Kiddin' Around

10/31/2024

10/25/2024

Halloween Carnival TOMORROW! Bring the whole family by for games, activities, candy, prizes and FREE professional photos of your children or family in their Halloween costumes. All Kiddin' Around events are completely free and open to anyone. See you tomorrow to kick start your Halloween fun!

Thank you to Mandi McDougall Photography for volunteering their time and expertise for this event.

10/22/2024

Want to get the most out of your Halloween costumes? Don't miss out on our Halloween event this Saturday, October 26th from 1 to 3pm at Jefferson Lincoln Elementary School. All are welcome to this family friendly event, featuring games, candy and non-food prizes, and free professional photographs, by Mandi McDougall Photography, of your children or family all dressed up in their costumes.

10/21/2024

We are so thankful for our Police Department and the time and care they give to our community.

Come see us this Saturday for FREE professional photos of your kids or family all dressed up, games, candy, prizes and fun!

09/03/2024

Wishing everyone a very happy first day of school!

08/30/2024

Don’t miss out on this wonderful event TONIGHT. Free school supplies, and creating art with fun local artists!

Super stoked for the Paint and Strive Backpack Drive!! 5-8pm TONIGHT! We will have an array of artists demos, canvas painting, patch making, collaborative art projects, coloring pages, along with giving your kids our donated school supplies and sweet memories to start of the new year!

08/23/2024

It's a beautiful Washington Summer and we are so excited to see you all at the Pine Street Plaza today from 11am to 1pm for goody bags stuffed with treats, as well as games, activities and crafts, plus a special surprise performance! Don't let the rain scare you away, it's going to be a fun day!

08/22/2024

The 4th annual Kiddin' Around Back to School Bash is TOMORROW and we are so grateful to be partnering with so many amazing local organizations and businesses! Each of these fantastic local champions will be hosting a table with an exciting game, activity or craft for kids to enjoy. Don't miss out on this fun event for kids and families.

Thank you Wellpoint, The Hive Centralia, Mandi McDougall Photography, Centralia Ballet Academy, Centralia Timberland Library, United Way of Lewis County,
Centralia, WA Police Department, Electric Dance, Valley View Health Center, Mad Hatter Play Cafe , Health Department of Lewis County, Molina Healthcare, Blue Zones Activate Lewis County, Centralia School District 401, The Evergreen Playhouse, Girl Scouts of Western Washington for everything you do for your community.

Back to School Bash
Pine Street Plaza, Centralia
11am to 1pm

08/16/2024

The incredible is generously giving kids free haircuts during our Back to School Bash on August 23rd. This is the 4th year in a row Nate has generously donated his time and expertise for this event. We are so grateful for this community and how it supports children in Lewis County.

08/15/2024

A big thank you to Pacific Northwest Cookie Co. who donated 400 cookies for our back to school event on August 23rd. Don't miss out on these wonderful goody bags full of local passes and treats.

Back to School Bash
August 23rd
11am to 1pm
Pine Street Plaza

08/03/2024

A huge thank you to Insert Coin Centralia who have, once again, generously donated 400 $5 game cards for our Back to School Bash! Thank you for supporting children in Lewis County.

On August 23rd, kids will receive a goody bag full of treats, free passes and goodies. Insert Coin generously donates to Kiddin' around every year. We are so lucky to have them in our community.

Don't miss out! Back to School Bash, August 23rd, 11am to 1pm. Pine Street Plaza, Centralia.

08/02/2024

Thank you to everyone who came out to Dine and Dash in support of kids and families in Lewis County. We are so grateful for the community support, and to all the amazing locations who made this evening such a success.

Thank you to the Chronicle for attending and for the support!

The local non-profit Kiddin’ Around’s first ever fundraiser was hailed as a success last Thursday, July 25, as local chefs got to flex their creative muscles and participants were treated …

07/24/2024

Dine and Dash-A Chef's Night Out, is tomorrow and there are just a few tickets left. Enjoy culinary delights from top chefs in Lewis County at this unique dining experience. McMenamins Olympic Club, The Juice Box, JJ's ToGo, O'Blarney's, and The Station LC Coffee Co. have prepared delicious specialty plates available this night only.

See you all tomorrow to help support children and families in our community.

Buy your tickets at https://kiddinaround360.com

Thank you to our generous sponsor, Stuart Cavness, and to McMenamins Olympic Club, The Station LC Coffee Co., Pacific Mobile Structures, Inc., and The Juice Box. These amazing businesses are making life better in Lewis County.

07/22/2024

"Dine and Dash-A Chef's Night Out" is just days away and our last stop is The Station LC Coffee Co.. Diners will end their experience with three beautiful desserts.

