This Friday, the Capital City Celebration returns thanks to a partnership between the Springfield Jaycees and Springfield Lucky Horseshoes. The event begins at 2 p.m. at Robin Roberts Stadium with a dog pageant, inflatable zone for children and music by local band Astrofix. All of the activities are within the stadium’s gates, which requires a ticket to the evening’s Lucky Horseshoes game to enter. The afternoon event will be followed by the 6:30 p.m. game between the Lucky Horseshoes and Quincy Doggy Paddlers and then the fireworks. Looking back, widespread damage from the June 29, 2023, derecho forced the cancellation of that year’s Capital City Celebration. The event also was not held last year. But that’s all history now. Jaycees President Austin Harris said the Jaycees and the Horseshoes had been in talks about a way to partner and the celebration came up in discussion. “Both organizations saw this as an opportunity for us to bring back a beloved community event,” he said. Let’s hope they hit a home run.