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Downtown Altoona has netted a major summer event -- one lost for now to a northern Blair County borough.
For almost two decades, the HoopsFest three-on-three basketball tournament took place in Tyrone, the hometown of the event's founder and director, Jim Kilmartin.
But Kilmartin now is pastor of the new Center City Church near the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament in Altoona, and he no longer owns the Tyrone Armory that served as the HoopsFest hub.
So after a two-year hiatus for COVID-19, the event will relocate to 12th Avenue, between 13th and 16th streets in the city.
The one-day, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. affair on Saturday, July 23, could feature 200-plus teams playing basketball on 30 portable hoops with wash-off painted courts, both on the avenue and in the parking lots across from Penn State Altoona's Aaron Building, according to Kilmartin.
There are 20 divisions, with categories delineated by gender, age and skill level.
Setup will begin as early as 4 a.m., and everything is gone and cleaned up by the end of the day, according to Kilmartin.
The event requires almost 30 paid PIAA referees and about 200 volunteers, many from school organizations, service groups and Kilmartin's church congregation.
Kilmartin has already arranged with the city for the necessary street closures, he said.
Teams consist of at least three, preferably four players -- though no more than four.
Games end when one team reaches a designated point total - 25 in the all-star category, 12 in the 8-and-under.
Fouls are called and foul shots awarded.
Games usually take 15 to 20 minutes.
Deadline to register is July 16.
Teams can register at hoopsfest.net.
Teams pay $150 each.
Sponsors can also sign up via the website.
Kilmartin hopes to raise $40,000 to $50,000. Proceeds will go to Arrows Christian Academy and City Blessings Food Distribution, both of which are outreaches of Kilmartin's church.
"Obviously, we're excited to have the opportunity," said City Councilman Jesse Ickes of the event's move to Altoona.
Moving it from Tyrone was "a really difficult decision," said Kilmartin, formerly the borough's mayor.
Officials in the borough are "disappointed," he said.
But the Armory that once housed his Joshua House has been sold, and Kilmartin no longer has a base of operations in the borough, he said.
"Here is where our hub is now," he said.
That doesn't mean that in the future there couldn't be a HoopsFest in Tyrone, if the borough would want that, he said.
HoopsFest began as a "fun community event," Kilmartin said.
After it grew, it became a fundraiser for Joshua House, which is now located in the former First United Methodist Church building in Altoona, home of the Center City Church.
Mirror Staff Writer William Kibler is at 814-949-7038.