JAY — The Jay Community Center and Randi Sencabaugh hosted a  successful community night June 17. The event featured food, entertainment, and activities aimed at fostering community spirit and providing positive experiences for children.

“The event went really well. I was really happy about the turnout and the community efforts,” said Sencabaugh, who coordinated the event alongside Father Paul Dumais of the St. Rose of Lima Church in Jay. “Everybody pulled together. I asked volunteers to show up at a specific time and location with ideas. It was amazing to see how everyone contributed.”

The evening featured a variety of activities. Father Paul and his team used an outdoor wood oven to cook more than two dozen pizzas, while Sencabaugh and her team managed the snow cone, popcorn, and cotton candy machines. Children enjoyed pickup games of touch football, tag and duck–duck–goose before settling down to watch “Kung Fu Panda 4” on a large inflatable screen provided by John Moore, owner of Narrow Gauge Cinemas in Farmington.

Sencabaugh emphasized the need for such events in the area. “I see a lot working at Food City, and I don’t particularly care for most of the outcomes that I see based around the children’s attitudes,” she said. “There’s nothing around here for children, and I feel like our standards are set a little high for them to not misbehave when there’s nothing besides social media and the rut they may be stuck in because of addiction or whatever. This was to give the community and the children an opportunity to take that extra energy and put it towards something positive.”

Looking ahead, Sencabaugh expressed her hopes for the future of the community nights. “I’m hoping to plan these weekly for the summer, starting after July 3, to see what we can do to bring together the community–not just the kids, but the whole community,” she said. “The last event was aimed toward the kids because it was the end of the school year. Now, we want to involve everyone.”

The next community night is scheduled for July 3, coinciding with fireworks at the Spruce Mountain Ski area. The event is hosted by Father Paul and will include wood-fired pizza and a contra dance, but there will be no movie due to the Fourth of July events like the fireworks. Franco-American fiddler Don Roy, his wife Cindy, and caller Bill Olson will host the contra dance, a live music event featuring a fiddle, keyboard, and a caller. Participants just need to walk in time with the tunes and follow the caller’s directions.

Further details will be shared on the St. Rose of Lima Church’s Facebook page.