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News & Events for Adults

August 2026

Last Call for Summer Library Program Rewards!

There's still time to finish strong! The Summer Library Program ends on Saturday, August 8, and that day is your final opportunity to assign tickets to prize drawings and pick up any earned coupons. Make sure to visit the Summer Reading Room to enter all your tickets before the deadline and collect your rewards. Good luck, and thank you for participating!

Yoga on the Green

Wednesday, August 5 • 6–7 pm

Join Abundant Joy Yoga & Wellness for Yoga on the Green, a lakeside community yoga experience overlooking Lac La Belle at the Oconomowoc Community Center. Donations from the class will benefit Oconomowoc Public Library.

Summer Hours

Please note the following changes to our regular hours from Memorial Day–Labor Day:

  • Monday–Thursday • 9 am–8 pm

  • Friday • 9 am–5 pm

  • Saturday • 9 am–1 pm

  • Sunday • Closed

Friends of the Oconomowoc Public Library logo.

Join the Friends of the Library!

The Friends of the Oconomowoc Public Library is a nonprofit group created to support the mission of the Oconomowoc Public Library by raising funds for the Library for special programs and purposes including Explore Passes, Loki’s care, and so much more.

Annual membership fees help support the Friends fundraising efforts and give members early access to book sales.

Join the Friends Now!

Programs & Events

Library programs, events, and activities are free and open to the public, but some may require registration. A waiting list is available if registration is full.

View the full calendar, or keep reading for this month's Adult events!

Aerial view of the Oconomowoc isthmus.

Oconomowoc Isthmus History Walk

Saturday, August 1 • 1:30–2:30 pm

Meet up at Veterans Memorial Park for a walk down memory lane. Learn about the Native Americans who lived here, the Yankee settlers who founded Oconomowoc, the families who built the architectural jewels on our lakes, and our community that has thrived for more than 150 years!

Promotional graphic for Copley featuring a detail from The Death of Major Peirson, 6 January 1781 and the subtitle The Great Awakening: Painters in America.

The Great Awakening: Painters of America

Tuesday, August 4 • 6–8 pm

Join us for the first lecture in the five-part series, The Great Awakening: Painters of America, presented by local art historian Professor Karri Fritz-Klaus of Cornerstone History Symposium.

Explore the life and work of John Singleton Copley, the leading portrait painter of colonial America and the American Revolution. Known for blending English grand portraiture with remarkable detail, Copley captured the character and ideals of a young nation. 

Upcoming lectures: 

  • September 1: Kate Minor, 

  • October 6: Winslow Homer,

  • December 1: Georgia O’Keeffe,

  • January 5, 2027: Edward Hopper

Registration is encouraged.

Register for The Great Awakening

Two people working together at a computer, with one leaning over to assist while another looks at the screen.

Assistance for Job Seekers

Thursday, August 13 • 9–11 am

Looking for your first job? We can help you get started. Learn how to find job openings, write a resume that stands out, prepare for interviews, build computer skills, explore training opportunities, and even file for Unemployment Insurance if needed. 

Register for Job Assistance

Two adults sit together on a green park bench, one with an arm around the other's shoulders, outdoors with trees in the background.

Welcome to Medicare

Thursday, August 20 • 11 am–1 pm

Join us for Waukesha County’s ADRC’s ‘Welcome to Medicare’ class. Topics covered will be the basic parts of Medicare (A, B, C, D) and how they work. Information will be provided on how to enroll, available insurance options, and the drug coverage requirement. Lower income benefit programs will also be reviewed. It is suggested that you attend one class two to three months prior to starting Medicare. Registration is required.

Register for Welcome to Medicare

Graphic promoting a blood drive, featuring a close-up of an arm donating blood while holding a squeeze device, with “BLOOD DRIVE” at top.

Red Cross Blood Drive

Friday, August 21 • 9 am–3 pm

Your heart has the power to save lives. Donate blood to support local hospitals and saves lives in our community.

Confidence and Conversation Club logo with three letter cs nested in one another and forming a speech bubble.

Confidence & Conversation Club

Tuesday, August 25 • 3:30–5 pm

Confidence & Conversation Club is an inclusive program for teens and adults of all abilities that combines light movement, reading, and guided discussion to build confidence, communication skills, and social connections in a welcoming environment.

