The historic Scranton Iron Furnaces are getting a new spark this fall as Valley In Motion brings a series of arts and cultural events to the site with Fall at the Furnaces.
It will kick off this weekend with the Good Things Are Happening music festival, and will continues throughout the fall with a Broadway music performance by Scranton Shakespeare Festival and 3D projection art installation to mark the start of the Scranton Fringe Festival.
“This is an opportunity for people to see the Scranton Iron Furnaces,” said Gus Fahey, president of Valley in Motion. “It's this terrific historic site that's right at the center of Scranton's founding.”
'The central place in Scranton's history'
Located at 159 Cedar Ave. near the Steamtown National Historic Site, the massive stone blast furnaces are the remnants of what became the Lackawanna Iron and Steel Company, once one of the nation’s most important producers of iron.
Founded in 1840 by George W. and Selden Scranton, the firm had the largest iron production capacity in the United States by 1865. Around the plant, communities developed and immigrants came to work and build railroads.
The City of Scranton is named in honor of the founders.
“It's the central place in Scranton's history that really talks about the importance that Scranton was to the whole nation at that time,” Fahey said.
The Scranton Iron Furnaces are administered by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission and are supported by the Anthracite Heritage Museum and Iron Furnaces Associates.
Valley In Motion, in partnership with the operators and additional partners, has worked to activate and improve access to the site.
“The Scranton Iron Furnaces is an underutilized, underappreciated venue,” Fahey said. “At Valley In Motion, we're very interested in activating important public spaces, and so we'd like to see more kinds of these programs at the iron furnaces.”
Fall at the Furnaces event details
● The first Fall at the Furnaces event kicks off at noon Saturday, Sept. 12, with a day of music, art, food, drink and vendors at the fifth annual Good Things Are Happening Fest.
The festival lineup includes nearly a dozen performances, including from local artists, and is headlined by math rock and emo band Pool Kids.
All ages are welcome. Tickets are $35 and can be purchased online.
● The next event is the Scranton Shakespeare Festival’s “September Serenades, a free, family-friendly evening of Broadway music performed by vocalists and an orchestra. It will start at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 19.
● The final event is the free Scranton Fringe Festival Launch Event from 6 to 9 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 1, and Friday, Oct. 2. It will feature 3D projection art installations on the furnaces, as well as artisans and food and drink vendors.
Projection presentations will be at about 7:45 and 8:30 p.m. each evening. The Friday event will also be part of October’s First Friday Scranton art walk.
For more information, visit valleyinmotion.org.
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