The Lackawanna Historical Society to Screen Local Documentaries

This season, the Lackawanna Historical Society will offer a special treat for the community with screenings of two local history documentaries at the Ritz Theater on Sunday, December 17 at 2 pm. 

The program begins with the Cannon Fire 2023 production “Stories from the Block: Remembering Scranton’s Wholesale District”.  From the 1870s through the 1960s, Scranton’s Wholesale Block stretched along Lackawanna Avenue from the Lackawanna River to Mifflin Avenue, serving a hub of commercial activity as fresh produce and other goods were unloaded at nearby railroad freight depots.  “Stories from the Block” focuses on some of the businesses that operated on the block and highlights how the city’s commercial activities reflected periods of growth and decline through the years. The project was produced by Cannon Fire Productions, with funding support from private donations, the Lackawanna Heritage Valley, and the Spitz Foundation. The work of filmmakers Bob Savakinus and Timothy Novotney features interviews with individuals like former Scranton Mayor Gene Peters, who remembered the wholesale district, and also explores the adjacent commercial district as well.

The wholesale block film will be followed by a screening of “Rocky Glen Park”. This 2009 documentary presents a history and overview of one of our region’s most beloved sites and celebrates 101 years of how the park brought laughter and recreation in the Wyoming and Lackawanna Valleys.

Admission is $10 at the door. There will be no advance ticket sales. For more information about the program, contact the Lackawanna Historical Society at 570-344-3841 or email lackawannahistory@gmail.com.