The Bazarsky Family Foundation is throwing a free party for kids to celebrate Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. It’s happening on June 8, 2025, at Middletown High School.

The fun kicks off from 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Kids can enjoy a show by the Toe Jam Puppet Band and munch on snacks. This event is all about cheering for the program’s big win—it’s helped over 4,270 children in Newport County!

Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library is pretty cool. It gives top-notch books to kids from birth until they turn five, and parents don’t have to pay a dime.

Anna K. Downes, who handles marketing and development at the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Center, is excited about the event. She says, “We’re celebrating how Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library has touched the lives of more than 4,270 Newport County kids, putting great books right into their hands and hearts.”

The party’s happening at the Middletown High School Gym, 130 Valley Rd. And guess what? Everyone’s invited to join in on the fun

Ryan Belmore is the owner and publisher of What's Up Newp. He took over the publication in 2012 and has grown it into a three-time Rhode Island Monthly Best Local News Blog (2018, 2019, 2020). He was named LION Publishers Member of the Year in 2020 and received the Dominique Award from the Arts & Cultural Society of Newport County the same year. He has been awarded grants for investigative and community journalism, and continues to coach and mentor new local news publications nationwide. Ryan...