Lehigh Valley SportsFest

Scanned pictures

Welcome | 2018 Summerfest Registration | Lehigh Valley Phantoms Youth

The Flag Footbowl is back! July 8th at Union Terrace Park in Allentown, PA. 5 on 5 NFL style youth flag football tournament. Age groups include: 10u//12u//14u//17u
Email: [email protected] to register!!

Summerfest

Each year we continue to attract more teams from all over! This year we have teams representing Western PA, Philadelphia, New York, New Jersey, and more! Even though our SportsFest group is no longer with us ATown ThrowDown is set to have a fabulous year. We look forward to seeing you July 5-8 2018! Thank you for your support.

A-Town ThrowDown Welcome to the A-Town Throwdown 2018
July 5-8, 2018 Cedar Beach Park Allentown, PA
Teams come from

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cxsRF1YCygg&feature=youtu.be

SportsFest 1997 - Pro-boxing part 2 SportsFest 1997 at Cedar Beach Park - Pro-boxing

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4qwAZiL8yO0&feature=youtu.be

SportsFest 1997 - Pro-boxing part 1 at Cedar Beach Park Pro-boxing at Cedar Beach

Photography by Vlad Image

Stay tuned...
Working on posting the beginning years of SportsFest coverage.
Converting VHS tapes to digital and scanning thousands of pictures.
Any volunteers expert in this field?!?!?

Lehigh Valley SportsFest ending after 21 years
Mark Wogenrich
Contact Reporter
Of The Morning Call

Lehigh Valley SportsFest, the annual summer festival that brought basketball games and CrossFit competitions to Allentown’s parks, is ending after 21 years, Ray Atiyeh said Wednesday.

Atiyeh, the event’s president and executive director, announced the decision on Facebook and the SportsFest website. In an interview, Atiyeh said that he had hoped to transition SportsFest’s operations to someone new.

But without money to pay for a full or part-time director, Atiyeh said he chose to discontinue operations and allow directors of individual sports to reorganize if they wish.

“SportsFest is a good idea, but you need somebody with money behind you,” he said. “You can’t do it as Ray Atiyeh.”

Atiyeh began SportsFest in 1997 as a way to promote Allentown’s parks. The July event grew from its early days of basketball and boxing into a festival featuring more than 40 sports at locations such as Cedar Beach, Alton Park, Union Terrace and Allentown Municipal Golf Course.

At its peak, SportsFest drew 10,000 competitors to as many as 40 sports, including kickball, dance and river swimming. Last year, Atiyeh streamlined SportsFest, removing sports that drew few participants or were disorganized in favor of a smaller festival with 20 events.

Ultimately, Atiyeh said he was unable to continue funding SportsFest, whose expenses ranged from $100,000-$140,000 per year and were offset by corporate sponsors. Atiyeh said his wish to groom a successor went unfulfulled.

“For the last three years, I’ve been looking for somebody to run it but didn’t succeed,” said Atiyeh, who who owns Atiyeh Printing in Allentown. “I was hoping a corporation or organization would want to get involved, but that didn’t work.

“Last year was very tough on me. There was a lot of pressure, especially when things don’t cooperate. It gets very tough to deal with. That positive attitude I kept all the time? I’d like to leave with it.”

Atiyeh said that he hopes individual SportsFest events would continue on a smaller scale. He was optimistic that the A-Town Throwdown basketball tournament would spin off independently. He said flag football could continue operating, as well.

“It costs a lot of money and it doesn’t make money,” Atiyeh said. “The event is spread out, there are vendors at Cedar Beach but not at some of the other venues, and it’s difficult to get enough vendors to carry expenses.”

In his letter, Atiyeh said he was proud to have organized SportsFest for “a community that loves and cherishes its sports history and culture.” He also thanked the volunteers who helped run the event.

Now 67, Atiyeh said he will miss going to events with his grandchildren, who were “born and raised” attending SportsFest.

“I have mixed feelings,” he said, “but I’m not getting any younger, and it’s time for me to go.”

[email protected]

Twitter

610-820-6588

SportsFest will be discontinuing operations effective immediately.

At our recent board meeting, the Board of Directors wrapped up the 21st annual SportsFest and announced that this past SportsFest would be our last.

We have been proud to provide an event that our community could enjoy together. A community that loves and cherishes its sports history and culture.

SportsFest started in 1997 with a mission to promote the beautiful parks system throughout the City of Allentown, through amateur athletic competition and to raise awareness of health, fitness and wellness in our community. At its height, the annual summer event hosted over 40 competitions, attracting 10,000 athletes and 100,000 spectators. Over its history, SportsFest is also very proud to have awarded $10,000 in Scholarships to high school athletes, to help them further their academic careers.

On behalf of the SportsFest Board of Directors, I would like to thank the countless volunteers and committee members who worked and organized the events over the last two decades. None of what was accomplished could have been possible without your enduring commitment and support. I would also like to recognize the support and generosity of our corporate sponsors, local businesses and restaurants, City and County leaders, and the Allentown & County Parks and Recreation Departments, all who made SportsFest possible and sustainable.

It has been our sincere pleasure to serve the athletic community of the Lehigh Valley over the last two decades and we are confident its thirst for sports competitions will continue to be met by existing and future events and organizations.

Sincerely,

Ray Atiyeh
President/Executive Director
Lehigh Valley SportsFest

by Sheri Bayne Photography