After a three-year hiatus, Cedar Hill Community Day returned on Aug. 13, drawing more than 1,000 people, said Jaime Jones, president of the Cedar Hill Fire Protection Auxiliary, which organized the event.
“It was fantastic,” she said. “It definitely exceeded what I had expected. It was an awesome event.”
Jones said the event was last held in 2019, and only about 100 people attended. The event wasn’t held the past two years because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
She said several changes were made to the event this year, including the location. In past years the event was held at the Big River VFW in Cedar Hill, and this year it was held at Northwest High School in Cedar Hill.
This year’s event featured carnival rides for the first time.
“We definitely had a lot more space and parking was not an issue,” Jones said. “I think the biggest downfall was that there was no shade.”
Jones said she believes the carnival was one of the reasons the event was so successful.
“(People) loved having the carnival there. I think that was the big draw this time,” she said.
Jones said the event was family friendly.
“The kids had so much fun,” she said. “You could hear them screaming on the rides.”
The event also included an ice cream truck, carnival food and craft vendors.
Admission to the festival was free, but there was a charge for the carnival rides.
Jones said Monday she did not know exactly how much money the festival raised, but she estimated that $1,000 from carnival ride ticket sales would be donated to BackStoppers, about $500 from the vendor fees would go to the Peace Pantry in Cedar Hill and about $1,500 from raffle proceeds would go into the general fund for the auxiliary for next year’s festival and other events.
Toni Teal won the raffle grand prize – a three-day and two-night stay in a Branson condominium.
Other raffle winners were Chris Terry, who won a lottery scratcher tickets basket; Ray Dowdell, who took home a gift card basket; Chris Terry, who won an Italian dinner and dessert basket; Jarrod Wilson, who won a car wash bucket; and Megan Shelton, who took home a Company B and Toasted Coffee House basket.
Jones said she hopes to hold the event again next year at Northwest High School.