October 4 will be a big day in Suffolk.

The day starts with a Healthy People Healthy Suffolk 5K at Constant’s Wharf. The annual Peanut Festival parade, which serves to kick off the festivities that start at the airport later in the week, will be held in the downtown area later in the morning. And the Suffolk-Nansemond Historical Society will hold its popular annual Touch A Truck, Train & More event for kids at the train station.

Closing out a fun-filled day in the downtown area will be the annual oyster roast in support of the Boys and Girls Clubs Suffolk Unit. All of the days’ events are worthy, and we heartily encourage folks to set the day aside to take advantage of all the downtown area has to offer, but be sure to save an appetite for the oyster roast.

“It’s a chance for us to showcase some of the youth in Suffolk,” said Phil McPhail, one of the co-chairs of the Suffolk Unit board. “That’s what it’s really about. It’s a fundraiser to help the neediest of the young people in Suffolk.”

Suffolk’s Boys and Girls Clubs serves an average of 105 kids a day, giving them opportunities for mentoring, help with homework, and helping them to learn new skills and explore interests they might otherwise never have discovered, all in a safe, controlled environment and led by a group of caring individuals committed to helping at-risk youth overcome the negative influences that could derail their future.

It costs as little as $15 a month to enroll youth in the program, but the organization also works with parents who cannot afford the fee so that no young person who wants to participate is turned away. With growth in the program, the organization’s board of directors developed the oyster roast as a way to help offset the rising costs.

Through several years of the event’s existence, it has grown in both scope and popularity. Planned from 5 to 8 p.m. at Constant’s Wharf, the evening will include entertainment by Island Boy, as well as an appearance by youth members of the clubs.

Tickets to the event are $30 and can be obtained at the Suffolk News-Herald office, other local businesses and board members. Call McPhail at 539-1131 for more information.