I’m writing this post just after midnight. That means it’s officially Thanksgiving Day. Every year since I’ve moved to Kentucky from my home town Thanksgiving morning has been a time of longing for me. While I do miss my Pennsylvania family very much the one thing I really miss on Thanksgiving morning is the local high school football game.
The traditional rivalry game between The Stateliners of Phillipsburg High School in Phillipsburg, New Jersey and the Red Rovers of Easton, Pennsylvania has been going on for over 100 years. My entire life the game has been as much a part of Thanksgiving Day as turkey and candied yams.
There’s a big build up about the game from the end of October until Turkey day. The schools have bonfires (one the night before the game and one the night after, if they win.) There are public pep rallies and lots of press coverage. Because the demand for tickets to see the game it is played at the field of a local college, Lafayette College
I went to every game during my high school years and even some after I graduated. My senior year my friend, Phil, and I set up a video camera and microphones and did a very amateur version of the play by play. This was years before the game was on local television. I still have a copy of audio highlights from that game.
A couple of years ago my brother-in-law video taped the game for me and I got to see it a few days later. It was cool but it wasn’t the same. Thanks to the internet I have found a way to keep track of the game on a blog page from the Lehigh Valley area. I’m hoping to find a web page that will let me at least listen to the radio broadcast on streaming audio.
So while every Thanksgiving I’m very happy to be spending the day with my family in Kentucky there will always be a part of me that longs to be at the Easton P’burg game. As far as I’m concerned there’s really only one place to be Thanksgiving morning and that’s Fisher Field.
Perhaps one day I’ll make plans to go back to my home town in order to spend the holiday with my PA family and I can go to the game. Until then I have to do what I can to follow the game from here as I console my heart with the promise that I will do my best to one day once again be part of what I consider a very special Thanksgiving Day tradition.
POST SCRIPT: The 2008 Easton/Phillipsburg football game is history. Phillipsburg was the favorite going in with a 9-1 record to Easton's 5-5 record. Easton won 35-14. :(
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