This was the 28th damp weekend in a row. That, nonetheless, there was a large turnout was perhaps no surprise as, by now, locals know full well that making the best of whatever nature throws at us is the only way of getting anything accomplished, which includes having a lot of fun and connecting with friends or making new ones.

Yes, the sun did come out for about five minutes, so perhaps the new mantra is: If you like the weather, wait a minute, as it’s bound to change.

An exciting aspect of the event was viewing the new equestrian fields installed for this year’s Lake Placid Horse Shows. This is the first step in a major investment that will include a new and expanded pavilion, a renovated bathroom, and eventually permanent covered stalls, an investment that will avoid the high cost of renting large tents each year, and create spaces that can be used for other purposes at other times of the year.

Lake Placid Community Day has three primary purposes: celebrating volunteers who have made a significant contribution to the community and, as part of that, showcasing a wide array of agencies that are either volunteer-led or whose programs couldn’t be accomplished without volunteers. Another purpose is to connect people who live, work, and volunteer in Lake Placid/North Elba. A third is to have fun, fun for the whole family, which included a long set and much-appreciated music by the local band, the McGraw Project, itself a multi-generational act.

“This is the one event we do for our community,” said Community Day coordinator Val Rogers. “We host people from all over the world all year long; this is the day we host an event for ourselves, say thank you, socialize with our neighbors, and meet new people. We meet people all the time, some new to the community, others who have lived here for years who say they don’t know what to do. So, we get as many organizations as possible under one roof, give them a chance to show off what they are doing, and encourage people to sign up.”

Responding to Rogers’ call, every year, the number of nonprofits highlighting the activities and opportunities for volunteering in the pavilion seems to grow by ten, with 50 in place this year. In many respects, they showcased a side of Lake Placid that many people do not see but underscored how vital volunteers are to enhancing the quality of life of the people who live in and visit Lake Placid.

Organized by Karen Armstrong and Bambi Pedu of the Lake Placid Public Library, a popular place for kids was the youth “Surf’s Up” tent, where there were opportunities for getting one’s face painted by Maryann (Merriloons) Vicaro, multi-colored balloons hand-twisted by LoonWorks’ Scott Eichholtz into animals, crowns and other shapes, caricatures of themselves created by Joe Ferris, and engaging in several craft activities organized by the library staff. In addition, the library gave out free books and coordinated a dance party led by two bright blue sharks and a scavenger hunt.

“The library isn’t about the four walls of our building,” said Armstrong. “Where the families are is where we are, such as at Community Day.”

They were not alone; all of the community organizations had something interactive going on, be it NYSEF’s opportunities for kids to try out ski jumping or hit a target with a laser biathlon rifle, signing up to perform with the Community String Orchestra of the Adirondacks or voting for their top priorities; expanding access to health came in first, strengthening our democracy second, and addressing climate change/environmental protection third.

“The Lake Placid Garden Club has been around for over 90 years,” said Kathy Lamb. “From the beginning of May to December, we are engaged in various activities. Our 50 members help create the boughs around town for Christmastime, have adventures at the Lavender Farm, take care of the Triangle Garden, and foster a wide array of activities to encourage gardening, keeping the side of roadways clean and beautifying the village.”

Also popular was the free lunch created by Lake Placid’s U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Training Center kitchen staff, which cranked out hundreds of hamburgers, bean burgers and hot dogs along with plenty of fixings, including kettle-cooked chips, coleslaw, pickles and ice cream bars.

“We are used to cooking for a crowd,” said Heather Stevens, executive chef and dining director for the training center. “This is our third year supporting Community Day; we do it because we want to give back to the community; we get so much support for everything we do at the training center. We’re going through about 300 burgers and 400 hot dogs today. Hopefully, that will be enough.”

The event’s highlight was honoring the youth and adult Distinguished Volunteer of the Year, an event opened by the Lake Placid Volunteer Fire Department’s Honor Guard and the Lake Placid Elementary School Chorus. State Assemblyman Billy Jones, Lake Placid Mayor Art Devlin and Town Councilor Emily Kilburn Politi provided tributes and proclamations to youth honoree Parker Scanio and adult honoree David Balestrini.

Scanio, who volunteered more than 10 times the 40 hours required for graduation, said that he found volunteering so enjoyable and rewarding that he kept on going.

“Even though I most likely exceeded my required forty hours of volunteering in sixth grade, I thought, let’s keep going,” said Scanio. “What I love most about volunteering in a small town is how much the opportunities vary. Through them, I got to engage in activities I would not have been able to do otherwise.”

Balestrini added, “Volunteers are the ridged backbone of our community. They are not paid because they are worthless but because they are priceless. There is a flip side to all this hard work that volunteers do. All of us volunteers know the truth; the time and treasure we give so freely to our community comes back tenfold in gratitude, enduring friendships, a sense of pride, accomplishment, and community. The truth is, we get more than we give.”

(Naj Wikoff lives in Keene Valley and has been writing his column for the Lake Placid News since 2005.)