Love Massena Day returns to Alcoa Park on Saturday

Jul. 11—MASSENA — An annual event to help draw the community together returns to Alcoa Park from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday.

Love Massena Day, which is hosted by New Testament Church, has been a staple of the summer calendar since its inception in 2013.

"Love Massena is our annual event to shower Massena with love and let our community know that the future is bright and we care," church officials said in a Facebook post. "This free event at Alcoa Park is a huge hit each summer."

The day includes free hot dogs, snow cones, face-painting, basketball, inflatables and more.

"Love Massena is an event that's been put on by one of the local churches here for a few years. They have many festivities planned," Recreation Director Michael P. McCabe told the Massena Joint Recreation Commission.

The Massena Recreation Department oversees Alcoa Park, where Love Massena Day has been held over the years.

"It's a nice little community event, and we are happy to have them use Alcoa Park for their location again this year. Our involvement is basically just opening the bathrooms and providing extra garbage cans and that type of stuff. They do everything else," McCabe said.

The first Love Massena event in 2013 featured everything from music to food, face painting to balloon creations, and basketball to tennis.

The event was coordinated by Compassion North in cooperation with the Greater Massena Ministerial Association and has continued to grow over the years.

The first event was meant to do something positive in an area that at the time had seen crime ranging from an attempted abduction to drug trafficking.

McCabe said, in addition to Love Massena Day, the annual Breast Cancer Awareness Softball Tournament will be taking place at Alcoa Field on Saturday and Sunday.

"This is an annual (tournament) that's been going on well before I started here. So, those that are attending Love Massena can also go enjoy women's softball at Alcoa Field this weekend," he said.

He also reported on the Summer Concert Series that's held at Springs Park, which the Recreation Department also oversees.

"Obviously it's something that can make the community better, and we like to do our part to make sure everything runs smoothly," McCabe said.

Upcoming concerts, which begin at 6 p.m., are Contraband on Friday, Playback on Saturday, New Horizons Concert and Swing Bands on July 24, Lacey Stoddard-Peets on July 26, The Tas Cru Band on July 29, Station 45 on Aug. 2, Foolish Pride on Aug. 10, Atom Ghost 10-year anniversary on Aug. 17, and "SLAP Presents: Poetry in the Park Open Mic" on Aug. 19.

"All concerts are free of charge thanks to our sponsors: NCCS, Bear's Den Charitable Foundation, Massena Savings and Loan, American Legion Post 79, Bonnie and Danny Devlin, Guy and Joan Campeau, SeaComm, Massena VFW, American Legion Auxiliary, and grant funding from SLC Arts," organizers said.

Later in the summer, McCabe said they're planning a trip to Calypso Park in Ottawa. That's scheduled for Aug. 12, with a rain date of Aug. 13, leaving the Massena Arena at 8 a.m. and returning at 6:30 p.m.

"We leave early enough to spend the whole day there," he said.

The cost is $50 per person, and participants under 12 years old must attend with a parent or older sibling.

"That program generally does okay. I want to say that we took about 20 to 25 people last year, and that was under not great weather. I think it was 70 and sprinkling the whole time that we were there. So, that's why we included a rain date this year," McCabe said.

To reserve a spot, individuals need to visit the Massena Arena and provide payment of $50 cash or check. They'll each also need to sign a waiver and bring a copy of their birth certificate.

For more information, call the Recreation Department at 315-769-3161.