Newton Alumni Weekend: Cardinals return to roost

When Newton alumni are told to show up, they show up.

If the past two years of huge crowds gathering around the downtown district and the courtyard of Legacy Plaza are any indication, the Newton High School Alumni Weekend continues to draw Cardinals back to their nest for full nights of camaraderie and celebration. It’s a joyous time to say the least.

Mark Hallam, a Newton Cardinal and city council member, acknowledges the alumni association is still going strong in bringing classmates back for their reunion. After a couple years of decline, Hallam said it has been heartwarming to see the big turnouts in 2021 and 2022. It was “absolutely packed,” he said.

“I love the Friday night all-classes event because you see people from every different graduating year,” Hallam said. “I also see retired teachers who show up. I see the parents and siblings of my friends from high school.”

The Newton High School Alumni Association was founded in 1881 — when the very first reunion was held — by none other than Emerson Hough himself. The reunion weekend has taken many forms over the years, but by the mid-1960s it had settled into a routine that closely resembles today’s format.

Typically, the weekend begins with an all-class reunion held Friday night, followed by a brunch at the high school on Saturday morning and then individual class reunions on Saturday night with decorated windows downtown, oftentimes referred to as the “weekend window walk.”

“As I see it, it’s an amazing tradition for a small town like this,” Hallam said.

Over the years, the Friday night all-class reunions were held at various locations like the Elks and the Iowa Speedway’s Newton Club before settling on Legacy Plaza. Hallam said in 2014 the association and the high school added the Newton Hall of Fame ceremony to the Saturday brunch.

Five years later the association included the Jack Chadwick Golf Tournament to its list of activities, showing that the group is still wanting to grow outside its usual traditions. The money collected from these events go towards the association’s scholarship fund for graduates of Newton High School.

“We also do fundraising for high school projects. For example, the new Cardinal benches out in front of Newton High School. That was coordinated by the alumni association,” Hallam said. “We also did fundraising for the cross-country team in 2020 and 2021.”

The all-class reunion is 6 p.m. June 9 at Legacy Plaza. The cover charge is $5 per person with complimentary hors d’oeuvres, which supports the Newton chapter of Dollars for Scholars. Murph & Mary’s Pub will be the alcohol vendor. Gezellig Brewing and food trucks will be available at the venue too.

Classes will be assigned their tables. The Class of 1978 will be selling Pee Chee T-Shirts as part of their ongoing philanthropy efforts towards the high school. The booster club will be selling items as well. Tickets for the reunion can be purchased at the entrance.

The Saturday brunch and hall of fame will start at 9:30 a.m. at the high school upper gym. Tickets are $15 per person.

Hallam said, “That’s an opportunity to see some people who are Cardinal alumni who have really performed at a stellar level at their professions.”