Kenan Center to celebrate grand-opening of $16.5 million Kenan Civic Arena on Sept. 5

Daylong festival features ribbon-cutting, live music & mural painting, youth sports, 75+ vendors

Kenan Center press release & renderings

The Kenan Center will open the doors of its newest facility, the Kenan Civic Arena, on Saturday, Sept. 5, with a free, family-friendly celebration running from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The 70,000-square-foot arena is the largest capital project in the Kenan Center's history, a $16.5 million investment made possible largely through the generosity of private donors. Construction broke ground in the fall of 2025 and wraps up just in time for its public debut.

The new facility adds a fitness center, turf field, computer lab, art studio, sport courts, concessions, classrooms, and a front desk to the Kenan Center's campus, expanding the organization's ability to serve Lockport-area families with recreation and community programming year-round.

The project was made possible by the generosity of major donors including the Grigg Lewis Foundation, Cornerstone Community Federal Credit Union, the Kenan Charitable Trust, the East Hill Foundation, the M&T Charitable Foundation, the Rotary Club of Lockport Inc., the Reid Family, West Herr Automotive Group, and the Scott Bieler Family Foundation.

"The Kenan Civic Arena is going to change what is possible in Lockport,” CEO Bill Patti said. “It will bring thousands of people into our community, create new opportunities for kids and families, support our local economy, and give organizations across Western New York a place to compete, create, perform and connect. We believe this facility will become a destination, but most importantly, it will always belong to the community that built it.”

Opening day is designed as a celebration for the whole community. The event kicks off with a ribbon-cutting and presentation, followed by a full slate of entertainment and activity throughout the arena and across the Kenan Center campus. Musician Dave Turner performs at 11 a.m., followed by a set from The Strictly Hip at 1:30 p.m. Local artist Nikki Milley will paint a live mural throughout the day and raffle off the finished piece, with proceeds split between Milley and the Kenan Center.

The arena's new turf field and sport courts get their first action from the community, with local youth sports leagues on the schedule throughout the day.

Outside, more than 75 local vendors will set up shop, with the celebration moving indoors to the old arena in the event of rain. That original arena space will also host a Kenan Arena yard sale, offering a nod to the building's history as the new chapter begins.

"For almost 60 years, our old arena has been where this community showed up for each other, to play, to cheer, to celebrate. This new arena carries that same spirit forward," Chief Operating Officer Lea Sobieraski said. “It means Lockport and Western New York families will have a place to gather for generations to come, and that this community’s story keeps being written here.”

The Kenan Civic Arena grand-opening is free and open to the public. For more information, visit kenancenter.org.

The Kenan Civic Arena renderings provided by the Kenan Center.

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More about the Kenan Center: The Kenan Center is a nonprofit community center in Lockport offering programming across performing arts, early childhood education, youth sports and camps, fine arts events, and community recreation. Its arms include Taylor Theatre, the Lockport Public Arts Council, the Kenan Soccer League, the Kenan Flag Football League, and Daisy's Summer Day Camps, along with early childhood classrooms and, now, the Kenan Civic Arena.