37°
PEEKSKILL, N.Y. Area boxing fans will have plenty to love Saturday at Riverfront Green as Peekskill Be First Boxing presents its first-ever "Rumble on the River" event.
The four-hour event runs from 2 to 6 p.m. and will feature more than a dozen matches between amateur fighters of all ages from across the state, as well as plenty of other live entertainment for the whole family. The $15 admission fee will go toward Be First Boxing's various programs and equipment.
"We have clubs coming from Buffalo to New York City, Yonkers and Long Island," said club director Wes Artope. "We've invited about 15 clubs and there may be more judging by the calls we've been getting."
There will also be ice and brick breaking demonstrations by the club's martial arts instructors, as well as music and food vendors.
"We've had an overwhelming response from the community as far as interest," said Artope. "We're hoping that it reaches out to the community so that they can know that we exist and that our organization is an avenue for kids to come through and not only learn but help them progress."
The club, which was restarted three years ago after being defunct for years, is running boxing and various other fitness classes out of its new gym located at 1137 Main Street.
Saturday's program is being run in conjunction with Community Boat Works of the Hudson Valley program and the Peekskill Youth Bureau.
"Both of our programs cater to enhancing and developing kids in different ways through effort and hard work, so I think it's a great collaboration between the two organizations," Artope said. "Some of our kids might be interested in the Boat Works and vice versa."
Artope said that it is the work of volunteers that have made the club's recent growth possible, such as new board chairperson Warren Schiele, who helped organize Saturday's event, and new IT director Richard Kraemer.
"We're a non-profit, so we rely on the community to help us realize our goals to help the youth," Artope said.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Peekskill and receive free news updates.
