By Tyler Maheu
EAGLE TIMES STAFF
CLAREMONT – On Saturday, June 10, the Stevens High School Alumni Association will host its 152nd Annual Alumni Day Celebration.
The oldest active high school alumni association in the United States, the group was begun by a group of students from the Class of 1871. Every year since, except for 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, Alumni Day has been celebrated in Claremont.
“It’s a case where it’s nice to have a lot of folks make their way back to their hometown,” Claremont Mayor Dale Girard said about the importance of the weekend. “It means a lot to the people still living here to see all these former graduates come back and celebrate here.”
This year’s event will kick-off with the Alumni Parade at 10:30 a.m. Featured in the parade will be the Claremont Middle School and Stevens High School Marching bands, alongside a Dixieland band, a rock band, a few “fife and drum corps” and others.
Numerous vehicles, including the famous Leapin’ Lena, will be riding along in the parade, in addition to the small cars, trucks and motorcycles of the Mt. Sinai Shriners.
American Pride is this year’s parade theme, helping to create a cohesive atmosphere for the event. Invited to ride along are this year’s graduating class, the Class of 2023, as well as classes hitting their milestone anniversaries. This year’s procession is set to feature floats and individuals from as far back as the Class of 1953 and beyond.
“You at least have your every five-year reunion class coming back, and they bring their families with them,” Girard said when asked to estimate how many people the parade and weekend bring into the city. “It is hard to come up with a number, but the streets get pretty well-packed.”
The parade will begin at Stevens High School on Broad Street and take the following route: Right turn onto South Street, right turn onto Pleasant Street, left turn onto Summer Street, slight right turn onto Mulberry Street, right turn onto Sullivan Street, through Opera House Square to Broad Street, before finishing back at Stevens High School.
The Eagle Times will continue to preview Alumni Day events throughout the coming week.
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