Category: Events & Activities

ANNOUNCEMENT (February 9, 2026): Cooking with Kids will be on break for the next two weeks as Deb takes off to attend to personal business and some fun things as well! Watch this spot or our social media updates on Facebook and Instagram to find out for sure when Cooking with Kids will pick up again!

REPORT (February 5, 2026): With the next two weeks being off from Cooking with Kids, our facilitator, Deb Haverkamp, wanted to be sure the cooking crew got to celebrate Valentine’s Day in Cooking with Kids style! In this session they made strawberry pizza and rice crispy treats with a heart-shaped spin. Thanks to our participants, and a big thanks to Deb Haverkamp for running this session even with the library being closed for continuing education!

REPORT (January 29, 2026): Cooking with Kids closed out the month with a full scale meal. Pan fried pork chops, country style potatoes, cream peas from scratch, and fruit salad! What a feast! Great job getting dinner on the table, crew! Thanks to our participants, and a big special thanks to our facilitator, Deb Haverkamp, for all the extra work on this one, including rounding up additional hot plates and groceries to make it happen!

REPORT (January 22, 2026): The Cooking Crew did it again! This time with homemade granola, corn salsa, and guacamole. So fresh and tasty! Great job kids! Special thanks to Deb Haverkamp for facilitating and keeping this program going!

REPORT (January 15, 2026): The Cooking with Kids crew came back with a spicy vengeance this week, but in the most delightful way possible! The crew, mostly new faces this session, took on Taco Soup and Cornbread, which are not only program favorites, but also local favorites as well. But this wasn’t just your usual Jiffy mix cornbread! Librarian, Deb Haverkamp, took the kids step-by-step through how to make thick fluffy cornbread from scratch with way less sugar and none of the preservatives! Thanks to all of our participants for joining us, and especially to our knowledgeable and dedicated facilitator, Deb!

REPORT (January 8, 2026): The Cooking with Kids crew kicked off the new year with a program classic. With more new names on the roster than returning champions and unseasonably warm weather cramping the soup-making style, our program facilitator opted for a cooking crew favorite with a burst of color and flavor by making fruit pizza! Thank you to all of our participants for joining us in this first session of the year, and special thanks to our very own Deb Haverkamp for making this the fun and educational experience this program is known for!

February Continues Past Reflections and Officially Kicks Off Team 3 with Library D&D!

Dungeons and Dragons is an interactive storytelling game in which a group of players collaborate with a lead storyteller (referred to as the Game or Dungeon Master) to navigate and explore the world, people, creatures, and scenarios that they encounter during the game. The story and action are supplemented with dice rolls to provide a sense of luck and variance commonly found in table top and board games.

Library D&D returns in February with a continuing adventure from January for Teens (Wednesday, Feb 18) and Adults (Friday, Feb 20). Team 3 is officially scheduled to kick off their first session on Saturday, February 21! Call 785-336-2377 or drop in at the desk to register and get more information.

Teens and Adults, we’re continuing your Level 5 Characters for this event. Returning players, please update your character sheets accordingly and check your character inventories! If you’re a new player or bringing a new character, please be sure to get your character portrait to Chad before your game day! Thanks!

Team 3 officially begins on Saturday February 21! We still have room in this Level 1 Entry level group! If you’ve been waiting in the wings for a new opportunity to open up, know someone who might be curious, or are freshly interested in joining us, call 785-336-2377 or e-mail Chad at cjones@senecafreelibrary.org. We’ve been having a ton of fun in our current groups and we look forward to meeting you or getting together with you again more regularly!

LIBRARY D&D in February 2026

“ONE-SHOT” GAME (TEEN)	Wednesday, February 18	3:30 P – 6:30 P
“ONE-SHOT” GAME (ADULT)	Friday, February 20	5:00 P – 8:00 P
“ONE-SHOT” GAME (Team 3)	Saturday, February 21	1:00 P – 4:00 P

PROGRAM DESCRIPTIONS:

In February:
One-Shot Game (Teen/Adult): A game experience with a clear start and end to a short storyline designed to be completed in a single gaming session (usually 2-3 hours). Premade characters will be available to choose from or characters made in our Character Building 101 session may be used. This program had enough interest to divide into Teen and Adult groups as indicated in the schedule. Dice will be available to borrow, or you may bring your own! (Just be sure to have a full 7 piece polyhedral set: d20, d12, d%, d10, D8, D6, D4, available through Amazon, select dice vendors, or your favorite gaming and hobby stores!)

Available Programs for Future Events:
Basic Intro to D&D: This program is designed for beginning players or those who have been away from the table for a while and just want a refresher course. Find out what Dungeons and Dragons is (and what it isn’t), how it’s played, and what you need to join or start your own game. Simplified premade characters will be provided to participate in a quick play demonstration. (Due to scheduling constraints, this will be a mixed Teens and Adults Group.)

