NORTH ATTLEBORO - The rides, games and musical acts that have become a staple of Kids Day may be long gone, but the organization that runs the annual event is still celebrating its success.

The North Attleboro Firefighters Kids Day Association has a final tally on the money raised during the four-day event, which shows $80,000 was collected this year. The total for the 28th annual event exceeds the tally for any other year so far.

Scott Langille, spokesman for the association, said the tally is thanks to the generosity and support of both North Attleboro residents and visitors from area communities who support the event each year.

"It was an awesome year and definitely the best year we've had to date," he said. "We thought attendance might be down, due to the economy due to fuel prices, but we had great crowds every night. It turned out that we were an affordable event for people who are staying closer to home."

Proceeds from the event are donated to local charities and Langille said a significant portion has already been distributed. Lenore's Pantry, the food pantry run by the board of health, was among the beneficiaries. The association went on a $1,000 shopping spree to restock the pantry's shelves.

"Lots of people think Kids Day is just four days a year, but there is a lot more that goes into it," Langille said. "We meet about once a month to discuss requests for donations and the criteria for them. It helps when individuals request donations if the information they submit is as detailed as possible."

Decisions on how the money is distributed are made by a committee made up of people from all walks of life - from firefighters to carpenters to stay-at-home moms.

Langille said the success of the event would not be possible without cooperation from various town departments, including the park and recreation, police and public works departments.

In addition, Fiesta Shows, which provides the rides, and Atlas Fireworks, which put on the two fireworks shows, and the bands that provided entertainment did a great job, he said.

"We just can't say enough about the support we've received - both in the community and from people throughout the area," Langille said.