The Grand Pacer Marching Band performs Friday during Pacer Fest.
Glenn Battishill | The Gazette
Hayes High School senior athletes tear through a banner Friday during Fall Pacer Fest at Cornell Stadium. The event celebrated the district’s fall sports teams from Hayes and Dempsey Middle School.
Glenn Battishill | The Gazette
Hayes High School cheerleaders and elementary students that participated in Cheer Camp perform Friday during Pacer Fest. Organizers said they did not have an exact figure but estimated the event was attended by more than 1,000 people.
Glenn Battishill | The Gazette
The Pacer Spirit Committee held its second annual Fall Pacer Fest Friday and kicked off the upcoming high school sports season with a pep rally.
The event at Cornell Stadium was the fourth of its kind and featured performances from the Grand Pacer Marching Band and Hayes High School cheerleaders before an introduction and briefing about all of the teams that will compete this season.
Hayes junior Mia Saksa, one of the leaders of the committee and organizers of the event, said Monday that the event exceeded her expectations.
“Pacer Fest went better than we could have imagined,” Saksa said. “With all the activities to do there seemed to be something there for everyone to participate in.”
Saksa said the organizers didn’t have exact numbers but estimated that over 1,000 people attended Pacer Fest. She added her favorite part of the event was seeing the relay race that took place on the field for students.
“It was fun to watch the high school athletes and younger kids work together,” Saksa said. “It just overall looked like they were having a good time.”
Saksa said the committee is now turning its focus to the end of the semester as they begin to plan Winter Pacer Fest, and they hope to “make it just as fun and entertaining as the fall one!”
Delaware City Schools Superintendent Heidi Kegley praised the work the committee did to put on Pacer Fest.
“The Pacer Spirit Committee did an outstanding job organizing another successful Pacer Fest,” Kegley said. “It was such an energetic and fun way to kick off the school year. It was great to see our families, staff, and community members come together to celebrate our students.”
Kegley said her favorite part of the event is students get celebrated by the community.
“I loved seeing our seniors gathered in the end zone and running through the band tunnel to be recognized by the crowd,” Kegley said. “It was such a great moment to recognize our fall senior athletes and band members.”
A date for Winter Pacer Fest has not yet been announced. More information about the spirit committee can be found at https://www.facebook.com/PacerSpiritCommittee.
Glenn Battishill can be reached at 740-413-0903.
