Coal Bucket Challenge a memorable night
On August 23, our family attended the rivalry coal bucket game: Uniontown vs. Connellsville.
My son Matthew (state Rep. Matthew Dowling) invited my husband David and me to assist with the annual food drive challenge between he and Rep. Ryan Warner. As a proud momma, and a proud Uniontown High School (UHS) alumni, I hurried home from work, threw on a UHS T-shirt and heading over to the stadium; not realizing I would soon find myself going down memory lane.
After the game started as our crew was loading donations into our cars, I decided to take Matt’s two boys, W. Pierce and Preston, into the stadium to watch the game. It was then that so many memories came back. It has been 42 years since I participated in my first high school football game as a band member. Keeping up with the tradition, the game was against Connellsville and so many things were the same: the national anthem was sung, the band played the fight song and alma mater, the air was cool, the smell of popcorn was all around, and the announcers were calling plays that I had no idea what they meant.
It wasn’t like I had never been back to the stadium since my graduation, because I have been there more times than I could count. Matt and my daughter Marissa were band members in high school, and my youngest Maria was a cheerleader. So, all together, David and I spent 12 addition years going to Friday night football games.
But that night was different. There was a different emotional feeling, or perhaps a sense of pride, as I sat between my 7- and 5-year-old grandsons on the bleacher. I explained “your dad and Aunt Marissa did this” while pointing to the band and “Aunt Maria would do that” while cheerleaders went into a stunt. Talking about the football game itself, I even explained what a drive was to them. That was the only question Preston had about football as he was concentrating on the cheerleaders and “girls throwing the batons.” Pierce was quieter, watching the football game and asking how many plays they had left until the touchdown. He was also very social as he greeted all of the young people we knew. Of course, we couldn’t leave without visiting the concession stand. Nachos, pretzels and cheese, anyone?
What a night! New memories were made, and a lot of food was collected for the Fayette County Community Action Agency Food Bank, along with Connellsville Community Ministries. And yes, Matthew will have to wear Connellsville Falcon attire in Harrisburg this fall. Better luck next year, Red Raiders. Rep. Warner be prepared to wear maroon and white at the state capitol in fall of 2020.
Thank you to all that donated non-perishable food items, regardless of what team you were on.
All I can think is: 42 years later, who would have dreamed?
Darla Dowling is a second-generation graduate of Uniontown Area High School, a resident of Menallen Township, grandmother of five, mother of three — including state Rep. Matthew Dowling (R-Fayette/Somerset).