Here are a few highlights from July & August 2026 at RDPL!
Diaper Derby
We had another fun time at our 2nd Annual Diaper Derby! We tried it on a weekend this year so that more working parents could attend, and we had moms, dads, grandparents, and friends of the babies come to cheer on their favourite little crawlers.
The fastest baby was awarded a prize of a homemade crocheted bear from our very own Karen Drok. Last year we only gave a prize to the fastest crawler, but this year we decided to give a prize to the slowest crawler too! We did not tell parents ahead of time as we didn't want to discourage them from cheering on their little movers. Our slowest baby (who was enjoying looking around at all the other babies) won a Katja stuffie. All of the contestants were given a book and a certificate of participation.
We look forward to our 3rd Annual Diaper Derby next year!
Little Sprouts Club
ReThink Red Deer and Red Deer Public Library partnered for the second year of the Little Sprouts Club! Families had a wonderful time learning all the different aspects of gardening, playing garden-themed activities, and listening to silly and sweet little stories about worms, woodland creatures, and all the ways we can take care of plants, and they can take care of us.
While we're saying goodbye to the Common Ground location near Capstone this summer, we hope that we can partner with ReThink next year at the garden's new location: JJ Gaetz House!
Bat Detector Loan Kit
Thanks to the Alberta Community Bat Program and Red Deer River Naturalists, you can borrow this complete kit and experience the hidden world of bats by using a bat detector to make ultrasonic echolocation calls audible to the human ear. Start learning about the species living right here. The kit is available to borrow for one week from May 1 to October 1. The kit contains everything you need to detect bats in your area with a Wildlife Acoustics Echometer Touch 2 Bat Detector and guides to get you started.
I borrowed the bat detector kit and ran around my park in the middle of the night. I detected some Hoary bats and some Silver-haired bats. I had never seen any in my neighbourhood before! Such a wonderful idea for a kit! - Simon
RDPL Board Retreat Road Trip!
On July 25, the Library Board hit the road for their annual retreat. Armed with each Library Board’s vision and belief statements, they visited other Boards’ libraries including Airdrie, Innisfail, Ponoka, Lacombe and Blackfalds. Here they are celebrating the Airdrie staff room shower (they also have a staff washer, dryer, dishwasher, full-sized fridge, and stove!).
Summer Reading Club: Read, Roar, Repeat!
Dinosaurs took over the library this summer, and our 'Reading Rex: Read, Roar, Repeat!' Summer Reading Club theme was a roaring success! Children enthusiastically embraced all things prehistoric, with our inflatable dinosaur becoming a favourite visitor at programs and special events. Storytimes, activities, and events were well-attended throughout the summer, with many families and preschool groups returning again and again to join the fun. Altogether, the Summer Reading Club welcomed an incredible 3,665 participants across 72 programs, including 40 branch programs and 32 outreach events. The enthusiasm of our young participants – and the many familiar faces we saw throughout July and August – made this a particularly joyful summer of reading, discovery, and community connection.
Red Hot Science: A Summer of Discovery
Our popular Red Hot Science series returned to the Dawe Branch this summer in partnership with Red Deer Polytechnic, offering six unique hands-on science programs designed to engage participants of different ages. Led by Red Deer Polytechnic instructors, each session gave participants an opportunity to explore science through experiments, activities, and discovery in a fun and welcoming environment. The programs were fully booked and very well-attended throughout the summer, demonstrating once again the strong community interest in accessible, hands-on STEM learning. We are grateful to our Red Deer Polytechnic partners for bringing their expertise, enthusiasm, and love of science to the library and helping make another season of Red Hot Science such a success.
Cozy Evenings: Creativity and Connection
Cozy Evenings continued throughout the summer at the Dawe Branch, providing a welcoming space for creativity, friendship, and mutual support. In July, participants celebrated Christmas in July with a festive activity, while August brought a relaxing and colourful mandala-making session. Many of our regular participants also joined us for the branch’s National Zucchini Day celebration, adding another opportunity to gather and have fun together. Beyond the activities themselves, Cozy Evenings continues to fill an important need for older Ukrainian community members, offering a familiar and supportive place where they can connect with one another, build friendships, share experiences, and feel a sense of belonging at the library.
Fancy Women Bike Ride: McKenzie Park Picnic Ride
Our July Fancy Women Bike Ride brought riders together for a beautiful summer ride to McKenzie Park, combining active living, community connection, and plenty of style. The well-attended ride offered a fantastic opportunity to explore Red Deer’s scenic trails and discover new ways to travel across the city by bike, followed by a relaxing picnic together at the park. With great company, beautiful surroundings, and, of course, some fabulous cycling outfits, the ride was a wonderful reminder that being active can be as much about joy, friendship, and exploring our community as it is about getting from one place to another.
Sit, Stay, Read with Katja: Summer Reading
Katja was delighted to welcome young readers back for a special summer session of Sit, Stay, Read with Katja. Throughout July, children enjoyed 13 one-on-one reading sessions, sharing 38 books with their favourite four-legged reading companion. The relaxed summer sessions gave children an opportunity to practice their reading skills in Katja’s calm and encouraging company while continuing to build confidence and a love of books outside the school year. As always, Katja was a very attentive listener and happily provided plenty of encouragement, tail wags, and companionship along the way.
Teen & Adult Summer Reading Club
This year as part of Teen SRC Bingo we hosted two events where teens got to choose a book, a book bag, and make pins to show off their reading pride! The Take-a-Book programs were a great place for readers to connect and for staff to chat with teen readers about books they were excited to read for the summer. With 26 attendees across the events and each teen left with a book they were excited about!
Teens submitted their Bingo sheets and were entered to win one of the three grand prizes, which also included a limited edition “I’m with the Banned” book bag.
We saw a huge number of Adult SRC Bingo sheets returned this year to the delight of staff! Over 80 adults participated and returned their bingo sheets to be entered for the bookish themed prizes. This was the largest amount of returned Adult SRC bingos that we’ve had!
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