~courtesy of The Scranton Journal
Faithful graduates of Scranton Consolidated High School are returning to their home town this weekend. The Scranton All Alumni Reunion has activities scheduled on Friday and Saturday at the Scranton Community Center (the former school building and gymnasium).
Originally scheduled for 2020, the event was postponed due to the COVID pandemic in 2020 and 2021. With the nation returning to normal activities, the decision was made to move forward with this year’s event.
Graduates received a mailing earlier this year with details. Registrations were due by May 27 but some late registrations will be handled by the committee.
All graduates, whether they plan to attend the reunion or not, are asked to pay $5 each as Alumni dues. These funds provide the “seed money” for the next reunion and other expenses.
The fun begins on Friday, June 17. Barrell Smoke BBQ will be onsite to provide food with a beverage garden hosted by the Scranton Fire Department, beginning at 7 p.m.
Bring your lawn chairs and enjoy catching up with your friends. Live music by Bad Authority from Carroll will provide entertainment 8 to 10 p.m. These activities will take place in the parking lot on the south and east side of the building.
Saturday (June 18) the new Greene County High School and Career Academy will be open from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. for guided or self-guided tours. The new building is located off Highway 30 at Greenewood Road, just west of the junction of Highways 4 and 30 in Jefferson.
Scranton resident Misty Bettey will meet people at the north entrance of the school at 11 a.m. and at 12:30 p.m. to conduct the tours.
People are welcome to come at other times but will be on their own for viewing the state-of-the-art facility.
Alumni registration begins at 3 p.m. at the Scranton Community Center. About 300 graduates and friends have registered and plan to eat the meal which is catered by Lidderdale County Store. Serving with the “most experienced” graduates first will begin at 5 p.m.
Scranton Classes of 1955 and older should enter through the doors on the west side of the building by the gymnasium where their registration will be located. Classes of 1956 through the current years will find their registration through the east doors in City Hall.
The Fire Department beverage garden will open at 3 p.m. Bass Makers DJ and Sound Service of Jefferson will provide the entertainment for the evening.
For late breaking information, visit the Facebook pages: “I grew up in Scranton Iowa” and “Scranton Community Center”. Questions can be emailed to info@scrantonhigh.com .
The last Jefferson-Scranton school classes were held in the Scranton School building in May of 2008. In February of 2010, the building ownership was transferred to the City of Scranton.
Volunteers along with a Community Center Advisory Board continue to work on the facility for the benefit of local citizens. With the cooperation of the City, private donors and grants, many improvements have been made to the facility. The community continues to work to add value to the building.
There have been many changes to the Community Center since the 2015 reunion. The Scranton Memory Room has been remodeled and updated. This room stores a lot of memories of the Scranton School system as well as the Scranton community.
There have been numerous structural projects completed to make sure the building continues to stand strong. The brick was tuck pointed and sealed; a new roof covering the two-story portion and City Hall was installed along with some new windows. There is a new exterior on City Hall. Security has been enhanced with the addition of electronic keyless entry and cameras throughout the building.
Future plans call for remodeling the gym entrance and updating the restrooms with new fixtures and better handicapped accessibility. A generator has been secured so that the facility can function as a shelter in cases of severe weather.
