Concord Township prepares for 2024 Community Day - The News-Herald
Concord Township will be buzzing with live music, kids activities, vendors and more on Aug. 10 for its annual Community Day.
Starting with a morning breakfast and ending with a nighttime fireworks show, organizers have scheduled events throughout the day in and near the Town Hall campus, 7229 Ravenna Road. Township Recreation Director Sean Supler said that there will be “no major changes really” compared to 2023.
“It’s a great family fun event,” Supler said.
According to the township’s posted schedule, visitors can start the day with a free pancake breakfast and open house from 8 to 10:30 a.m. at the township’s Fire Station 1. The new station opened at 11599 Concord-Hambden Road last year.
A morning yoga session will be available at the nearby Town Hall gazebo from 8:30 to 9:15 a.m., presented by Concord-based Lake Yoga.
The Community Day parade will then kick off at 11:15 a.m. in the Far Hills Drive neighborhood, proceeding west along Concord-Hambden Road and south along Ravenna Road and ending just south of the Town Hall campus.
Supler said the space in the parade was still available as of Aug. 2, and that people interested in participating should reach out by Aug. 7. A form can be found by visiting concordtwp.com and clicking “More Info” under the Concord Community Day banner.
After the parade, visitors can attend the new “Mingle with the Trustees” event to meet the township’s elected leaders from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m.
The party’s main event then kicks off at 4 p.m. with food trucks, beer and wine sales, craft vendors and a raffle basket contest. Disco Express will provide music until 6:30 p.m., and Four Kings and a Queen will perform from 7-10 p.m.
Supler said that the baskets are provided by community partners, and organizers hope to have around 25 baskets. The raffle usually closes around 8:30 or 8:45 p.m., and the winners will likely be announced around 9.
Visitors who donate a pack of socks this year will receive five free raffle tickets. The township said that the socks will go to Sub Zero Mission, which serves homeless people.
Community Day’s Kids World will run from 4-8 p.m. and include a face painter, a balloon twister, Concord Alliance Church’s carnival games, inflatables, the festival’s frog jump and a DJ and karaoke.
Supler said that organizers have worked to make Community Day “more kid-friendly” this year.
“We’ve added a lot more kids programming and events and we’ve moved our kids area, Kids World area, to the main Town Hall campus where the gazebo is, so all the kids area is in one condensed spot,” he said. “So it kind of makes it a little more family-friendly and away from the music.”
The schedule also includes an animal and reptile show from Jungle Terry at 4:30 p.m. and a bubble show at 5:30.
The township’s Old Stone Schoolhouse will also be open for tours and the reveal of a story walk from 4-6 p.m., according to a township newsletter. The schoolhouse is located at 7125 Ravenna Road.
Supler said that Community Day will wrap up with a fireworks show around 10 p.m.
The township said that the schedule is subject to change. Supler said that Community Day will be held rain or shine, though events may be moved around if needed due to weather conditions.
Parking will be available in a vacant lot across from Town Hall or the Riverside School District’s maintenance building on Ravenna Road, he added.
“We put a lot of time and effort into this event, and we really would appreciate and hope that everyone would come out and support Concord and everything that we have to offer,” Supler said.