The 2nd Annual Liberty Alumni Day held at Liberty High School in Bethlehem.

A lone bagpiper in full uniform stood at the top bleacher in the Liberty High School gymnasium, playing as scores of alumni, staff and students looked on from below.

Then drums outside the gym started beating and the Pipe and Drum section of Liberty's Grenadier Band came marching in, performing the rousing "Scotland the Brave" which filled the cavernous hall. The crowd cheered.

Not for the first time that day, Susan Redline got choked up.

"It brings tears to my eyes," said Redline, of the Liberty Class of 1964. "The memories, the band, the bagpipes. My father played in the band, he also played in the alumni band. My father was president of his class and he'd be proud."

Redline was among those returning to their alma mater Saturday for Liberty's second annual Alumni & Community Day. Students, staff, alums and community members took part in activities that began at 11 a.m. and were slated to run until 9:15 p.m.

Events included performances by several Liberty music groups, the alumni band and community musicians. Students led tours of the high school for those returning and manned an activities fair to showcase some of their clubs and projects.

A silent auction was held to raise funds for some of Liberty's new initiatives, including transforming the library into a complete technology center.

On tap for Saturday evening was a community bonfire and the "Mr. Liberty" contest, in which high school seniors vie for the title in a kind of spoof of a beauty pageant.

The day was designed to reinforce the bonds Liberty has to its alumni and the community and get both more involved in the school and students' success.

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Liberty alums return to mingle and mentor