It’s not hard to see why Festa Italiana has become the unofficial reunion weekend for Bradford’s wandering natives.

The downtown summer festival casts a celebratory light on city. It has all the ingredients for a good time: Good food, good friends, good music, good beer.

“It’s just a social gathering,” explained Claudia Quinn, one of the organizers of a gathering for the Bradford Area High School/Bradford Central Christian Class of 1967. “There’s no particular agenda — just kind of renew acquaintances and share a beer.”

Quinn has found that having the reunion at the setting of the festival is more inviting to local people who are reluctant to come to a more formal reunion at another venue. It’s more laid back and less of a commitment.

“We have had excellent attendance at all of our reunions,” she noted. “I think it’s because we’ve offered a variety of venues for people to attend.”

The class held a larger to-do for their 50th reunion in 2017, but this year is more of a mini-reunion.

“We’ve lost quite a few of our classmates,” Quinn said, explaining why they try to hold an annual event. “So we can renew friendships.”

The Class of 1967 will meet from noon to 4 p.m. today in the beer tent at the festival.

For Betty Grennan Wight of Rochester, N.Y., a 1955 graduate of BHS, she comes to the Italian Festival every year to meet old friends.

“It’s wonderful,” she said. “My family is all gone and this brings me back to the good old days.”

She makes a stop at Willow Dale Cemetery each time, too, to walk through “and visit old teachers, neighbors and relatives.”

Wight will be at the festival today to see friends.

For the Bradford Area High School Class of 1958, the festival weekend has served as their reunion weekend for a number of years, according to Larry and June Brown, who help plan the class event.

This year, about 52 alumni were set to gather Thursday at the Bradford Club for their 60-year reunion, about 30 were expected to meet Friday night at Model T in Derrick City. They’ve come from Florida, Texas, New York and across Pennsylvania to attend.

“We have quite a few people from Florida, probably 7 or 8 anyway, and two from Texas,” Larry Brown said.

He noted that it seems like the local classmates are less likely to attend.

“It’s always the people that come from far away that come,” he explained.

The Browns were excited that a classmate who lives in a nursing home in Wellsboro will be able to attend this year, thanks to nursing staff and family who will bring her up for the event. The woman walked with two crutches in school, and her classmates helped her get around.

“She was very appreciative at the 50th reunion,” said June Brown, explaining that she thanked classmates for all the support they offered in high school helping her with tasks such as carrying her books and lunch for her.

The woman had come to about every reunion, but had believed that the 50th one was the last she would be able to attend.

Larry Brown said this was going to be the last individual class reunion for the Class of ’58 but added that classmates will be invited to join the BAHS Alumni Association.

In recent years, the association has renewed activity in the community.

While the association has no Festa weekend activities planned, association member Bill Moore said he knows a number of people who are visiting their hometown for the festival and knows many classes are holding five-year reunions this weekend.

Moore said he always stops by the festival, too, and tries some of the homemade Italian food; the eggplant sandwich is a favorite of his.

“The festival is great,” said Moore. “It’s great for the town.”

Alumni are welcome to attend both their class events in addition to the alumni association banquet, which is held in autumn, Moore said.

“We try to have it in the fall when the leaves are changing,” he explained.

He noted that several classes have opted to do as the Class of ’58 is doing and stop having five-year reunions. Instead, members will take part in the annual alumni association event.

“A lot of times, if there is anything left in their treasury, they donate it to the alumni,” said Moore, who said the money is then used to create a scholarship in that class’s name.

“Anybody from any class can join us,” Moore added. “Our primary mission is to provide scholarships for kids and have a get-together every year.”