United Way launches Reading Under the Lights in Holmes County

West Holmes students in grades K-5 can head to 10909 State Route 39 in Millersburg at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 20, for a free Reading Under the Lights event led by United Way Wayne & Holmes Counties, West Holmes Local Schools and Holmes County Public Library. The Millersburg stop is one of five Reading Under the Lights programs planned across Wayne and Holmes counties in May, giving families a chance to read together while children take part in activities and family time built around books.

The timing matters for families trying to keep reading habits steady between the end of school and summer break. United Way has used Reading Under the Lights as a summer slide prevention effort for years, and the format is designed to make reading feel social and easy to join, not like another assignment to finish at home. In earlier years, the program stretched across six area school districts in 2023 and seven in 2024, and every attending student received free books of their choosing. That kind of built-in reward is part of why the event has kept growing.

Holmes County has been part of the program’s history from the start. A 2019 United Way funding item said Holmes County Public Library helped launch Reading Under the Lights, and the county library later hosted a related Reading Under the Stars event at the Central Library with free food, a kids’ book giveaway and a Pete the Cat meet-and-greet. The recurring formula is simple and practical: books, a welcoming setting and enough extras to keep children engaged while parents and grandparents can make a night of it.

The regional reach also gives Holmes County families options. In neighboring Wayne County, Reading Under the Lights has become a regular fixture in school districts and community partnerships, and a 2026 listing said Wooster City’s version is in its 10th year. For Holmes County, the Millersburg event offers the same easy entry point into a larger literacy effort, with no cost and no long-term commitment required. It is one more chance for local families to turn a spring evening into summer reading momentum before school lets out.