesday of the month at 6 PM and the third Tuesday of the month at 1 PM. |
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| Valley Friendship Club The collective artwork of Valley Friendship Club members is on display in the Stillwater Public Library gallery through August. The exhibit celebrates the creativity of the organization’s artists and features artwork from its 2026 Art Camp, collaborative murals created during the 2024 Art Camp, and a variety of individual pieces selected by participating artists.
Founded in 2010, Valley Friendship Club is a Stillwater-area nonprofit that creates social and educational opportunities for children, teens, and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Today, the organization serves more than 500 members through programs that foster friendships, build life skills, encourage creativity, and strengthen community connections.
Art is an important part of that mission. Through weekly classes, collaborative projects, and creative summer camps, members explore painting, collage, filmmaking, music, theater, and other forms of artistic expression. Each piece in this exhibit offers a glimpse into the creativity and unique perspective of its artist.
The Stillwater Public Library gallery features educational exhibits and displays that encourage community engagement while creating an inviting space for library visitors. Located on the library's upper level, the gallery is open for viewing during regular library hours. | |
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| Night to Unite Tuesday, August 4, 5-8 PM
Stillwater Public Library will be at Night to Unite! This community celebration, organized by the Stillwater Police Department, brings neighbors together to connect, meet local organizations, and celebrate the community we share. Enjoy inflatables, K9 demonstrations, a dunk tank, balloon animals, and more.
Be sure to stop by the library table and create your own custom pinback button.
This event is at Washington Square Park at 815 S. Greeley Street, between W. Churchill and Abbott Street, just north of Lakeview Hospital. |
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Round Up for the Library
Throughout August, round up your grocery purchase to the nearest dollar at River Market Community Co-op to support the Stillwater Public Library Foundation. Every donation helps fund library programs, materials, and services for the community.
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