Start of summer isn’t end for local sports calendar
The local spring high school season officially draws to a close tonight with Notre Dame-Green Pond playing in the PIAA Class 3A championship at State College.
But there are still plenty of events for local sports fans to care about this summer. From youth to adult soccer, baseball, softball, soccer and volleyball leagues to swimming competitions and Lehigh Valley IronPigs games, there is still a lot to see and do.
Here is a list of some of the bigger dates on this summer’s local sports calendar.
SteelStacks Grand Prix: The race, a partnership between ArtsQuest and the Lehigh Valley Grand Prix, benefits the Pediatric Cancer Foundation of the Lehigh Valley and ArtsQuest’s free music and arts education programming. It’s in its third year and is set for Saturday in Bethlehem.
Indianapolis 500 driver Sage Karam, a Nazareth High School grad, will coach and lead a team of drivers comprised of fathers whose children have been impacted by cancer. To raise funds for PCFLV, sign up for the open racing sessions at www.steelstacks.org/ grandprix. Sessions are June 14 from 7-10 p.m. and June 16 from 10:30 a.m.-8 p.m. Cost is $25 per person and includes a safety briefing, helmet and eight minutes of track time.
In addition to racing, Karam will take part in a fan meet and greet, with racing fans invited to come out and meet him on Saturday between 11 and noon. During the session, Karam will pose for photos and sign autographs. Other drivers tentatively confirmed to take part in the Grand Prix event on June 15 include IndyCar driver and Lehigh Valley native Marco Andretti, IMSA’s Corey Lewis, former World of Outlaws and IndyCar Series driver P.J. Chesson and sprint car star Kyle Lick.
Holy Family Girls Basketball Tournament: The 10-team round-robin event will be held at Holy Family Gym in Nazareth, and Central Catholic gym in Allentown June 21-26.
Cedar Beach Basketball Showcase: The tournament, featuring large and small school boys varsity brackets as well as girls varsity and an a JV portion, will be held at Allentown’s Cedar Beach Park June 20-23.
For information, go to www.cedarbeachbasketball.com/
4th of July Men’s Fastpitch Firecracker Classic: The popular softball event will be held at Allentown’s Patriots Park July 5-7.
ACBL All-Star Game: The Atlantic Collegiate Baseball League All-Stars will host the New York Collegiate League All-Stars at Yogi Berra Stadium, home of the New Jersey Jackals in Little Falls, New Jersey, at 7 p.m. on July 8.
The ACBL and NYCBL are both members of the National Alliance of College Summer Baseball. The leagues are among the oldest and most respected summer collegiate wooden bat leagues in the country.
Stay up to date with information on both leagues by visiting www.acblonline.com or www.NYCBL.com.
Keystone Games: Pennsylvania’s long-running amateur sports festival, which made a three-year stop in the Lehigh Valley Region in the 1990s, will hold its 38th annual Keystone State Games Festival of Sports throughout Luzerne County during the weeks of July 25-29 and Aug. 1-4.
The Keystone State Games, modeled after the Olympic Games, are Pennsylvania’s largest annually held multisport competitions.
For information go to www.keystonegames.org
A’Town ThrowDown: The annual summer basketball tournament, featuring boys and girls varsity teams and JV and freshmen, will be held at Cedar Beach and Percy Ruhe Parks in Allentown July 25-28.
For information go to www.lvawesomefest.com.