Thor and Mr. Incredible talk at Superhero Day in downtown Athens Sept. 8.

Saturday, Sept. 9, an enormous crowd came out to Athens Big Spring memorial Park to enjoy a perfect sunny day and welcome some extraordinary guests as they arrived at Superhero Day benefitting Eli’s Block Party.

Spiderman, Superman, Thor, Wonder Woman, Storm and many more arrived in style as the parade of super heroes made its way to the Duck Pond. There, children of all ages cheered as they greeted they favorite comic heroes. The super heroes remained at the park and posed for pictures and visited with their biggest fans.

The free fun day also included rides, games, dancing, food, and more. Many area organizations were on hand providing fun activities as well as information on services they can provide. The Athens Lions Club was also giving train rides around the park.

Near the duck pond bridge, visitors could visit the pinwheel garden. Each pinwheel represents the estimated 2,000 children who will be lost this year to childhood cancer. The garden will be on display throughout the month of September.

Kristie Williams started Eli’s Block Party after her son, Eli, was diagnosed with medulloblastoma. The Williams Family hosted the first public Superhero Day in 2013 and attracted more than 2,000 people to the event. After a few years of hosting and participating in charitable events, Eli’s Block Party officially became an established, all volunteer 501c3 in 2015. Since then, Eli’s Block Party has raised close to $160,000 for pediatric brain cancer research.

During the last decade, Superhero Day has continued to grow, and this year, Kristie Williams and her family made the tough decision to “pass the red phone.” The Williams entrusted the Athens-Limestone County Tourism Association with the Superhero Day event.