CONNORVILLE — Buckeye Local High School will hold its Second Annual Kara Bright Classic on Friday, which will also feature a dedication of the new bleachers provided through the event’s namesake.

Principal Luke Parsons said the double-header will get underway at 3 p.m. with the JV boys’ basketball team taking on Bellaire, followed by the varsity boys’ team around 4 p.m. The bleacher dedication will be held at 5:30 p.m. and the classic continues with the JV girls’ team facing off against Edison at 6 p.m. with the Lady Panthers varsity team playing around 7 p.m. Admission costs $5 for adults and $3 for students and Parsons said the event also brings the Panther Gymnasium’s makeover to a close.

Parsons hoped to have officials with the Kara Bright Foundation on hand for the dedication, saying the organization has been a staunch supporter of the school. The foundation, which is named for Brightway Center founder and former Buckeye Local teacher and coach Kara Bright, provided a grant for the $315,000 bleacher replacement project. The replacement was conducted by Farnham Equipment of Ohio and concluded an estimated $400,000 upgrade of the Panther gym. The site also received $80,000 for paintwork and new hardwood flooring bearing Bright’s moniker following a prior contribution while the BLHS PRIDE campaign additionally defrayed a $6,300 mural by the Barn Artist Scott Hagan.

Foundation officials announced plans to finance the bleacher project during a ribbon-cutting ceremony last fall for the Kara Bright Court dedication. The project included the removal and replacement of seating that was original to the building and was more than 30 years old. Work was completed in August while Ohio Floors, the same company that installed the new hardwood last year, buffed and waxed the floor in preparation of the sports season.

Parsons said the updates mean so much to the school and will provide a lasting tribute to Bright for generations to come.

“The generosity of the Kara Bright Foundation and what they were able to do for Buckeye Local High School has been amazing,” he added. “They’ve brought the pride back…and it’s a great feeling for the alumni and future Panthers coming in. It’s giving them a place to show off and utilize and we’ll always be grateful to the Kara Bright Foundation for this.”

Bright, who once taught and coached in the Dillonvale-Smithfield school systems, later developed the Brightway Center on his Smithfield farm as a recreational center for area youth. He passed away in 2005 and the Brightway Center dissolved in 2022, while the foundation has continued to carry on his legacy through community support.