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This year’s Coffee County Fair youth field day on Friday, Sept. 6 was the largest it’s ever been in recent years.

The annual event, hosted by Coffee County Sheriff’s Department with the help of Manchester Police Department, includes field day events like football throw competitions, basketball free throw tournament and foot races for county and city school kids in elementary and middle school.

Sheriff Chad Partin said the event is a way for the School Resource Officers (SROs) to give back.

“We like the school competition,” Partin said. “We like to see the teachers light up. They know the competition between the schools gets the kids fired up. When the teachers get the kids fired up then it makes for a great competition.”

Partin said the event goes back to the DARE anti-drug program, but that it will continue to grow in the future. He hopes in the future to include Tullahoma schools in the event.

“This may really grow to full-fledged countywide event,” he said. “After this year’s event we’re going to sit down with all three systems and see if we can’t come up with something that everyone can enjoy because the sheriff’s office is for the whole county, Manchester, the county and Tullahoma.”

Partin recalled when field day had only one third as many participants.

“And look at it now; it’s standing room only,” Partin said.

Emcee of the event, Lt. Daniel Ray credited this years increased attendance to a video campaign the sheriff’s department did in cooperation with a local radio station.

“I went and got with Holly Peterson with Thunder Radio,” Ray said. “We went out to each school and spent a whole day making that video. All the parents and principals were super excited. The kids were all excited and here we are.”

Ray said prizes for the day’s events include cash, door prizes and the most coveted among participants, the trophy.