Cream Puffs
Cream puffs filled with fluffy whipped cream and topped with slices of fresh strawberries and more whip.

S'more Parfait
Smooth chocolate mousse, layered with fluffy marshmallow fluff, and topped with a sprinkle of crushed Graham cracker, and toasted marshmallow.

Tiramisu
Layers of delicate ladyfinger biscuit soaked in espresso, with creamy mascarpone cheese, dusted with cocoa powder.

The Station LC Coffee Co. is a beautiful retreat in the heart of downtown Centralia. A stunning and atmospheric location, serving delicious drinks, food, and cocktails in a warm and friendly environment. This gorgeous space is the perfect place to end our evening as diners enjoy a sweet treat and vote for their favorite plate of the night.

Thank you to The Station, a generous sponsor of this exceptional event.

Don't miss out! https://kiddinaround360.com

07/20/2024

There are only a couple more days left to get some of the last remaining tickets for this special event. All proceeds go towards funding Kiddin’ Around programs such as Business Week. Visit https://kiddinaround360.com for your tickets.

Thank you to McMenamins Olympic Club, The Juice Box, O'Blarney's, JJ's ToGo, and The Station LC Coffee Co. for helping make this event so spectacular, and to our generous sponsors, Stuart Cavness, Pacific Mobile Structures, Inc., The Station, McMenamin’s Olympia Club, and the Juice Box.

See you all on Thursday July 25th!

Kiddin’ Around, a nonprofit organization founded in 2021, will host its first first Dine and Dash — Chef’s Night Out fundraising event in downtown Centralia on Thursday, July 25, …

07/19/2024

is another stop for Dine and Dash-A Chef’s Night Out. Chef Carson will be serving a chicken sandwich on a dinner roll with pimento cheese spread, butter lettuce, and pickled jalapeños.

The next dish is an everything cracker with goat cheese, basil, angostura beets, topped with a micro herb. “I took the inspiration for this dish from a Negroni and I love beets so I decided to mash them together to make something playful and fun.”

When asked what people are going to love about these plates, chef Carson said, “They’re going to love that it hits different, there’s the little nuances in it that are going to make it that much more special , much more tastier. I am showcasing some of my skills that I am able to put in the little tiny bits that just make it pop. That’s what people are going to like.”

Thank you to the Juice Box for being a generous sponsor of this event.

There are only a couple more days to buy tickets for this delicious evening. Visit the link in bio to get yours now.

07/19/2024

Another delicious stop for our "Dine and Dash-A Chef's Night Out" fundraiser is, The Juice Box. One of our board members sat down with Chef Carson Lotton to discuss the food he is preparing for the event and his history as a chef.

"What are you preparing for the fundraiser?

Chef Carson: A chicken sandwich on a dinner roll with pimento cheese spread, butter lettuce, and pickled jalapeños. That’s what my wife has been craving and I love to cook things here that she is craving and take them home to her.

The next dish is an everything cracker with goat cheese, basil, angostura beets, topped with a micro herb. I took the inspiration for this dish from a Negroni and I love beets so I decided to mash them together to make something playful and fun.

How did you get into being a chef?

Chef Carson: I got in to being a chef honestly because my friends and family pushed me into it. From doing Sunday dinners and having friends over every day of the week it seemed, my apartment turned in to a small restaurant for a time and I guess I was training myself not knowing I would actually end up doing that. I had an opportunity to go back to school and so I went to culinary school and here I am now, what, 12 years later?

Where have you worked over the past 12 years?

Chef Carson: Where have I worked? Um, some notable ones... I cut me teeth at Hill Top Kitchen in Tacoma, that was kind of an upscale Mexican place, then I moved to 6th Avenue in Tacoma at Marrow, we did updated American food, also a little more upscale. I worked as the catering chef for the Tacoma Yacht Club and then also a big place in Tacoma cooking at the Museum of Glass, the LeMay Car Museum, cooking for up to a thousand people at a time, I cooked for Artists at Marymoor Park WAMU Theatre. And uh, then covid, tried a couple of places but ended up here.

What are you most excited about for the Dine and Dash event? What are people going to love about your food?

Chef Carson: They’re going to love that it hits different, there’s the little nuances in it that are going to make it that much more special , much more tastier. I am showcasing some of my skills that I am able to put in the little tiny bits that just make it pop. That’s what people are going to like."

The Juice Box has been serving up delicious food and an exciting menu, as well as a wide range of beer, wine and cider on tap. They are also bringing regular live music, activities and events to downtown Centralia.

The Juice Box is a generous sponsor of this event.

There are only a couple more days to buy tickets for Dine and Dash. Visit https://kiddinaround360.com for your tickets today.

