CHICAGO — October and November will bring a weekly barrage of free artistic, literary and hands-on learning opportunities for adults and kids of all ages at Austin-Irving Library, 6100 W. Irving Park Road.
• For one Tuesday every month until the end of the year, parents are invited to bring their kids under 5 for "stories and games and plenty of time for open, unstructured play," according to library staff.
The play group meets at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, and again on Oct. 24, Nov. 28 and Dec. 19.
• At 6:30 p.m. Oct. 9, singer and accordionist Mazurka Wojciechowska will give a "musical introduction to Polish culture and heritage" by performing and showing "traditional Polish folk dress and artifacts."
• At 4:30 p.m. Oct. 9 and 16, the library's "Lego builders" program supplies a trove of Legos and invites kids to build as far as their imaginations permit.
• Every other Thursday in October and November will bring "story drama," when "elementary school students will use their bodies, voices and imaginations to explore beloved stories in dramatic form."
Recommended for students in third- to fifth-grades, the sessions will be held at 4:30 p.m. Oct. 5, Oct. 19, Nov. 2, Nov. 16 and Nov. 30.
• At 6:30 p.m. Oct. 23, columnist and author Bull Garlington will stop by the library to talk about his travel book "The Full English," which documents his family's trip across England and Ireland "in a desperate attempt to drink every local brew and redecorate every castle," according to his own description.
Garlington will be signing books, which will be sold at the event.
• At 6:30 p.m. Oct. 25, the library's second event honoring Polish American Heritage Month will invite kids and adults to decorate their own Polish-style hanging ornaments and garlands. Materials including felt, feathers, paper and colorful fabric will be provided.
• At 6 p.m. Oct. 30 the library will host a Halloween party for kids, featuring live music and "Halloween stories."
• The fall "story time" series for young children continues every Thursday until Dec. 10. The series includes a session for toddlers at 10:30 a.m., another for pre-schoolers at 11:15 a.m. and a "lap sit" for babies at 12:15 p.m.
