Decatur County Releases Annual Calendar of Signature Community Events

Decatur County’s community calendar now serves as the central reference for residents and visitors planning to attend the county’s signature annual events. The county-maintained schedule lists recurring dates, brief descriptions, and contact pointers for organizers, consolidating information on festivals, holiday programs, fairs, and fundraisers that sustain local civic and nonprofit activity.

Among the highlighted events, the World’s Largest Raccoon Hunt is staged at the Decatur County Fairgrounds each April, with proceeds benefiting St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. The Big Squeeze takes place countywide on the Friday before July 4 and operates as a lemonade-stand-style fundraiser that channels support to veterans. Dancing with the Decatur County Stars is listed as a charitable event backing the Carl Perkins Center. Additional fairs and seasonal programs attract local civic groups and volunteer coordinators who rely on these recurring events for revenue and community engagement.

The calendar’s role extends beyond scheduling. For local nonprofits and small businesses, these events represent predictable periodic boosts in activity. Annual draws generate visitor spending on food, fuel, temporary lodging and vendor purchases, and they concentrate volunteer labor that substitutes for paid services. For civic groups dependent on event proceeds, that predictable cadence of income underwrites program planning and service delivery across the year.

From a policy perspective, maintaining a single, accessible calendar reduces friction in permitting, marketing and volunteer recruitment. Clear recurring dates allow county departments to coordinate public safety, sanitation and fairground maintenance more efficiently. They also make it easier for local businesses to plan staffing and inventory around high-traffic weekends. Over the long term, sustained event programming supports a modest but steady local tourism pipeline that helps diversify revenue away from property and sales taxes alone.

Practical information for residents and organizers is centralized in the county’s event page, which provides recurring dates, descriptions and contact pointers for each event. Organizers seeking to add or update entries are directed to use those contact channels so the calendar reflects the current season’s schedule.

As Decatur County moves into the new year, the calendar offers a planning backbone for community groups, civic leaders and small businesses. By keeping the event schedule visible and consistent, the county improves the predictability of fundraising streams and the economic spillovers that support local services and nonprofits.