Stanton citizens, alumni celebrate 2015 homecoming
STANTON – More than 2,000 people are expected to swell Stanton’s population this weekend for the community’s 2015 Homecoming Celebration.
Hosted every five years in the small Swedish town of 700, the 2015 version promises to include more participants and attendees, as well as the dedication of the famed coffee pot water tower.
“We are pretty excited, as we have been planning this event for over a year now,” event chair Jenna Hart Ramsey said. “There is definitely something for everyone, young and old … [and] currently, all of our registration numbers are up from the last event with more than 600 Stanton alumni, family, past residents and friends pre-registering for the event.”
The highlight of the weekend will be the dedication of the coffee pot portion of the water tower. The tower was dismantled in April with the iconic coffee pot moved to the Swedish Heritage and Cultural Center for display.
The coffee pot water tower will be dedicated at 10 a.m. outside the heritage center.
Following that ceremony, a second dedication ceremony is scheduled inside the center at 10:30 a.m. A new baseball exhibit, including a collection of vintage gloves, balls, bats, pictures, posters, water pump and cup are among the items on display in the Center’s north room.
The four-day celebration begins Thursday with a car show on Broad Avenue starting at 6 p.m., followed by an ice cream social and bingo at 7 p.m. A cemetery walk is scheduled to start at 9 p.m. in Mamrelund Cemetery.
Friday, the new Viking Center and the adjacent Stanton school will host an open house from 3-6 p.m. while the Mills/Montgomery County Cattleman’s Assoication serve food from 5-7 p.m.
“The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallonquist” starts at 7:30 p.m. on the stage at the football field, followed by a street dance/concert at 9 p.m.
Other events Saturday include a BBQ competition on Main Street starting at 5 a.m., a community pancake breakfast from 7-9 a.m. at the fire station; a fun run at 7:30 a.m. at Anderson Park; a softball tournament at 9 a.m. at Anderson Park; the Rosy Rossander 4-person golf tournament at 9 a.m. at the Villisca Country Club; a fun day at Anderson Park from 11 a.m.-2 p.m.; and a community meal from 5-7 at the Viking Center. A street dance featuring DJ Dylan Kinser is scheduled for 7-9 p.m. on Broad Avenue.
The celebration ends Sunday with a Swedish Pancake Breakfast at the Cast Iron Café and the 145th anniversary celebration at Mamrelund Lutheran Church.
Ramsey said she has received registration information from people not only all around the country, but the world.
“So far, we have people registered from over 25 states and three countries, including Denmark and Sweden,” she said. “We are even preparing for a couple of VIP guests, including U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst and Danny Feld, son of Stanton’s own Virginia Christine, who has not been back to Stanton in over 50 years.”
Ramsey noted how the community has rallied to sponsor this large event.
“One of my favorite things about this event is watching our town work together,” she said. “By the end of the day on Sunday, we will have over 350 residents of the community (over half the town) volunteer in some way to put this event on and show off our community pride.”
For more information on the celebration, including locations and pricing, go to stantioniowa.com or “like” Stanton Homecoming on Facebook.