XENIA — American Idol finalist Alexis Gomez and the popular balloon glow highlight the 2018 Xenia Community Festival.

Held at Shawnee Park Friday-Saturday, Sept. 14-15, the family friendly festival features, food, fun and lots of entertainment. The festival kicks off 4 p.m. Friday with D.J Stan “The Man” Brooks at the pavilion. The opening ceremony takes place 6 p.m. and will be followed by the Dayton Funk All-Stars at the pavilion. The balloon glow around 8 p.m.

The all-stars band features funk and R&B and has opened for After 7, The Ohio Players, and the Zapp band.

Dance Loft Plus, Diamonds & Pearls, and Live Gracefully start the action Saturday beginning 10 a.m. A karaoke contest takes place 2-4 p.m., while Gomez takes the stage 7:30 p.m.

Gomez gained popularity on season 14 of Idol and is a graduate of Wright State University. Her self-titled debut album was released August 2015. She lives full-time in Nashville pursuing her musical career.

Lowe’s will hold its field day 1-3 p.m. Saturday. Kids in grades K-6 are eligible to participate and one boy and one girl will received a new bike.

Of course, there will be paddleboats, amusement rides, demonstrations from various city departments, and vendors.