A Springfield man is planning an event to bring together and celebrate the Springfield community. The event is called “417 Day” based on the cultural celebration of St. Louis “314 Day.”
Larry Flenoid and Kaijuanda Sutton came together to plan the event through their non-profit organization Real Love Equals Real Change. The organization mentors young kids, clean the street they adopted, and aids young people in fixing up their resumes.
The event isn’t just limited to Springfield though, anybody who lives in the 417 area like Nixa, Branson, Ozark, and West Plains is welcome to attend and celebrate. “This is your day,” Kaijuanda Sutton said, “The long-term goal would be to have it annually, and to get as many people involved every year. But the ultimate goal is to give back.”
The festival will feature friendly games of volleyball, softball, kickball, basketball, along with great food and child-friendly activities to include the whole family. Local businesses and nonprofits are already getting involved to conduct community outreach and the festival will be accepting donations to give to the Giving Tree.
Flenoid and Sutton emphasized that this is about giving back and making real change in the community, “We don’t just sit there and talk about ways that we want to make change, we actually get out and create change. The City of Springfield isn’t involved in this event, It’s by members of the community, for the community,” Flenoid said.
417 Day will be held at Fassnight Park on April 17 from 4:00-8:00 p.m. and is free of charge to all attendees. Anyone looking for more information on the event can contact Larry Flenoid or Kaijuanda Sutton on Facebook. The event also has it’s own facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/events/751665835026765/.