How to Be a Superhero?
How to Be a Superhero?
Super Hero Training Camp at the Seneca Allegany Community Center, March 29th
Photos / SACC
From a superhero-themed fair booth that benefits a community to a successful training camp for superheroes, the Seneca Allegany Community Center in Salamanca, NY is hosting its first ever Superhero Training Camp on Saturday, March 29th.
In summer 2024, Elizabeth Lingenfelter, the idea originator and manager of the training camp, mapped out a superhero-themed fair booth for the Allegany County Fair. Sponsored by Armstrong, the booth’s mission was to collect donations and non-perishable food items for its Breaking Bread initiative.
The slogan became: What’s more superhero than helping the community? Lingenfelter conjured up various superhero activities for the stand but faced the challenge of limited space. Undeterred, she reached out to Seven Mountains Media, a trusted business partner, envisioning an Armstrong-sponsored superhero-themed participation event.
She hoped that with their support, they could transform her ideas into reality with a suitable platform for the activity stations. “They were amazing and really helped me bring my dream to life,” said Lingenfelter regarding Seven Mountains Media.
Although Lingenfelter and her team were confident in the level of engagement for the training camp, the turnout exceeded their expectations. Over 250 kids attended the training camp at Good Times in Olean. “It was wall-to-wall with kids, their parents, volunteers, superheroes, and villains,” Lingenfelter remarked. The premier of the first Superhero Training Camp was a tremendous team victory. The team successfully enlisted local radio stations to help staff the event and cover costs, ensuring the training camp remained free for the community.
Instead of charging an entrance fee, participants and their families were asked to bring non-perishable food items to be donated to the Olean Food Pantry, in line with the slogan: What’s more superhero than helping the community? “The kids and their families helped us collect well over 1,000 pounds of food,” Lingenfelter said. “It was a mind-boggling success for an event planned in just over a month.”
The Seneca Salamanca Chamber of Commerce and the Seneca Allegany Community Center collaborated closely with Lingenfelter’s team and local radio stations to bring the event to Salamanca this year. After touring the Community Center with 30 station ideas, Lingenfelter narrowed it down to an energetic list of 25.
The training camp will give kids the opportunity to engage in a variety of activities from 10:00am till 3:00pm, such as creating their superhero personas with unique names, powers, catchphrases, and stances. They can participate in a news interview with Sammy Stone, sharing how they saved the city. Kids can also test their agility on an obstacle course, their speed in a sprint, their aim with powerful hammer throws, and their mental prowess with problem-solving tasks. Every superhero needs a disguise, which they can craft at the station that includes mask and shield-making areas, superhero-themed bracelets, and custom event coloring sheets.
The camp will also have two water-based activities at the ACC’s pool: one allows brave kids to navigate a floating obstacle course while a villain tries to knock them off course. Other superheroes on the sidelines will use water blasters to distract the villain and help their fellow hero cross the course. “The event is a fun mix of physical and mental exercise, both of which are detrimental to the success of all superheroes!”
While the past event focused on giving back to the food pantries, the Salamanca event will focus on community growth and development in other ways. The Superhero Training Camp coincides with the Kids Creation Market, offering kids ages 7-17 the chance to sell their own merchandise. All the vendors are young entrepreneurs, providing them with valuable experience and boosting their confidence to grow their budding businesses. So far, 14 vendors have signed up. “Our goal is to give these kids the opportunity to sell their creations at our event, supporting them not only financially, but also fostering their social, entrepreneurial, and problem-solving skills by providing a platform designed for their success.” The idea was that the training camp could “encourage more traffic to support the young vendors.”
The training camp remains free, but support for the youth vendors is deeply appreciated. Ages 5-12 is the recommended age group for the training camp, but all ages are welcome, and no one is turned away. Although there are many physical activities available, they also offer a variety of accessible options for those who may not be able to participate in the physical stations. “We want people to make this experience their own, whether they want to do all 25 stations or do 5; our goal is for everyone to have fun while supporting a good cause.”
Registration for the event is not required but is greatly appreciated. To encourage registration, the first 200 who register will receive a free Superhero Training Camp T-Shirt. Anyone interested in registering for the event can go to any of the following radio stations’ websites to register:
The Big Pig: https://wpig.com/2025/02/23/superhero-training-camp-2/
Pop Radio 101: https://popradio101.com/2025/02/23/superhero-training-camp-2/
Big Oly: https://bigolyradio.com/2025/02/23/superhero-training-camp-2/
GOAT Rock: https://goatrockradio.com/2025/02/23/superhero-training-camp-2/
The Superhero Training Camp at the Seneca Allegany Community Center in Salamanca, NY is shaping up to be an unmissable event for superheroes of all ages. Don't miss out on the opportunity to join the superhero fun and support a great cause!