Cape First Church expects thousands to attend Family Day event, demo derby

Cape First Church in Cape Girardeau is hosting its annual Family Day at 5:30 p.m. Friday at Arena Park as a free, community outreach event providing nearly 3,000 hot dogs, followed by a 12-car demolition derby in the Arena Park grandstand.

Jeff Wilson, Cape First Church staff pastor, said since the event originated, he has seen growth in attendance and participation.

Seven thousand attendees are expected Friday, along with the more than 200 church staff and volunteers, he said.

Wilson said the event began as a desire to connect with the community, to give the community a family friendly event and �something else to connect with Cape First about.�

In addition to the few thousand hot dogs the church prepares for the event, Wilson said there also would be �cases upon cases� of sodas available to attendees Friday.

New to the event this year, according to Wilson, is a petting zoo, in addition to the return of inflatables for children.

�Some of the games they switch out; they try to keep those new and fresh. And some of the family games are fairly new,� he said.

Event promoter and demolition derby coordinator Jess Short said last year�s Family Day featured 16 cars as part of the demolition derby, but he won�t know for sure how many cars will make an appearance Friday until right before the event�s kickoff.

�It�s individuals that build the cars,� Short said. �Some of the guys will have minor sponsors from local businesses, but sponsorships are very limited.�

Short said, from what he can remember, the derby portion of the event began around 2008, �so this is either our ninth or 10th year of doing these.�

Short explained that through the event�s history, it has retained the same theme: community outreach.

Participation in the event has also grown drastically over the last three to four years, Short said, �to the point where we are filling Arena Park.�

�It�s a great event for families to get out, at no cost and just have a nice night out,� he added.

As for a rain-out plan or location, Wilson said that information wouldn�t be available until Friday, and people may contact Cape First Church with any questions.

jhartwig@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3632