BIG FLATS, N.Y. (WENY) -- Big Flats Community Days has returned for another year. It is the annual festival’s 68th year.  

Tammy Stein, one of the organizers of the event, said this event has been bringing the community together for as long as she can remember. 

“It's always fun to see the people you haven't seen in years,” she said.  

It takes a lot of effort to keep the momentum going for 68 years. Stein works with members in the community to figure out how to keep the event interesting. 

“Everybody likes the hometown feeling of it,” she said. “We kind of try to change it up a bit each year. However, we keep it simple...like it usually is...that way people will feel like they're coming home.”  

The Miss Twin Tiers Pageant has been a staple for years. Ashley Johns celebrated the tradition by bringing her one-year-old daughter Haley out to compete in her first pageant ever. 

“She did some twirls and checked out the balloons,” she said.  

Stein said one of her favorite parts of the event is seeing people reunite in the community every year. 

“Sometimes this is the only time you get to see people because it's like a big picnic for the whole neighborhood and the whole town,” she said. 

On Friday, there will be a Fireman's Waterball Competition at 6 o'clock, followed by a concert by The Variables. 

On Saturday, people can run in the Community Days 5k race, watch the parade at 5 p.m., and the fireworks at 9:30 p.m.