“Don’t worry about a thing, ’cause every little thing is gonna be alright,” sang Bob Marley’s voice as I walked into Saturday’s “Community Day” at Ohio Wesleyan University. The song seemed to reflect the atmosphere of the event as people took the time to enjoy themselves and to learn more about their community.

Canned goods to benefit the Lutheran Social Services food pantry were collected at the door. The theme of benefiting the community did not disappear once through the doors.

Many charities and organizations were present at the community expo. In addition, many businesses chose to attend the event.

As Jimmy John’s director of catering, Brian Hall, explained, the expo gave his company the chance to offer “a thank you to the community.” Jimmy John’s said “thank you” by giving away sandwiches. After 30 minutes, they’d given away more than 60 sandwiches and were working to replenish their stock.

One of the groups that was featured at the community expo was Wilderness Treks. This group of OWU students camps and hikes around the country. Group members offered visitors treats that they had prepared themselves and asked for donations in exchange. Their buckeyes were hands-down the best I’ve ever had.

Representatives of the Delaware County Democratic Party were also at the expo. Chairman Edward Helvey said that “it’s an excellent opportunity to reach out to the people that are interested in their community and we also wanted to reach out to the Ohio Wesleyan community.”

In addition to the community expo, the event included admission to a doubleheader of OWU basketball games. The YMCA also provided a chance for members of the community to play pickleball and Gaga. Pickleball is similar to tennis. Gaga involves an octagonal pit and a ball. The games seemed to be enjoyed by everyone who played. Roger Hanafin, youth, teen, and family director at the Delaware YMCA, said that he was glad the YMCA could provide some “healthy, active games for the Delaware community.”

Megan Weatherford attended the event with her family. She said that she went because she “thought it’d be fun for the kids.” Many families seemed to have had the same idea and Community Day did not fail as a source of fun for members of the community.

The event was again sponsored by the Bishop Backers, an organization of community advocates interested in sharing information about the breadth of athletics, arts and educational opportunities available at Ohio Wesleyan and in connecting potential student-volunteers, interns and employees with local organizations.