In April, Verrado neighbors marked 10 years of community connections at the annual Founder’s Day Celebration. The weekend-long tradition was packed full of events and activities that included a Friday evening cocktail party, a Saturday morning run and breakfast, a block party and concert on Saturday night, and community picnic on Sunday.
Check out the video of this memorable weekend that was created by a very talented group of Verrado High School students:
Here is a recap of the fun and memories that were made:
Cocktail Party
On Friday, April 4, more than 300 well-dressed guests made a toast to community traditions and kicked off the weekend while enjoying cocktails and hors d’oeuvres.
To top off the evening, neighbors shared a fabulous cake topped with sparklers celebrating Verrado’s 10 Years.
Heritage Run & Breakfast
The next morning, on Saturday, April 5, 130 runners gathered for the inaugural Heritage Run — a 10K, 5K, and 1-mile fun run through Verrado’s new Heritage District. Afterward, everyone enjoyed a pancake breakfast hosted by the Buckeye Fire Department with help from the Buckeye Explorers and Feed My Starving Children volunteers. The morning events raised more than $1,100 which was donated to the Buckeye Fire Department and Feed My Starving Children, a non-profit organization that hand-packs and ships nutritious meals to malnourished children in nearly 70 countries around the world.
Block Party and Rick Springfield Concert
Next up was the Saturday Night Block Party where 29 performers entertained the crowd at the Resident Variety Show hosted by Anderson Institute of Music and Performing Arts. The variety show was the opener for the evening’s headline performer: rock legend Rick Springfield. About 5,000 energetic fans of all ages sang along to his greatest hits during the concert which was presented by the Verrado Assembly and Verrado’s new Victory District.
Community Picnic
The weekend of events culminated at Founder’s Park on Sunday, April 6, where family-friendly traditions and competitions were the name of the game at the Community Picnic. Residents, including canine friends, earned spirit award points by participating in DJ games and activities hosted by Verrado groups and clubs.
Bashas’ sponsored the renowned seven-hour BBQ Rib Competition in which 18 serious competitors delivered their masterpieces to judges in hopes of taking home one of the top-three trophies. In addition, the second annual Founder’s Day Chili Cook-off brought out 10 participants who shared their coveted recipes with judges and residents. The day’s festivities concluded with the Bean Bag Toss Competition where 32 teams showed off their skills, followed by the traditional all-community photo to capture all the neighbors who call Verrado home.
Founder’s Day is presented by the Verrado Assembly whose mission is to foster unique and outstanding opportunities for social and civic engagement for the community. Special thanks to all of the partners, sponsors, and volunteers who helped to make the weekend festivities a success.
To learn more about the one-of-a-kind Verrado community, visit Verrado.com or check out the event photos and join the conversation on Facebook.