Seventh annual Recovery in the Streets brings Saturday celebration

Change Center Director Alesha Burgman, left, and Program Coordinator Kathleen Bishop display the 2026 Recovery in the Streets T-shirt. The event is held each year as part of National Recovery Month. Staff Photo: Alan Mauldin

ALBANY – Organizers are hoping the seventh Recovery in the Streets will be the biggest and best ever, with another lineup of fun, music and resources lined up for the annual National Recovery Month celebration.

The 2026 edition for Recovery in the Streets is slated for 2-6 p.m. on Saturday outside the Flint RiverQuarium located at the intersection of Pine Avenue and North Front Street.

“Recovery is for every person, every family, every community,” Kathleen Bishop, program coordinator at the Change Center, said.

Albany’s Recovery Month event has become the largest in the state, and last year drew 1,012 attendees. It is sponsored by the Change Center, an Albany addiction recovery support center, Aspire Behavioral Health and Developmental Disability Services, and a number of sponsors in the community.

“We’re hoping for bigger numbers this year,” Change Center Director Alesha Burgman said. “It’s grown every year. If we could get 1,500 or more out there, we would love it.”

Saturday’s Recovery in the Streets will include four vendors, with 300 free food tickets available. A free all-day raffle will have a prize drawing at 5 p.m. of a $500 grocery card. 

A kid’s corner will feature a bounce house, game truck, face painting, treasure chest and games.

“We’ll have live music and a DJ,” Burgman said. “There will be over 20 vendors (including) agencies from the community with resources. Several churches will be present.”

The Change Center director invited individuals in recovery and their family members and the community at large to show up.

Among the topics speakers will address are the state’s amnesty law that allows individuals who call for assistance for someone having an overdose to avoid prosecution for small amounts of illegal substances as well as Narcan training and free doses of Narcan.

Narcan is the brand name for naloxone, a medication that can reverse the effects of an opioid overdose.

“We know that recovery is for the entire community,” Burgman said. “It affects us all, so we want to come together and celebrate. We hope every part of the community is there: parents, kids, not just individuals who may have challenges, but their loved ones.”