A $20 ticket buys you an hour of silent reading at a downtown Powell bookstore this month, kit included.

Escape Into Fiction, the independent bookstore at 50 S. Liberty St., Suite 174, is hosting its second Silent Reading Night of August on Aug. 10, from 6 to 7 p.m. Attendees can bring their own book or buy one at the shop, then settle in for an hour of uninterrupted reading. The store's porch is open for seating if the weather cooperates. An RSVP is required, and the $20 fee covers what the bookstore describes as "the cost of the kit."

Owner April Rock opened Escape Into Fiction in October 2025 with the goal of making the shop a neighborhood gathering space. "We want to be a community based store so that we can host events," Rock told NBC4 in October 2025, when the store opened. The shop also hosts book clubs, charity events and a special mystery book night featuring "Vanishing Season" by Joanna Schaffhausen on Aug. 27.

Saturday, Aug. 15, brings two reasons to head downtown early. Powell Parks and Recreation is partnering with Body Alive Powell to offer a free 45-minute mat Pilates class at Village Green Park's amphitheater, 47 Hall St., starting at 8:30 a.m. Participants should bring a mat and water. Body Alive Powell, a fitness studio on West Olentangy Street that specializes in hot yoga, Pilates, barre and sculpt classes, teaches the session.

After Pilates wraps up, the Powell Chamber Farmers Market is open from 9 a.m. to noon at Liberty Plaza, 240 N. Liberty St., just a short walk north. The market runs every Saturday through Oct. 3 and features fresh produce, flowers, baked goods and other local vendors. It's organized by the Powell Chamber of Commerce.

All three venues sit within a few blocks of each other in or near downtown Powell.

August calendar at a glance

  • Monday, Aug. 10: Silent Reading Night, Escape Into Fiction, 50 S. Liberty St., Suite 174. 6–7 p.m. $20; RSVP required. Details
  • Saturday, Aug. 15: Free Pilates in the Park, Village Green Park amphitheater, 47 Hall St. 8:30 a.m. Bring a mat and water. Details
  • Saturday, Aug. 15: Bookstore Romance Day, Escape Into Fiction
  • Every Saturday through Oct. 3: Powell Chamber Farmers Market, 240 N. Liberty St. 9 a.m.–noon. Details
  • Thursday, Aug. 27: Mystery book event, "Vanishing Season" by Joanna Schaffhausen, Escape Into Fiction