After months of anticipation the time has arrived for the dedication of the new Grand Valley High School.

Garfield County School District No. 16 will be dedicating the new Grand Valley High School at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 3. The public is invited to attend this special occasion.

The dedication ceremony will recognize those who have made significant contributions to the completion of this project. During the festivities the architect company, LKA Partners, Inc., will turn the building over to the contractors, FCI Constructors.

The building will be passed through the ranks of those involved, finally being turned over into the capable hands of the student body of Grand Valley High School.

An open house and reception will follow the ceremony. Staff will be on hand to answer questions about the building and various programs that are offered.

Festivities surrounding the new school don’t end there.

On Monday, Oct. 7, the Masonic Grand Lodge of Colorado will lay a cornerstone at the new school at 2 p.m. The public is invited and encouraged to attend this ancient ceremony.

The ceremony of laying a cornerstone is well-documented, beginning in the 13th century in Scotland. Cornerstones have been laid in hundreds of public buildings, schools, churches and government buildings over te last 200 years. George Washington laid the cornerstone in the Capitol Building in Washington D.C., and Benjamin Franklin did the honors at Independence Hall in Philadelphia.

On Friday, Oct. 11, the Grand Valley High School Booster Club will be hosting a tailgate party before the homecoming game against Plateau Valley. This is a fund-raiser for the Booster Club. The grill will fire up at approximately 5 p.m.

Sandy Hanson is the public information director for Garfield County School District No. 16.