07/18/2024

Tickets are selling fast for our "Dine and Dash-A Chef's Night Out" fundraiser. Ticket holders for this delicious event will experience incredible food and drink by top local chefs as they enjoy a summer walk to participating locations with friends and family.

We start the evening with a cocktail hour on the gorgeous patio of McMenamins Olympic Club, ticket holders will visit The Juice Box Public House, JJ's ToGo, and O'Blarney's for a spectacular specialty plate from each. We end the night at The Station LC Coffee Co. for a delectable dessert and to vote on which plate you loved the best.

We can't wait for this toothsome evening and invite you to join us. All proceeds of this event will go towards funding the work Kiddin' Around is doing in the community, such as Business Week and Driver's Education Scholarship Program.

Thank you to our generous sponsor, Stuart Cavness, and our amazing event sponsors McMenamins Olympic Club, Pacific Mobile Structures, Inc., The Station LC Coffee Co., and The Juice Box. Thank you for everything you do for your community!

Buy your tickets now at https://kiddinaround360.com

07/17/2024

Our “Dine and Dash- A Chef's Night Out” journey begins at McMenamins Olympic Club. Join us for a cocktail hour on the beautiful patio of The Olympic Club for a signature cocktail and mouthwatering food. Crispy wantons topped with pickled daikon radish, cucumber and pickled ginger, topped with either spicy tuna, or spicy tofu, and a drizzle of wasabi mayo and sriracha mayo, topped with toasted sesame seeds. Soak up some summer sun with your party as you enjoy one of three cocktails; Oly Club Old Fashioned, Lemon Drop, or Lovely Margarita.

The Olympic Club Hotel's legend looms large. Here you'll find a historic building – filled with warm woods and period details – steeped in colorful tales of countless gamblers' jackpots, revenuer raids, dark secrets deeply buried, and a famous bandit's bravado. The Olympic Club Hotel has been a point of power, intrigue and contention since opening in 1908. Its name evokes heroic gods of ancient Herculean characters, the exploits of whom are now the stuff of modern legend.

McMenamins Olympic Club are a generous sponsor of Dine and Dash. Thank you for everything you do for your community!

We are so excited to sample what Chef Jesse and the team at the Olympic Club have prepared for us. Don't miss out on this delicious event. Buy your tickets now at https://kiddinaround360.com

08/29/2023

Thank you so much to The Chronicle for supporting community events and a huge thank you to everyone who made it to our Back to School event! We saw over 400 kids plus their families come to downtown Centralia for fun games and activities and goody bags provided by members of our incredible community.

08/29/2023

We are so grateful for Nate! Did you know this was Nate’s third year in a row offering free haircuts for kids during Kiddin’ Around’s Back to School event? What a legend!

Nates 98 Barbershop we love you!

08/25/2023

TODAY!! It's Back to School time! Come grab a goody bag while supplies last for a skating pass, donated by the Centralia Rollerdrome, a $5 game card to Insert Coin, toothbrushes and toothpast donated by Wilson & Wilson Dentistry and Dr Ash & Roberts Dentistry, a lovely cookie by The Wire Whisk Sweets & Treats, a free ice cream cone (with purchase), at Dawn's Delectables, a Hubbub buck, a bag full of fun things and fidgets from Lewis County Autism Coalition, and some treats and fun things from our sponsor, Stuart Cavness.

See you all today at W Pine Street, across from the Pine Street Plaza, from 11am to 1pm.

08/25/2023

We are overwhelmed with gratitude! There are so many people to thank on this post. Tomorrow, from 11am to 1pm, we will have free Henna Tattoos by the incredibly talented Susan, Free Face Painting by the Centralia High School Cheer Team, kids can also make their own back pack tags, pencil case, book marks, spinning tops, and Oobleck (not sure exactly what that is but it sounds exciting!). The amazing TOAD is providing giveaways and bringing props, costumes, and backdrops so that kids can dress up and have fabulous photo ops, we have balloons, activities, prizes; including free dance lessons, ways to cool off and have fun in the sun, Bobbing for Ducks by the fantastic Poseidon Aquatic Club, and more!

Meet us at W Pine Street, just across from the Pine Street Plaza, from 11am to 1pm, for a great summer send off!

08/25/2023

Yum! Thank you to The Wire Whisk Sweets & Treats for donating 400 beautiful cookies for our Back to School goody bags! The first 400 Kids at our event tomorrow will receive a goody bag full of prizes, treats, and tickets! See you tomorrow from 11am to 1pm at W Pine Street, across from the Pine Street Plaza, and throughout Downtown Centralia.

08/24/2023

Thank you so much to our friends at the Lewis County Autism Coalition for putting together these wonderful bags for our goody bags tomorrow! Kids will receive stationary, fidgets and stickers. Thank you so much for all your work in the community and for your generosity!