In a joint effort between the Northern Lehigh Events Committee and Northern Lehigh Recreation, Victory Park played host to a Day in the Park on Saturday, with plenty of food, fun and games that benefited a great cause.

“We’re raising money for the Halloween parade, and we’re raising money for the park in general,” events committee member Russell Hallman said. “We’re going to have a stationary amphitheater hopefully next spring. That’s what Parks and Rec is here for, and that’s what we’re doing. We’ll be able to have concerts in the summer, we’ve been talking about movie nights, ways to utilize this great park again.”

Tiffany Rehrig, who also works with the committee, said that both organizations strove to expand their offerings for the fourth annual summer celebration.

“We have the candy wheel and ticket booth this year, and we have the petting zoo for the kids,” she said. “Also, this year we have the six different fire stations within the Northern Lehigh area competing for the best mac and cheese. The fire stations are going to brings samples of their mac and cheese, and people are going to be able to vote for which one they like best. Along with that, Sam Adams helped us out and they gave us products for everyone to sample.”

Kids at the park took a liking to the ticket booth, where $1 bought them 20 seconds to grab onto as many tickets as possible in the whirlwind.

Venture Farms’ miniature petting zoo drew plenty of attention as well, with children lining up to meet the rescue animals.

“The event committee asked us to come so people could see different farm animals, and see what they do,” Venture Farms’ Gail Christman said. “We have silkie chickens, Muscovy ducks, a spotted miniature donkey, an alpaca, a Lamancha goat and a miniature horse.”

Larry Everett came out to the event with his 2-year-old daughter, Savannah, though she wasn’t a big fan of every animal at the petting zoo.

“She loves the horse, but she’s scared of the alpaca. She’s always loved the goats,” Everett said,

Former Slatington native Daimon Price, along with his son Jareth, provided entertainment throughout the day, covering a catalog of hits spanning from the ’80s to the grunge era and beyond, along with some original tracks.

Though the punishing afternoon heat may have cut down attendance a bit, those who trekked down to the park enjoyed their time, all for the benefit of the community.

“We live just down the road, and we’ve gone here for the past three years in a row,” Everett said as he pet the miniature horse with his daughter. “I hope more people come out, but it’s been very nice.”