Live and Learn with Scranton City Pride and Scranton Tomorrow!

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Do Your Part to Keep Scranton Beautiful

Steve Ward of Scranton Tomorrow leads a group of volunteers in a beautification project in Downtown Scranton. Photo Courtesy of Scranton Tomorrow.

Scranton community organizations join forces to spruce up Downtown Scranton.

What began as a grass roots effort among Scranton Tomorrow volunteers to spruce up neighborhood parks in Scranton 30 years ago has blossomed into a full week of beautification projects, community development initiatives, and educational programs for people of all ages. Mark your calendars: Scranton City Pride projects are coming to a neighborhood near you, June 2-11.

Scranton City Pride Volunteers in 2022. Photo Courtesy of Scranton Tomorrow.

Scranton City Pride is a joint project of Scranton Tomorrow, NeighborWorks Northeastern Pennsylvania, and United Neighborhood Centers of Northeastern Pennsylvania (UNC). This year’s program offers a wealth of opportunities to live and learn. Steve Ward, Project Manager, Safe, Clean, Green and Design Program, Scranton Tomorrow, breaks it down for us like a cardboard box ready for the recycling bin:

Learn how beautification, litter abatement, and rain barrels protect the Lackawanna River and watershed of the Susquehanna River through educational workshops during City Pride week. Gain insight into the environmental benefits of diverting water from your rooftop into rain barrels and learn how to install a rain barrel at home. Contribute to, or simply explore, the City Pride “Idea Garden,” featuring landscape designs that can easily be replicated at home.

Learn on your own by borrowing a book from multiple Little Free Libraries stationed throughout the city. Better yet, donate a gently used book from your collection and inspire someone else.
Learn about art! Take a short walk downtown and peruse murals included in the Scranton Tomorrow Mural Arts Program. Each one has an important message. The Dream mural on the corner of Adams Avenue and Mulberry Street shares a timely message of peace and tolerance. Danseur de Corde at 328 Penn Avenue harkens back to Scranton’s lively Vaudeville past. (Go ahead, make like a flapper and strike a pose at the built-in selfie station on site!). The Good of the Hive mural on the Scranton Civic Ballet Building, Rear 234 Mifflin Avenue, spreads a message of hope through community and connectedness. During City Pride week, we’ll plant a pollinator garden on site, and teach you how to create a version of your own at home.
Learn to be a good neighbor again. Covid made it difficult to connect with the people around us. Fortunately, the worst is behind us. City Pride is a great opportunity to meet new neighbors, and work together with friends on service projects. Volunteer for a project on our schedule or register a project of your own.
Learn about City Pride partners. Scranton Tomorrow, NeighborWorks Northeastern Pennsylvania, and UNC offer so many opportunities and services, during City Pride week and all year around. You can help them, and they can help you.

Gerard Hetman, of NeighborWorks Northeastern PA, clears debris in 2022. Photo Courtesy of Scranton Tomorrow.

Learn from the experts. The Scranton City Pride Celebration at First Friday on June 2 offers an evening of fun and educational opportunities. The event will be held from 5 to 9 p.m. at Scranton Tomorrow headquarters, 307 Linden Street, Downtown Scranton. Highlights include:

Learn how to make your yard beautiful, compost, and grow vegetables with Penn State Master Gardeners in Lackawanna County.
Members of Lackawanna County 4-H will host children’s activities and share information about the group’s STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) projects.
Meet the fine folks who keep you safe. First responders from Scranton’s Fire and Police Departments will be on hand and learn more about city services such as recycling and health services at a Pop-up City Hall.

Aw! We love our volunteers, too. Photo Courtesy of Scranton Tomorrow.

Scranton City Pride is made possible through the generous support of sponsors, including: The University of Scranton, Scranton Area Community Foundation, Lackawanna Heritage Valley Authority, Pennsylvania American Water, and NET Credit Union. The project is an initiative of the Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful program.