What an accomplishment! 150 years for our distinguished Stevens High School Alumni Association (1871 to 2021).
We are so proud to be the oldest active high school alumni association in the country. And we are ready to celebrate the past 150 years with a fantastic alumni parade. Even with the past two years of a pandemic, we have not lost our focus in making sure this organization has remained active.
Even though we were not able to have in-person meetings or our annual weekend event in 2020, we still managed to keep our alumni association active and our membership informed. Remember, if we should stop our meetings and activities and fundraisers, we would lose our active status. The scholarship funds are safe and secure, and we will be able to help Stevens students with monetary scholarships for many years to come. As long as we, as an organization, continue to work together to keep our unique status of being the oldest active organization, we will keep our traditions alive. Don’t forget, this Stevens Alumni Association is special because of the traditions and history we have kept alive over the years. And we will continue to do so with your help!
Now, with all that said, let’s make this Stevens Alumni Association 150th weekend celebration a very special event to add to Alumni history.
Just imagine how proud those 12 students who graduated in 1871 would be to see us now and how far we have come. Who would have known, Mr. Paran Stevens, what you started when you donated that first $10,000 to build a high school here in Claremont?
On Saturday, Oct. 2, SHS alumni will kickoff our 150th celebration weekend with the much anticipated parade. You can look at it like a double parade with two anniversary classes for every five-year class. Just for instance, 1950 will be next to 1951, 1955 next to 1956 and so on through 2020; and this year, 2021. How wonderful is that? Being able to mingle with friends you probably have not seen for many years will be extra special.
Take advantage, for it will probably not happen again. Please be a part of this parade, and help make it the huge success we know it can be. Call Dick Girard at 603-543-6398 or go to our website and register your class. It does not have to be a float per say; you can walk, you can ride in cars or even ride a bike, please support this parade in some manner. If you don’t, you will wish you did, and if you did, you can be proud to say “I was a part of that 150th Alumni Weekend event.” Who knows, some of you are young enough to be among those who will plan our 200th alumni celebration.
Among the marching units are 14 bands, fife and drum units, pipe bands, Bektash and specialty entries coming from Vermont, Massachusets, Connecticut, New York and of course, New Hampshire. As of now, we have more than 17 class floats registered and hope that even more will decide to participate in this special parade. It’s not too late.
The parade will start at 10:30 a.m. and will start lining up by 9:00 a.m. along Broad St., and will wind up by Middle School toward West Pleasant, and toward the center of town. It will detour at the Elks and take a left onto Summer Street and then right onto Pearl Street and proceed to Central Street, up Main Street and around the Bull Penn and then back onto Broad Street, where it will disband.
The Annual Business Meeting will be held in the SHS Cafeteria at the high school with a light luncheon served. The meeting time is set for 2:00 p.m. but we have no way of knowing how long the parade will last, so we are guesstimating the time. You can always visit with class mates and friends while waiting for it to begin.
As everyone should know by now, there will be no banquet this year. We will keep everyone posted as to the possibility of one for 2022.
The Chilli Cook-Off will be held at the Visitors Center on North Street from noon ‘til 4:00 p.m. We will have free entertainment from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. following the cook-off Entertainment will be provided to the public by The Backwoods Axe Co Band so bring a blanket, a chair or listen from your car.
As this is all new to us, we have no way of knowing how successful the alumni weekend will be, but we do know that we are working hard to make it a memorable weekend. There are a a number of members coming from as far away as California to enjoy the festivities, so let’s not disappoint them. Take part in your class parties and get-to-gethers, enjoy the parade and Chilli Cook-Off sponsored by the Greater Claremont Chamber of Commerce, and for sure buy a 150th Tee-shirt to support the Alumni Association. For every Tee-shirt sold, we make $10, so keep the orders coming. Check with the Ink Factory for more details on this fund raiser.
The following classes have registered floats for the parade:
1955 – Tram; 1956 – Graduation Day; 1961 – Commemorating Flight of Alan Shepherd; 1964 – Salute to 150 years SHS; 1970 – SHS Checkers; 1971 – SMHS Candyland; 1980 — Claremont Monopoly; 1981 – Scrabble; 1990 – Pass Out; 1996 – Keeping the ‘90s Burning; 2001 – Guess Who; 2005 – Disneyland 50th Anniversary; 2006 – Celebrating Facebook; 2008 – Battleship; 2010 – Jumanji; 2015 – Hungry, Hungry, Hippo; 2020 – Cards Against Humanity; RVCC – Game of Life.
If your class is looking for transportation, again, contact Dick Girard and he will provide a vehicle for you to ride in. Please let him know asap as it takes time to plan. Floats need to be registered ASAP as Dick and his committee need time to plan space for all units. Please contact Dick Girard via phone or text at 603-543-6398 with any questions about the parade, it is not too late to register a float.
As your daily newspaper, we are committed to providing you with important local news coverage for Sullivan County and the surrounding areas.