Whether it was a battle between two rival schools, or a youth soccer program for children under five, the Greater Binghamton Sports Complex has been a familiar sight on just about any night during the week for the past 15 years.
Then, out of nowhere, on a cold night in December, a record 4 feet of snow blanketed the Southern Tier, collapsing the largest free standing dome in the nation.
Lila Kashou McKenna walks through these revolving doors to what used to be an indoor center she and her sisters shared so many great memories in.
“The dome was like our baby. My dad spent hundreds of hours here a week it felt like. It was really like a home for us and for so many kids in a community of people, for thousands of people, for years,” said McKenna.
The Kashou sisters grew closer, both playing and working at the family business, but they’re not alone in that.
Generations of families and teams called the complex home, leaving them heartbroken when it collapsed.
“It’s all ages from ages two to 82 and it’s teams that have been assembled for so long that this is their social aspect, too, so everyone’s become family and friends through our sports facility,” said McKenna.
In the days following the collapse, the community began rallying together with everything from donations to words of encouragement on social media.
The Kashou family just finished tearing down the dome shell and now plans to rebuild, this time, with a steel fixed roof.
Various teams from a variety of sports across the Southern Tier can’t wait to be back.
“People are reaching out to us about our clinics going on saying, ‘oh my gosh, we had so much fun. We hope once you’re back open and running again, you’re doing the clinics again.’ Awesome feedback from them and the families in the community here. We can’t be more thankful for all the support they’ve given us,” said McKenna.
So while they may never forget the devastation left by this storm, it’ll always be a reminder of just how special their family business was, and will continue to be, for years to come.
A GoFundMe page has been set up to help cover the costs of the rebuild for those interested in lending a hand.