Follow the Donut Trail

Butler County invites you to “Find, Travel, Devour” on its sweet new Donut Trail. Download a passport and map of the top, local donut shops in Butler County offering a mouth-watering list of unique flavors: Fruity Pebbles, Cheesecake, Maple Bacon, German Chocolate, Orange Juice, S’mores and more. Take a self-guided tour at your own pace. Once your passport is filled, turn it in to the Butler County Visitors Bureau for a t-shirt reward. On the list of top sweet shops is West Chester’s Stan the Donut Man, 7967 Cincinnati-Dayton Road. Crush your donut craving at this local favorite sweet shop, which is open seven days a week. Get there early for the best pick of apple fritters, blueberry cake donuts and classic glazed twists. GetToTheBC.com

Welling & Co. Jewelers’ Grand Opening Celebration - March 24

Mark your calendar to save the date for the grand opening celebration at Welling & Co. Jewelers’ new location in Olde West Chester. On Thursday, March 24 from 4-8 p.m., the public is invited to browse the newly remodeled gallery of fine and fashion jewelry, featuring the brilliant and patented Crisscut diamonds crafted by Christopher Designs. Enjoy appetizers catered by Vonderhaar’s as you explore the new space. Everything in the store is 25% off: in-stock items only, not available on loose diamonds. Find the pieces that speak to you at Welling & Co. Jewelers, 8992 Cincinnati-Dayton Road, West Chester. WellingsJewelers.com

Nature Center Expansion at YMCA Camp Campbell Gard

YMCA Camp Campbell Gard, part of the Great Miami Valley YMCA, recently received a $40,000 matching grant for a Nature Center expansion. YMCA Camp Campbell Gard offers outdoor educational programming each Spring and Fall. Based on Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), YMCA Camp Campbell Gard teaches nearly 1,800 Tri-State elementary school students each year. The grant will lengthen the educational season and widen the student audience by offering indoor, Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)-compliant facilities to display their twenty small animals for a hands-on learning experience in plant and animal science. Renderings include two classroom spaces in the new Nature Center to be built on Main Camp. The grant comes from a national, private family foundation. The Great Miami Valley YMCA serves more than 7,000 local children and families annually. CCGYMCA.org

Ohio’s First AC Hotel by Marriott Now Open

With 127 modern guest rooms, three guest suites, an indoor pool, outdoor terraces and a state of the art fitness center, AC Hotels by Marriott opened in Liberty Center at the end of January. Only the sixth location in the U.S., AC Hotels is geared to the modern business traveler, boasting Spanish roots and a European soul. Founder and President Antonio Catalan proudly views AC Hotels as an escape and oasis from the mundane, based on his childhood experiences as a helper to his inn-owning parents in Navarre, Spain. The AC Kitchen offers a daily European Continental breakfast, available to the public for a small charge. The AC Lounge is a lobby meeting space by day and a social center by night, complete with tapas-style fare and cocktails. An additional five meeting rooms are also available. Book your business or pleasure experience at AC Hotel Cincinnati North/West Chester. Marriott.com

Gracetree Offers Yoga Therapy Program: Svastha Yoga of Krishnamacharya

Gracetree Yoga & Growth Studio is one of only two U.S. locations selected to offer a special course of study led by Dr. Ganesh Mohan, Sharon Byrnes, Dr. Geraldine Wu and Pooja Malhotra. The professional 300-hour program on yoga therapy teaches the most effective aspects of traditional yoga and ayurveda combined with modern medicine. Designed especially for yoga teachers and advanced practitioners, the program is the first in a seven-module program with a flexible structure. Each module aims to help students immediately begin applying what they have learned. Module 1 is scheduled for April 1-5. Register by March 25 for the early-bird rate. See a full list of course details online. gracetreestudio.com

Save the Date for The Shamrock Shuffle - March 19

Dress in your green running gear for the annual Shamrock Shuffle, hosted by The Community Foundation of West Chester/Liberty. Start the family-friendly day with kegs and eggs at a pre-race community block party on The Square at Union Centre. Run in a spirited 5K or 10K race, complete with chip timing for the competitors among us who don’t need to rely on the luck of the Irish to cross the finish line. A second, Family 5K with a later start time is offered again this year after its successful debut in 2015. Children and strollers are welcome. There’s even a miniature one-lap race for the youngest runners, the Leprechaun Lap and Obstacle Course. T-shirts will be given to all those who pre-register. Last year, this popular community event attracted more than 4,500 participants and raised more than $70,000 to benefit a variety of local charities, including scholarship foundations, cancer research and high school programs. TheShamrockShuffle.com

Union Elementary Collects Canned Goods for Reach Out Lakota

To celebrate being “100 Days Smarter,” Union Elementary challenged each of its 25 classrooms to bring in 100 items to donate to Reach Out Lakota. In a four-day food drive, Union’s students exceeded their goal with a collection of 4,019 foods—the biggest donation the school has ever made to the local food pantry. Terri Vincent’s fourth grade classroom won the school-wide competition with 397 donated items. This is the second year for the canned good collection. Reach Out Lakota provides a food and clothing pantry for qualifying residents in West Chester and Liberty Township. The non-profit organization distributes more than 18,000 pounds of food on average each month, as well as 4,000 pounds of personal care items. The public can make donations at 6561 Station Road, West Chester. LakotaOnline.com ReachOutLakota.org

Ukulele Prizes Go to Lakota High School Students

A ukulele prize will go home with lucky students from both Lakota high school After Prom parties this spring. The “Ukulele Prom Prize” features a FLEA brand ukulele with accessories to make it easy to play right out of the box. Prize winners are selected by a drawing at the safe, all-night After Prom parties where students enjoy themed activity rooms, food and entertainment.

The 2016 prom season marks the fifth consecutive year TIDE Dry Cleaners in Liberty Township sponsors ukulele prizes at both Lakota East and West high school After Prom events. Prom committees count on many area businesses to donate products, services and funding for a successful event.

Liberty Township resident Greg Huntington of True Joy Acoustics developed the teen-appealing prize in 2012. It was a natural extension to his business, and expanded beyond the company’s core mission: donating ukuleles to music therapy at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. Contact Huntington to learn more about this unique and beloved instrument, sponsor a prom prize or donate a “uke” to music therapy programs. TrueJoyAcoustics.com

Share Your News Here

Do you have news to share with your West Chester and Liberty Township neighbors? Contact Tera Michelson, Editor, West Chester & Liberty Lifestyle. Tera.Michelson@LifestylePubs.com WestChesterandLibertyLifestyle.com