Charleston kids are tossing aside their backpacks and racing into summer break. For them, summer begins well before the calendar officially marks it on June 20.
Now, it’s time to find fun around town to cure the boredom.
The schedule isn’t too packed for the Memorial Day week, but here are a few events going on around Charleston this week:
Book Sale (Friday – Saturday)
At the Charleston Carnegie Public Library on the second floor, there will be a book sale from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Friday and from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Saturday. Books will be available for as low as 25 cents and range across various genres. There will also be audiobooks, DVDs, puzzles, music CDs, vinyl records and games for sale. The Charleston Carnegie Public Library is located at 712 Sixth St.
Farmers Market (Saturday)
At the Courthouse Square, there will be a farmers market on Saturday from 7:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. hosted by the Charleston Area Chamber of Commerce. The event will feature local vendors and live music. There will be a farmers market every Saturday until September 20. And starting June 4, there will be one every Wednesday from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. until September 24. The Courthouse Square is located at 651 Jackson Ave.
Garden Ramble (Saturday)
At the Whiteside Garden, the Douglas-Hart Foundation is bringing back the Garden Ramble. An event that took place from 1988-2013 is making a comeback this year on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Free admission into the former residence of the late Dr. Wesley Whiteside, a botany professor at EIU, will include garden tours, garden demos, garden docents, light refreshments, raffle baskets and garden vendors. Whiteside Garden is located at 8422 North County Road 1820E.
Outside of Charleston: Charleston High School Softball (Wednesday)
At Mt. Zion High School, about 50 miles northwest of Charleston, the Charleston High School softball team will play Champaign (Centennial) in the Mt. Zion regional semifinal of the IHSA Chatham (Glenwood) Sectional at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday.
If the Trojans win, they will face the winner of Mt. Zion and Urbana High School at 4:30 p.m. on Friday in Mt. Zion for the regional championship. Mt. Zion High School is located at 305 South Henderson St, Mt. Zion.
