Hi Sherri,
Thanks for Interest in our Community Events Add On. My comments are below yours:
I understand I will need to buy the add-on for users to submit events, but will I need the pro version as well?
No you do not need to buy Pro. You only need Pro if you would like the features Pro has. However, the map view is a Pro only feature, an example is on this page of the Map View:
http://wpshindig.com/events/map/
However, without Pro all Event’s still have a Map of their location in the Single View.
And you can submit an Event Image with the Community Events as well as set new submissions to draft or pending approval.
Let me know if that answers your questions.
Thanks