CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – F&M Bank Arena hosted 3,200 third-graders Tuesday for the Kiwanis Club of Clarksville Reading Rodeo.

For 35 years, Kiwanis Club has provided free books to students in the Clarksville-Montgomery County School System. This year, for the first time, they worked with CMCSS to gather all the district’s third-graders in one spot to hear the author talk about his career and his books, live and in-person. The book is “Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library,” and the author is Chris Grabenstein.

Kiwanis Club of Clarksville Reading Rodeo at F&M Bank Arena on Feb. 25, 2025. (Tanner Cernick)
Kiwanis Club of Clarksville Reading Rodeo at F&M Bank Arena on Feb. 25, 2025. (Tanner Cernick)
Kiwanis Club of Clarksville Reading Rodeo at F&M Bank Arena on Feb. 25, 2025. (Tanner Cernick)
Montgomery County Mayor Wes Golden and Scott Donnellan at the Kiwanis Club of Clarksville Reading Rodeo at F&M Bank Arena on Feb. 25, 2025. (Tanner Cernick)at the Kiwanis Club of Clarksville Reading Rodeo at F&M Bank Arena on Feb. 25, 2025. (Tanner Cernick)
Scott Donnellan at the Kiwanis Club of Clarksville Reading Rodeo at F&M Bank Arena on Feb. 25, 2025. (Tanner Cernick)
Kiwanis Club of Clarksville Reading Rodeo at F&M Bank Arena on Feb. 25, 2025. (Tanner Cernick)
Author Chris Grabenstein at the Kiwanis Club of Clarksville Reading Rodeo at F&M Bank Arena on Feb. 25, 2025. (Tanner Cernick)
Author Chris Grabenstein at the Kiwanis Club of Clarksville Reading Rodeo at F&M Bank Arena on Feb. 25, 2025. (Tanner Cernick)
Kiwanis Club of Clarksville Reading Rodeo at F&M Bank Arena on Feb. 25, 2025. (Tanner Cernick)
Author Chris Grabenstein at the Kiwanis Club of Clarksville Reading Rodeo at F&M Bank Arena on Feb. 25, 2025. (Tanner Cernick)
Kiwanis Club of Clarksville Reading Rodeo at F&M Bank Arena on Feb. 25, 2025. (Tanner Cernick)

When the students returned to their classrooms, a copy of the book was waiting for them. To date, about 120,000 books have been put into the hands of local students through the Reading Rodeo. These are new, high-quality books that the students can call their own.

CMCSS provided transportation, and F&M Bank Arena hosted event. The books and all the other costs were covered by the Kiwanis Club of Clarksville.

The event is called the Reading Rodeo to connect it to the big annual Kiwanis Rodeo. Through the rodeo, held every May, the Kiwanis Club raises funds to support this event and many others throughout the year.

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