Fourteen-year-old Jacob Possinger kept an eye on his eighth batch of homemade chili bubbling in a large cast iron pot over a camping grill. He was already doing his dream job.

“I like making things,” Possinger said. “It keeps me interested; I can try different things, I can tweak different things.”

The young chef made his chili “backwoods style,” throwing in the ingredients by eye so that no two pots came out the same. He kept a line of hungry people waiting for the next pot.

Possinger was just one of over a dozen Troop 98 boy scouts who cheerfully served free food and drinks alongside their parents at the 6th annual Chestnuthill Township Community Day hosted at Chestnuthill Township Park Sunday afternoon.

Troop 98 serves free food sponsored by the township at this community day every year. Scouts handed out drinks and ice cream and ran food up to vendors.

“This is our community,” Scoutmaster Charles Droll said. “It’s what Scouting is about. It’s teaching our kids it’s important to give back to the community. This is just one way today that we can do that.”

It was a beautiful day, hot in the sunlight but pleasant underneath the large shade trees. The park was crowded, with anywhere from 600 to 1,000 people attending over the course of the afternoon, Chestnuthill Township Community Day committee chair Doug Atherton estimated.

Children got their faces painted and enjoyed a horse-drawn wagon ride through the woods. Families stopped to watch local dance groups Cartesion Dance Academy, West End Academy of Dance, and Pocono Academy of Dance perform.

On the other end of the park, performers Jeremiah Williams, Chris Eckert and Out of the Blue played live music for those who sat on hay bales in front of the stage.

Other activities included a basket raffle and a 3-on-3 basketball tournament.

Almost 60 community service groups attended, many of which offered small craft activities or toys for the children.

At one of the stands, 6th-grader Jakob Gillow sold handmade, photocopied comic books and chocolates to raise money for his private school, Summit School of the Poconos in East Stroudsburg.

Gillow loves to write and his friend Biko Henderson loves to draw, so two years ago they started their own comic book business called Supa Carrot Comix.

The students have already co-authored three comic books and are working on their fourth.

Gillow pointed to a photo of a new playset at school that he is fundraising for. He had already earned about $20.

Putting on this community day every year is a team effort, Atherton said. Ultimately, the day is about celebrating the Chestnuthill Township community.

“When I came down here, I could barely walk there were so many people,” Atherton said. “And it’s just awesome... you hear people laughing and joking and having a good time.”

The township is looking for more volunteers for next year. Anyone interested can contact the township at www.chestnuthilltwp-pa.gov.