A familiar Marshalltown activity is returning to downtown, and the increasing number of participants each year indicates its growing popularity.

The fifth annual Storybook Walk, in honor of Día de los Niños/Día de los Libros (Children’s Day/Book Day) will begin on Friday, and will run through May 4. The yearly event is possible through a partnership between the Marshalltown Public Library (MPL) and the Marshalltown Central Business District (MCBD).

MCBD Promotions Committee Co-chair Alushia Fitzgerald came up with the idea of the walk in 2020 and asked Youth Librarian Joa LaVille if that would be something the library would be interested in.

According to LaVille, they wanted to give families a fun activity to do together.

“We chose to call it the Día Storybook Walk, because at the time, it was an alternative to the big Día de los Niños/Día de los Libros event we had always had in April, which was on pause [because] we were not having big crowds,” she said. “This activity is a perfect fit because the Día event has always been a celebration for all children and the importance of books and reading in their lives.”

Fitzgerald said reading has always been a big part of her life.

“I love reading,” she said. “I started young and it has stuck with me. This was a way to get more kids to read. I also wanted people to remember all of the downtown businesses and frequent them.”

The number of participating businesses has increased to 50 this year.

“Last year, we had 35, and most of them were on Main Street,” Fitzgerald said, adding there were 85 children or families who took the stroll.

She said the Walk extends beyond Main, which is nice because when people think of downtown, they primarily think of Main. Actually, downtown also encompasses State and Boone streets from Third Avenue to Third Street.

“I think a lot of people forget how many businesses are downtown,” Fitzgerald said. “It is great to see a lot of the businesses participating.”

For this year’s Walk, each participating business will have a book in a window or a door. That will give participants the choice to write down the required information – the first two words of the title – without having to go inside the business.

LaVille said they try to choose books that “go with” the businesses or organizations.

The Walk is open to anyone who wants to participate. This year, an extra reward is being offered. If someone collects 30 of the books, they will get an entry in the grand prize drawing. If someone collects all 50, they will receive an extra grand prize entry. Plus, all children who participate can choose a free book. LaVille said it is something they wanted to offer since so many businesses are participating.

“They can do the walk anytime, or even more than one day, and then just turn the hunt [sheet] into the youth desk at the library anytime we are open to choose a free book and get their grand prize tickets,” she said.

According to LaVille, the event is a nice way for families to spend time together exploring downtown Marshalltown, getting excited about books and it also gives kids practice writing on the “hunt sheet” which can be obtained at the MPL Youth Section or on the MCBD website, marshalltownmainstreet.org.

“People can do it on their own schedule, and do it all at once or in smaller increments,” she said.

Fitzgerald reflected on the growing popularity of the Storybook Walk. In 2020, it started with one book, broken up into different sections in the businesses.

“Then more businesses became interested,” she said. “They saw it was something easy for them to do for the community, and a way to encourage reading. It’s also a great way for people to see the businesses they never knew were downtown. If they are looking for something, they can get it downtown. It’s also an easy thing to do outside when the weather is getting nice, and it’s free, which is nice with this economy.”

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Contact Lana Bradstream

at 641-753-6611 ext. 210 or

lbradstream@timesrepublican.com.