15,000 people are expected to attend Celebrate Youth event in Rexburg

When the annual event first started fifteen years ago, the attendance was not even close to the thousands of people that are expected to show up Tuesday.

“A couple of hundred is what it started out as,” says communication coordinator for Madison School District and Madison Cares, Jessica Goudy.

Fifteen years later, the back to school party has an expected attendance of 15,000 people.

“Aside from the main factor that everything is free here, it gives people the opportunity to come, kind of one last hoorah before school starts,” says Goudy.

Madison School District and Madison Cares have over 100 partners and sponsors from around the community who volunteer their resources and time to make the youth-focused event the joyful experience it is today.

“Let them know that they have an entire community here that is coming out and supporting them, that is cheering for them,” says Goudy.

Aside from the twenty-two carnival games, raffles, train rides, giant slip n slide, music, and activities, the event also gives the youth an opportunity to receive good advice for the upcoming school year.

“We get to talk to them about safety to talk to them about to be good citizen’s,” says Rexburg Police Department’s, LT. Colin Erickson.

For the youth, the event reminds them to enjoy being young.

“It kinda like helps to raise morale a little like get us more excited to be at the stage of life that we are,” says Madison High School senior, Sarah.

But does the event make the youth excited to start school next week?

“A little bit, I’m excited for school in general,” says Sarah.