McCandless Community Day 2024 will be held September 14 in the City Hall parking lot on Grubbs Road, bringing the popular Frank J. Farina Jr. Memorial Car Cruise closer to the main event.

The car cruise, long a fixture of the annual community day, returns to its original location in the Ashton Commons parking lot on Cooper Drive.

Fans of the car cruise can access both the Community Day festivities and the car cruise via a walkway, said Abby Lucostic, parks and recreation coordinator for McCandless. McCandless’ 23rd annual Community Day will be from 4 to 8 p.m., and the car cruise will be from 2 to 6 p.m.

“This has been a community festival since 2001. It is always held on the second Saturday in September to bring our residents together in a fun way,” said Lucostic.

She was pleased that the long-standing tradition of the car cruise will now take place closer to the town hall.

About 75 vehicles are expected.

For many years, the car ride was held at this location, formerly the parking lot of Trader Horn and other businesses. For the past five years, it has been held in the parking lot of North Allegheny Intermediate School on Cumberland Road, away from the rest of the festivities.

“It should always be part of the community day. It’s nice to bring it back to the neighborhood to strengthen cohesion,” Lucostic said.

The car ride honors the legacy of Frank J. Farina Jr., who was a music director at several Pittsburgh-area schools, including 26 years as music department chair and band director at North Allegheny. He lives in McCandless, and his four children all attended NASD, according to his son, Frank J. Farina, 3rd grade.

Farina said this is one of the Farina Foundation’s flagship events and said the new location will be more convenient for festival-goers.

“It was just too far away from Community Day. Ashton Commons is very excited and has been very accommodating,” Farina said.

The Farina Foundation is currently working on parking details, as the parking lot at Ashton is atypical for most cruises, but he expects about 75 cars, if not more, depending on the weather.

“The turnout is pretty good,” said Farina.

There will be entertainment by DJ Dan and the band American Pie, hamburgers and hot dogs, gift baskets and a 50/50 raffle. Bring a new or used instrument to donate to benefit the Farina Foundation’s Play-it-Forward program.

While the car tour begins at 2 p.m., the Community Day celebration begins at 4 p.m. with a performance by the North Allegheny Marching Band.

Other performances include McCandless’ Michelle’s Dance Studio and the Perform! Pittsburgh Theater and Talent School show choir, Lucostic said.

The headliner 56 East Band starts at 6 p.m.

Aside from about 10 food trucks, most activities are free, including educational sessions, face painting, caricatures, a junior firefighter challenge and the kids’ rides, the latter of which take place on the adjacent baseball field. Axe throwing will be offered to those 18 and older, and closed-toe shoes are required, she said.

“We Brought A Zoo” will offer a stuffed animal craft activity, with 10 percent of proceeds raised during the event being donated to the city, Lucostic said.

New this year is a community recreation event at the Lorrain Rogers Soccer Field, located on the hill next to City Hall Park and accessible by walkways. Participating groups include the North Allegheny Soccer Club, the McCandless Athletic Association and coach Dave Gray of CDG Sports.

Visitors can also visit the McCandless/North Allegheny Heritage and Cultural Center, located adjacent to the soccer fields and also accessible from City Hall and Devlin Park.

Because National Night Out, scheduled for Aug. 6, was canceled due to inclement weather, McCandless police will use the community day to meet with residents. They will raffle off a bike donated by Pro Bike + Run and a grill from Lowe’s in McCandless to support the police department’s dog rescue fund, Lucostic said.

Local emergency services will be there, including the Highland, Ingomar and Peebles volunteer fire departments and the McCandless Franklin Park Ambulance Authority, she said.

The festivities end at around 8:15 p.m. with a fireworks display accompanied by the Allegheny Brass Band.

Parking is available at the Lorrain Rogers soccer field and also at the ASR North bike rental shop on East Ingomar Road. There will also be a shuttle from North Allegheny Intermediate School on Cumberland Road.

However, Lucostic said they are hoping to get approval to park and operate a shuttle at the Pittsburgh Regional Transit park-and-ride lot on McKnight Road near Ashton Commons.

For more information, visit townofmccandless.org.