Welcome home, Scots

One’s own college town has the potential to hold a place in one’s heart years after graduation. Even if one moves after finishing their degree, the memories, history and community all remain with the ex-student, years after they’ve gone on their way. Edinboro is no exception. 

Lining Main Street and High Street this past weekend were Edinboro University alumni. They mixed and mingled with current students and community members. Some were visiting their old stomping grounds for homecoming, while others just came out to enjoy a beautiful day in the town they call home. 

The latter is the case for a couple who enjoyed the parade from lawn chairs set up outside of Game Over Tattoo. Jennifer Rahal-Moore and David Moore both graduated from Edinboro. Neither is from the area, Rahal-Moore explained, “but when my parents came here, my mom came here to work at Edinboro, [and] we just kind of followed and stayed.” 

“The family is here,” Rahal-Moore continued. 

Barb Sekel agrees that Edinboro is a place for family. She, her husband Tim Sekel, her son Jake Sekel and her sister-in-law Connie Sovisky all attended Edinboro.  

“We live here,” Sekel said of Edinboro. Motioning to her sister-in-law: “She lives in Cambridge Springs. We lived here for many years after we graduated. We moved away, but I wanted to bring my granddaughters. They’ve never been to the parade. It’s fun watching her (Sekel’s granddaughter) have fun!” 

It is hard to pinpoint what it is exactly that brings people back to the small college town of Edinboro, since each person has a different favorite thing about it. For the Sekel family, it’s the community aspect.

“And the college environment is so much fun to be around,” Sekel added. 

Tradition plays a big part in bringing people back to Edinboro. Jim Williams, who now works for Harborcreek Youth Services, boasts that he’s only missed two homecomings that he can remember since 1984. 

“It is fun coming back, and all of our three children went to numerous homecoming parades and activities. 

We still mark the homecoming events on our calendar,” he said. 

“We usually go to the bookstore and then the football game, then to John’s Wildwood for pizza. I still believe John makes some of the best pizza in Pennsylvania,” Williams continued. 

Just as Williams does, Bethany Plotner — a 2007 nursing program graduate — returns to ‘Boro each fall for the homecoming festivities. “It was just a tradition that we started, and now we have a 5-year-old, so we bring her back,” Plotner explained. 

Their favorite part of coming back to visit? “Probably seeing everybody that we went to school with,” Plotner said.

She continued: “We love the parade. We always try to do [the] Kegs and Eggs [event] on Saturday mornings. I think just kind of reminiscing to see what has changed [is my favorite thing].”

Like Plotner, Deb and Dave Fourspring met the person they would eventually marry while at Edinboro University. Deb graduated in 1974, while Dave graduated in 1977. 

“We kind of met at Edinboro, but nothing much happened until after we graduated and kind of met at a wedding,” Dave Fourspring said. 

Two of their three children also attended Edinboro. One went on to become a registered nurse, while the other became a state trooper. Deb and Dave Fourspring now only live 10 miles out of town, but come each year to enjoy the parade because, as Dave put it, “We just enjoy it. It’s fun!”

While some alumni attend homecoming to watch the parade, visit old friends and attend the various events, others take the phrase quite literally and come home. 

Hannah McDonald can be reached at eupnews.spectator@gmail.com

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