KENOSHA, Wis. — The Kenosha Public Library Foundation is preparing to hold its inaugural “Beyond the Bookshelves” Trivia Night next month, bringing together local residents, businesses, library supporters and trivia competitors for an evening designed to raise money for Kenosha Public Library programs and services.
The fundraiser is scheduled for Sept. 11, 2026, at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside Student Center Ballroom, according to a press release issued by the Kenosha Public Library Foundation.
Teams will compete in a variety of trivia categories during the event, but organizers are planning considerably more than a traditional question-and-answer competition. The evening will also feature silent and live auctions, food and beverages, surprises and an opportunity for attendees to socialize while supporting the library.
The Foundation is calling the event “Beyond the Bookshelves,” a name that also reflects its effort to highlight the many services modern public libraries provide beyond lending books.
The Kenosha Public Library offers residents access to technology and information, educational programming, literacy resources, community events and lifelong-learning opportunities. The library also maintains a “library of things” and provides passes to area museums, among other resources. Foundation money is used to strengthen those programs and enhance the experience of the thousands of people who use the library each year.
Organizers said the Trivia Night fundraiser has already attracted significant support from businesses and individuals throughout the community.
“Whether raising funds for the children’s library, landscaping for Simmons Library or this Trivia Night, the outpouring from individuals and businesses alike has been truly inspiring,” Kenosha Public Library Foundation President Suzette Jaskie said. “We are incredibly grateful to every sponsor, donor, volunteer and participant who is helping make Kenosha an attractive place to live and work by supporting the library’s foundation.”
The Foundation identified the Kloss Foundation as the event’s Nobel Sponsor and Uline as the Newberry Sponsor.
Meijer, Andy and Jane Palmen and Snap-on Corporation are serving as Booker Sponsors.
A much larger group of local businesses, organizations and individuals are participating as Storyteller Sponsors.
Those sponsors include Alia, DuMez and McTernan; Betsy Brown; Andrew and Heather Connolly; Friends of the Library; Gorman and Company; Nancy Humphrey; Lake Terrace Apartments; McTernan Wireless; Petretti Apartments; Prophet Wealth Management; Puntillo and Camilli, S.C.; John and Lucy Skalbeck; Skin RN; Bill and Betsy Stoebig; Wells Fargo; and Woodview Group.
In addition to the formally listed sponsors, the Foundation said numerous other businesses and individuals have contributed auction items, prizes, donations and other support for the inaugural fundraiser.
The support is particularly significant for the Foundation because the money it raises can be directed toward programs, improvements and services that expand what the public library is able to provide to the community.
While books, periodicals and traditional research materials remain an important part of the library’s mission, the Foundation emphasized that today’s library system serves a much broader role.
Library users can access technology and information resources that might otherwise be unavailable to them, participate in educational programming and community events, obtain literacy resources and take advantage of programs intended for people at different stages of their lives.
Museum passes and the library’s collection of nontraditional items available for borrowing are examples of how the library has expanded beyond the conventional model of shelves filled primarily with books.
The Foundation’s role is to provide additional financial support that can strengthen those offerings and help the library improve the experience of the thousands of people who walk through its doors or otherwise use its resources each year.
The September event also gives the Foundation an opportunity to bring together several different types of supporters in one place. Trivia competitors will be able to participate as teams, while attendees will have opportunities to support the organization through the auctions and other activities scheduled throughout the evening.
For the Foundation, the event is also the latest example of community fundraising that has benefited different aspects of Kenosha’s library system.
Jaskie specifically pointed to previous community support for the children’s library and landscaping at Simmons Library while describing the response to the upcoming Trivia Night.
The Foundation’s lengthy sponsorship list shows that “Beyond the Bookshelves” has already drawn participation from a broad cross-section of the Kenosha-area business and civic community before the first trivia question is even asked.
With the event being held for the first time this year, the Sept. 11 fundraiser will serve as the debut of what the Foundation has branded as a community-oriented evening built around competition, food, auctions and support for Kenosha’s public libraries.
