Easton has something special

I said last week I’m not a fan of football, and that’s probably still true. But on Thanksgiving, I had the honor and privilege of seeing the entire 100th Easton-Phillipsburg Thanksgiving Day football game from the sidelines.

Was it worth three hours of freezing cold and rain?

You bet.

Despite the inclement weather, or strangely enough, perhaps partially because of it, the day was absolutely magical.

The attention the game received made friends far and wide ask me about it, and the best way I can describe the experience was to say, “I think I now know what it’s like to attend a quidditch match!”

The atmosphere of the day was absolutely surreal. The fog and rain made it seem, at least to me, timeless. With no sun to show the passing of time, those nearly three hours seemed like a period apart from the rest of reality. The crowd’s energy was great, the band played, and the cheerleaders cheered. And in the end, Easton won.

What a great day, one I will remember and treasure...

It was truly a moment for the history books, and I’m not the only one who thought so.

During the game, I had occasion to speak with Eileen Blass. She’s a staff photographer for USA Today and lives in Kennett Square.

She told me she hadn’t missed Thanksgiving with her family in something like two decades, but she made an exception for the Easton-Phillipsburg game—it was that special. She also said that, looking around, there was nowhere else she’d rather be that day.

Despite the fact that she doesn’t live here and has nothing to do with the event, she gave up a family holiday to spend it with strangers because she was enthused about the event and the community.

Clearly, Rover fever is contagious.

But the other thing that struck me in covering the game and all the related events was that community is also contagious.
The spirit, one of enthusiasm and cooperation that evolved during the buildup to the game was marvelous, and many, many people commented on that fact to me.

It seems like we should all remember that.

Easton received a TON of media attention for the Easton-Phillipsburg game, including national television coverage. The spotlight not only put attention on the schools, but the city itself.

This is definitely a good thing for a city that is revitalizing.

Attitudes are contagious, but so is popularity, and positive national media coverage can only improve Easton’s standing.
After all, people don’t intentionally visit places they’ve never heard of.

Easton has so much to offer, and its renaissance of renewal is nowhere near its peak.

But we’re getting there, and more and more visitors I talk with are noticing. And more and more visitors are coming.

Easton has managed to hold onto something so many other communities have lost—real community, and that’s just one more thing that makes this area truly special.

Go Rovers!

(Originally published in The Easton News, November 13, 2006)