The Kiwanis Club of Middletown will host its “Book Around Middletown” Cart Challenge on Saturday, March 14, in downtown Middletown to raise funds for the Butler County chapter of the Dolly Parton Imagination Library.
Teams of four are invited to decorate grocery carts with themes based on children’s books and race to complete activity stations at participating downtown businesses. The event begins at 2 p.m., with teams gathering at the Middletown Area Family YMCA parking lot to decorate carts sponsored by Meijer Middletown. Costume judging will take place from 1:45 to 2 p.m.
Teams will have two hours to visit stations at locations including White Dog Distilling Co., BMW Motorcycles of Greater Cincinnati, Gravel Road Brewing Company, Grandpa Joe’s Candy Shop, Merkle’s Tavern, New Ales Brewing, Swire Inn, and West Central Wine before returning to the YMCA for final judging and prizes.
Registration is $100 per four-person team, with proceeds supporting the Butler County chapter of the Dolly Parton Imagination Library, which mails a free book each month to children from birth to age 5 to help build early literacy skills.
The event is part of the Kiwanis Club of Middletown’s 100-year anniversary celebration in 2026, marking a century of community service focused on improving the lives of children and families.
Book Around Middletown
The Kiwanis Club of Middletown will host its “Book Around Middletown” Cart Challenge on Saturday, March 14, in downtown Middletown to raise funds for the Butler County chapter of the Dolly Parton Imagination Library.
Teams of four are invited to decorate grocery carts with themes based on children’s books and race to complete activity stations at participating downtown businesses. The event begins at 2 p.m., with teams gathering at the Middletown Area Family YMCA parking lot to decorate carts sponsored by Meijer Middletown. Costume judging will take place from 1:45 to 2 p.m.
Teams will have two hours to visit stations at locations including White Dog Distilling Co., BMW Motorcycles of Greater Cincinnati, Gravel Road Brewing Company, Grandpa Joe’s Candy Shop, Merkle’s Tavern, New Ales Brewing, Swire Inn, and West Central Wine before returning to the YMCA for final judging and prizes.
Registration is $100 per four-person team, with proceeds supporting the Butler County chapter of the Dolly Parton Imagination Library, which mails a free book each month to children from birth to age 5 to help build early literacy skills.
The event is part of the Kiwanis Club of Middletown’s 100-year anniversary celebration in 2026, marking a century of community service focused on improving the lives of children and families.
Registration for the “Book Around Middletown” Cart Challenge is open through March 13 at https://runsignup.com/Race/OH/Middletown/BookAroundMiddletownRace