Hello Dan!
You are correct with regards to the Community Events plugin, visitors do not need to be logged in and you can choose to moderate their posts or not. And yes, you will need Events Calendar PRO to schedule recurring events. But all our plugins are designed to work with each other, so no worries there.
As far as simplifying the “Add Event” screen for users, the fields are set by default. You can modify this if you wish by creating a custom template for the form, though.
I’m not sure I’m understanding your comments regarding the front page. I take it that you wanted the calendar to appear on your home page and have found a way to make it happen? If so, great! If not, help me understand what it is you are trying to do there.
I hope that answers your questions, If not, let me know.
— Julie