The Carbondale Education Foundation’s (CEF) biggest event of the year is back for its second iteration and, according to CEF President Jamie Nims, is expected to be twice the size of last year’s event. 

“Last year, we were hopeful that we might lose just a little bit of money and see a handful of people come support (the foundation), and thankfully, we had several hundred people show up,” Nims said. “We had bought just six kegs of beer for the whole event, and we ended up going through 13 kegs last year. Thankfully neighboring bars and restaurants were supportive and helped us out with last-minute sales.”

Nims said organizers do not plan to make the same mistake this year.

“This year, we have 20 kegs of beer on reserve, ready to go,” Nims said. “We have received drink donations from El Dorado and from Woody Creek Distillers. We will have food, beer, wine, and liquor along with some really great music and some other fun games and activities happening along the way.”

The second annual event is scheduled for noon to 10 p.m., Saturday, October 17, on Carbondale’s Main Street. 

Proceeds from the event will support the local nonprofit’s mission of locally supporting the teachers who dedicate their lives to educating the region’s next generation. 

“The day is effectively a really big community celebration of all the work that our teachers and staff members are doing across Carbondale schools,” Nims said. “We will have some pretty great activities happening throughout the day, and all the teachers and staff members who work in Carbondale schools are invited as our guests of honor. They will all be given drink tickets and have raffles and prizes throughout the night that they can win.”

In addition to spending a whole day celebrating local education and businesses, the CEF is hosting different activities throughout the day for all ages. As the event kicks off, students will perform, along with a cornhole tournament and a kids zone.

As the night continues, more musical acts will perform, and the event will shift into adult-centric activities, with games like hammerschlagen and steinholding. 

For more information about the event or the foundation, visit carbondaleeducationfoundation.org.