Though there are a few changes in store for the second iteration of the celebration, the core of Community Day will remain the same: Outdoor recreation, good food and family fun.

“Everyone loved it last year. It was a huge success,” said Keene town council member Teresa Cheetham-Palen. “I didn’t hear a negative comment about it last year. Everyone was very happy who participated.”

The schedule is fairly similar to last year, Cheetham-Palen said. Kids’ activities will kick off at 4:30 p.m. and almost everything else will start by 5 p.m. On the schedule are stilt walkers, face painting, a dunk tank, a bounce house and lawn games. Unlike last year’s Community Day, there won’t be pony rides on offer.

In another change from last year, more food options will be on offer. Lake Placid’s Green Goddess Natural Market and Tupper Lake’s PorkBusters BBQ will both set up at Marcy Field, along with Adirondack Kettle Corn. The AuSable Club will be selling beverages.

The pie contest will return from last year, as well as local band Ploughman’s Lunch, who’ll go onstage around 6 p.m. Should the celebration be rained out, an alternate date is set for July 7. As with last year’s Community Day, the evening will end with fireworks over Marcy Field.

Parking in Keene can be challenging at times throughout the summer and fall due to increased hiker traffic, with the state Department of Environmental Conservation implementing a roadside parking ban along state Route 73 in 2019 to address safety concerns. HikeAMR, the DEC’s parking reservation pilot program, is returning for its fourth year this summer. Cheetham-Palen said that Community Day will see some parking changes this year, too, to reduce congestion and damage to Marcy Field.

“We’re trying hard this year to not have any cars on the field because it created a lot of damage to the lawn, the turf, last year,” she said.

Parking will be available next to the Holt House at Marcy Field. ADA-accessible spots will also be available there. Overflow parking will be at the Marcy Field hiker lot.

Cheetham-Palen said that events like Community Day are important for small communities.

“It’s just a nice event to bring people together for fun, for picnicking, sharing, just being together,” she said.