Character Building 101: This is a basic introduction to character building using the D&D 2024 rules set. We will cover Ability Scores and the three primary methods of generating them, Skills and Proficiencies and how to use them, Classes, Species (formerly Races), and, most importantly, how to go from a character idea to a game-ready character sheet. This session will end in participants having a pen-and-paper 1st level character sheet that will be usable in future library events and most standard D&D groups. (Due to scheduling constraints, this will be a mixed Teens and Adults Group.)

Campaign Play (Teen/Adult Groups): A game style that follows the same group of player characters as they adventure through an on-going story (or multiple story arcs) across multiple play sessions. This game style is less ideal for those just getting started or who are eager to try a variety of character types or classes. Due to scheduling constraints, a campaign is likely to be limited to occurring once a month and will most likely take the place of the One-Shot games for the duration of the campaign.

DM Boot Camp: The dice are calling and you’ve gathered your allies, but somebody has to actually run the game! Will you answer the call to run it all? Let us help you get your footing as we go over the basics of what goes on behind the DM Screen, offer tips on how to build encounters, and suggest some “DM Does and Don’ts” that might make your games a little bit smoother and hopefully a lot more fun for you and your players. (Due to scheduling constraints, this will be a mixed Teens and Adults Group.)

Thank you for your interest in Library D&D! If you have any questions about the program or are interested in participating, feel free to contact us at 785-336-2377 or email us at librarian@senecafreelibrary.org. You can also visit with us directly at the circulation desk during regular operating hours!

We continue our partnership with the Nemaha County Food Pantry in February as we focus on Breakfast items. Dry cereal, breakfast bars, instant oatmeal, and pancake mix. Drop off your donations of breakfast items, or any other non-expired and unopened food items here at the library during our regular business hours: M-Th 9:00 AM – 7:00 PM, Fri 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM, Sat 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM. Don’t want to hassle with going to the store or guessing which brand or size to get? We collect cash donations to deliver to the Food Pantry also!

This is a service we offer the community. The Food Pantry is staffed by volunteers and is open one day a week. Rather than having to remember what day and hours they are open, you can drop your donations by the library and we will deliver them for you! We highlight different items to donate each month as a way of offering some direction and to promote awareness. When everything is needed on a regular basis, it can be helpful to have some guidance.

If you have large donations it is best to deliver them directly to the food pantry. We can help facilitate a drop off time if needed. Call us during regular business hours at 785-336-2377.

Some Important Points to Note:

* The Food Pantry is closed the second Wednesday of every month.

* Paper goods and personal hygiene products are also always needed!

* Opened and outdated products are NOT accepted at the Pantry.

Each Family receives the following items Once a Month.

• 1 breakfast item
• 4 cans of vegetables
• 1 can of beans
• 1 package of rice
• 1 pasta and sauce
• 1 jar of peanut butter
• 1 box of crackers
• 2 cans of fruit
• 1 can of tuna or chicken
• 2 cans of soup
• 1 dessert
• 1 pound of meat.

While we highlight different donation items each month here at the library, the following items are ALWAYS NEEDED:

• Paper products [toilet paper, paper towels, Kleenex]
• personal products [feminine hygiene, sanitary wipes, etc.]
• boxed cereals
• oatmeal
• pancake mix and pancake syrup
• canned vegetables
• rice
• pasta and pasta sauce
• peanut butter
• boxed crackers
• canned fruit
• canned tuna
• canned chicken
• boxed tuna and chicken helper
• canned soups
• jello and pudding mixes
• cookies
• cake mixes and frosting
• pie mix
• and more!
• They also accept laundry detergent, dish soap, shampoo, and bath soap.

You asked for it, and we’re at it again!

Trivia Night at the Library will be Friday, January 16, 2026 with doors opening at 6:00 PM for teams to setup and competition starting at 6:30 PM.

Register your team of 4-6 players any time between now and the day of the event (sooner is better to ensure we have enough teams!). The $10 per player registration fee (payable at the door or ahead of time at the circulation desk) goes towards funding programs like this and other library activities.

Snacks and non-alcoholic drinks are not just permitted, but joyfully encouraged! Collaborate with your team for the optimal coverage of essential food groups (salty, sweet, crunchy, dippy, and fizzy).

To register your team or get more information call the circulation desk at 785-336-2377.

Thread Collective Continues in February with a New Day and Time!

The Thread Collective will meet on Thursday, February 12, 6:00 PM as the group weaves its way into a new schedule for 2026! Hopefully this earlier time and different day will work better for folks who had expressed interest before.

Thread Collective is a social /educational program designed with the purpose of bringing together community members who enjoy similar craft modalities. We encourage crocheters, knitters, cross-stitchers, embroiderers, and similar thread craft creators to join us and share tips, tricks, pointers, and patterns.

For more information, call the library at 785-336-2377 or stop by the circulation desk! Have ideas or requests on how this program might better serve you or someone you know who might be interested? Let us know!