For more than four decades, Loring Arena has played an important role in the community of Framingham and surrounding towns. Now, as we approach the community center's 50th anniversary, the Loring Arena Legacy Foundation is trying to help this vital civic resource recapture its former glory.

In the early 1960's the Arena was built to give area residents of all ages a chance to gather and enjoy one another's company. Loring Arena was named after Edward F. Loring, an educator and motivator who cared about the future of Framingham. He understood the importance of recreational options for children and young adults. Now, more than ever, we need local options to help residents build strong bonds with one another -- and with the town they live in.

The Loring Arena Legacy Foundation has been created to promote and support the Arena and to once again make it a year-round gathering place for local residents. Our initial goal is to raise money for the modernization of the facility, improving all aspects of the Arena and making it a true civic center that can host events 12 months a year. In addition to our long-term goals of renovating the building, we will support improvements of the existing structure through fund-raising and increased civic awareness.

Our goals are as ambitious as the generation of Framingham citizens who decided to build Loring Arena. It was an important cause then; it's an important cause now.

Loring Arena is the home of weekly public skating, the BayPath Figure Skating Club, Framingham Youth Hockey, and many school and college sporting events. In previous decades, it was also the home of trade shows and circuses during the summer. More than 50,000 people visit the Arena annually. The Foundation is committed to ensure that another generation of families in the area can enjoy this historic facility for another 40 years.