As the sun dipped below the horizon, light continued to bathe the soccer field at Keach Park.
Residents and soccer players embraced and celebrated. They got their phones out to record the long-awaited moment. A decade after the first group of Keach Park advocates went down to the city council to ask for lights, their wish was finally granted.
Martin Toe, one of the original proponents for the lights and former lead organizer of Change for Concord, started off the evening by grilling.
He grilled burgers and hot dogs to feed all the people who were there from the beginning, and the kids who had just joined.
The cookout brought together people from the community alongside city representatives for the occasion. The lights officially turned on at 8:15 p.m. on Wednesday, June 3, 2026.
Toe was overjoyed alongside other community organizers, Fisto Ndayishimiye and city councilor Ali Sekou, and many other friends. It was a long time coming.
“The building of the community, I think that’s the most exciting thing and plus safety is number one,” Toe said.
Former lead organizer of Change for Concord, Martin Toe, manned the grill at the Keach Park lighting ceremony on June 3, 2026. Credit: ALEXANDER RAPP / Monitor 
Hope Project NH lead organizer Lois Numbi of Manchester addressed the crowd before the lights came on at Keach Park. Credit: ALEXANDER RAPP / Monitor
Much has changed in the last decade. The organization that pushed the lights forward, called Change for Concord, has renamed itself Hope Project New Hampshire.
New lead organizer, 24-year-old Lois Numbi of Manchester, found her passion for community organizing while pursuing a master’s degree at Suffolk University.
She wasn’t around for the start of it all, but she’s ready to carry the torch forward.
That’s why the rebrand is so important, she said, because it’s all about giving hope to young people in Concord and around the state.
“I’m very excited because I do think that there will be a lot of value with young adults from Concord and Manchester working together,” Numbi said.
The communities have a lot of similarities demographically and if they can work toward improving the quality of life in both places, it will be a net benefit for both cities.
Concord residents gathered at Keach Park to celebrate the soccer field lights coming on after a decade-long movement to install lights for sport, community and safety. Credit: ALEXANDER RAPP / Monitor 
(L to R) David Gill, Fred Keach, Byron Champlin, Fisto Ndayishimiye and Martin Toe were happy to stand together under the new lights at Keach Park. Credit: ALEXANDER RAPP / Monitor
Before the lights glowed, at-large councilor Fred Keach spoke briefly about his father, who the park is named after. Keach would have loved to see the lights — he cared deeply about public spaces and athletics, both important elements of a community’s social fabric.
“He always said the Heights park was the hardest working park in the city,” Keach said. “And it is because it’s always full.”
Mayor Byron Champlin highlighted how the project represented persistent activism and engagement with city government. He recognized the ups and downs of the project and the frustration that people felt as it got delayed.
He thanked the crowd for their patience, perseverance and engagement. An engaged citizenry can make things happen, he remarked.
In addition to the new lighted field at Keach Park, the city has three lighted fields at Memorial Field Complex, which is due for an overhaul.
On Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays, the field will be available for rent for leagues and organized groups from dusk to 10 p.m. Other nights, it will be open for pickup soccer on the same schedule.
