Library's 'lunchtime series' makes it more than a meal

For many years, Vernon Area Library's popular "Lunch and Learn" and "Senior Series" provided educational opportunities to lifelong learners. The meeting room would regularly fill with adults, mostly retirees, to enjoy an hour-long daytime program. Now, the library has expanded the concept, taking it online for all at-home adults. Virtual tours, expert speakers and live performers cover a variety of cultural and historical topics during the midday enrichment sessions.

The reinvented "Lunchtime Series" kicked off in September with "I Feel Good! Hits of the '60s," an hour of music and storytelling. The programs continue in October with:

They Shall Be Counted, an Illinois Holocaust Museum educator provides an in-depth look at the poignant artwork created by Erich Lichtblau-Leskly while he was imprisoned within the Theresienstadt Ghetto - on October 5;

Autumn Desserts with Chef Maddox, including step-by-step instructions for making seasonal sweets - on October 14; and

Virtual Tour of New York City's Tenement Museum, revealing the daily life of immigrants between the 1860s and 1930s - on October 27.

November's roster includes a look at the storied life of multi-talented entertainer Danny Kaye on the 9th and an art and architecture tour of Paris's Notre Dame Cathedral on the 19th. The series continues this winter.

"We hope the Lunchtime Series provides the familiarity of past programs to those who attended and is appealing to all at-home viewers who are interested in timely topics and topnotch speakers and entertainers," said Roz Topolski, the library's adult programs coordinator.

All programs begin at 1 p.m., are free, open to the public and take place online. Registration is required. To view upcoming events and register, visit calendar.vapld.info or call 224-543-1485.