It's been a year of celebration for South Suburban Parks and Recreation, marking 50 years of community events and organization for residents.

On Oct. 29, memories from nearly a quarter-century were retrieved from a time capsule placed in the wall of an addition to the Goodson Recreation Center in Centennial in 1988.

The memory retrieval involved more than a little work with a time capsule that staff found was built to last, to say the least.

While SSPR board members and directors found lag bolts relatively easy to removed from the plaque on the brick wall over the capsule's hiding place, the interior wooden frame around the metal box took further work and a few more tools to remove.

Then the real work began.

The metal box was removed to the front of the center, where an audience of officials and members watched as tough sealing caulking around the edges was laboriously removed, and more bolts holding the box tight were found on the top, along with instructions for removing them and opening it.

After additiional tool work, including a drill, screwdriver and hammer, a a bit of elbow grease, the top yielded and the recovery could get underway.

Inside were momentos of past rec center events, local health magazines, maps of the facility and grounds, photos of past events, an old rec center budget, a mysterious envelope with instructions it wasn't to be opened for 25 more years, even a 1988 lottery ticket and, wouldn't you know it - new bolts for putting the substantial time capsule box back together again.

Suggestions are being taken for what should go into the time capsule, which is to be sealed up again in the near future - to be reopened in another quarter-century.