In August, participants will explore the Power of Positivity, discussing how positive thoughts, words, and attitudes can affect ourselves and others. Activities include Turn & Talk conversations, a short video, reading time, and a guided reflection. Ages 15 & up.

Presented in partnership with Journey21. 

Registration is required.

Register for Confidence & Conversation Club

Arts & Crafts

See our entire Adult Arts & Crafts calendar

Person writing in a notebook.

Writing Group

Monday, August 3 • 6–7:45 pm
Monday, August 31 • 6–7:45 pm

Be inspired and put your own stories into words in a supportive and inclusive environment. Bring your notebook or laptop and develop your writing practice. Tea provided, and feel free to bring a snack to share.

Diamond painting.

Diamond Drop-in

Wednesday, August 5 • 12:30–2:30 pm
Wednesday, August 26 • 12:30–2:30 pm

Enjoy diamond painting fun and conversation! Bring your own project to work on or choose one provided by Library. Project design choices are first come, first served.

Pencil drawing a line.

Drawing & Doodles

Wednesday, August 5 • 6–8 pm
Thursday, August 6 • 9–11 am

Practice your drawing skills or relax with meditative doodling with step by step instructions. Registration is required.

Register for Drawing & Doodles 

A stack of colored sheets of paper.

Papercraft Party

Monday, August 10 • 6–8 pm

Looking for a cool card or bookmark idea? Come to our monthly Papercraft Party! Use our stash of high‑quality papers and supplies to design your own creations. We’ve got everything you need—but bring your own materials if you want to make something extra unique! 

Watercolor paint set and brush.

Watercolor Wonders

Wednesday, August 12 • 6–8 pm
Thursday, August 13 • 9–11 am

Learn to paint with watercolors with step-by-step instructions. This month: Butterflies.

Register for Watercolor Wonders!

Skeins of yarn, and various fiber arts tools.

Fiber Arts Circle

Thursday, August 13 • 6–8 pm
Thursday, August 27 • 6–8 pm

Bring your project and make new friends! All fiber arts are welcome–crochet, knit, cross-stitch, weaving, latch-hooking, and more!

A paintbrush and a streak of purple paint.

Canvas Creations

Wednesday, August 19 • 6–8 pm
Thursday, August 20 • 9–10:30 am

Learn to paint with acrylics with step-by-step instructions. This month: This month: Waterfalls. 

Register for Canvas Creations!

Book Clubs

Call (262) 567-2193, ext. 212 or stop by the desk if you need help obtaining your copy of the book. 

See our entire Adult Book Club calendar

"Book Club" Book Club

Thursday, August 13 • 1–2 pm

This month's book: Our Missing Hearts by Celeste Ng

Our Missing Hearts follows 12-year-old Bird Gardner, who has grown up in a future America where laws suppress dissent and target Asian American families. When he receives a mysterious message from the mother he barely remembers, Bird embarks on a journey that uncovers hidden resistance networks, lost stories, and the power of art and hope in the face of injustice. This moving novel explores family, identity, and the courage it takes to create change.

Register for "Book Club" Book Club

America 250 Book Club

Monday, August 17 • 6–7 pm

This month's book: March by Geraldine Brooks

From the author of the international bestseller Year of Wonders comes a powerful love story set against the catastrophe of the Civil War. From Louisa May Alcott's beloved classic Little Women, Brooks has taken the character of the absent father, March, and added adult resonance to portray the moral complexity of war and a marriage tested by the demands of extreme idealism.

Register for America 250 Book Club


Thriller Book Club

Monday, August 17 • 6–7 pm

This month's book: Parents Weekend by Alex Finlay

Five college freshmen go missing during Parents Weekend, triggering a high-profile search and a wave of speculation. As investigators dig deeper, hidden secrets and complicated relationships come to light.

Rambling Readers logo.

Rambling Readers

Monday, August 3 • 7–8 pm

Join us for the OPL's Rambling Readers, a new read-anything walking book club. Chat about what you're reading and get ideas for what to read next, all while walking around Fowler Lake (~2 miles).

Meet on the Library steps at 7 pm wearing comfortable walking shoes. We'll start walking toward Lac La Belle at 7:05.

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Looking for more events & programs?

See our Full Calendar!

Oconomowoc Public Library

200 W. South St, Oconomowoc WI 53066

(262) 569-2193

oconomowoclibrary.org

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