Houghton Reunion in Northeast Pennsylvania
On the Friday of Indigenous People’s Day Weekend, Michael and I started the long drive to Springbrook, Pennsylvania, for a weekend reunion with his college friends from Houghton University. They had been meeting once a year, along with connecting via a Discord server, for over a decade as they explored the world after college. Since everyone lived around the Northeast, from Connecticut, New York, Maryland, and Pennsylvania, a central location in northeast Pennsylvania was ideal. This year, as well as the previous couple of years, Leah Anderson secured a fairly large home in Springbrook, a couple of miles from Scranton.
The journey from Glens Falls took a little over three hours, with a brief stop at a peculiar rest stop and gas station, named Promised Land Fuel Stop, off of I-84 and down the road from Promised Land State Park. As one anonymous online reviewer explained, “Unlike other convenient stores, this one is unique in offering a seemingly excessive amount of phone accessories, toiletries, camping equipment, first aid supplies, and even household appliances. In my opinion, this reality works against the business; it has become cluttered to the point where it can actually be hard to walk around, especially if any additional customers are shopping.” Michael and I can attest to the state of the place, but we were grateful to stretch our legs and fuel up the car before continuing the journey.
The house was located on the Scranton-Pocono Highway, only a short drive down the road from downtown Scranton. Owned by a Polish American family, it has six bedrooms with a maximum capacity of fourteen people and features a semi-secluded backyard overlooking a pond and forests. Michael and I arrived at dusk, unloading our belongings into the bedroom and hugging everyone. Only a few have seen the extent of my new bearded persona, so I made a lot of people smile and laugh at my radical change. And everyone had not seen us since we got married last February. After reconnecting and enjoying some slices of pizza from a local restaurant, we unpacked and headed to sleep.
Rising around mid-morning, everyone was gathered at the large dining table in the kitchen, with a full pot of brewed coffee, pastries, and breakfast. Hanna, the girlfriend of Alex, was cooking scrambled eggs mixed with spinach and cheese for everyone. Alex and Hanna were big fans of Phish, a popular jam band, and this was the first big group where everyone got to meet her. Leah, the wife of Phil, lived the closest to Michael and me, though their many trips prevent frequent visits. Amanda and Brian were excitedly chatting with everyone and talking about their five-year-old child. She was currently having a weekend with her grandparents, while Amanda and Brian enjoyed the weekend with us. I saw Erik and Elizabeth, the musical duo of the group, in Saratoga Springs, New York last November for their Pocket Vinyl performance at Desperate Annie’s. They are still creating music and art for themselves and their fans. Journey and Nate were enjoying life, both in service to veterans and artistic creation with desserts. Jon and Angela were still involved in their local schools; Jon, working in the technology field, and Angela, as an elementary teacher. Last but not least, Shawn was embarking on a new life as a real estate agent in Maryland, as well as an avid runner that had just completed the Yuengling Shamrock Marathon in March.
Later that afternoon, Shawn, Michael, and I piled into Shawn’s electric car and headed to the Scranton Courthouse down the road. Throughout the day, millions of people were heading to over 2,600 protests across the country, from big cities to small towns, in order to rally support against the current administration’s brash actions against the Constitution. Known as the “No Kings” rally, it is being organized by the Indivisible Project, which began in 2016 after the election of Donald Trump. Through thousands of local groups, they cultivate townhalls, protests, and activism to support progressive politicians and policies. The rally back in Glens Falls had just wrapped up by the time the Scranton protest began. It was a partnership between the Glens Falls Queen Team and Indivisible, bringing nearly 1,500 people to City Park in our small town.
I was excited to see downtown Scranton, as a modest fan of NBC’s The Office. When we approached the park outside the courthouse, the enormous crowd was gathering, with hundreds of signs and thousands of people. On the side of the road was a large, yellow truck with dozens of messages and pictures showing the “Harris Waltz Crooked World” created for the last election. There were a few detractors who still believed in the messages from the Trump administration. But the majority of the crowd was not disillusioned by the vicissitudes of current events. The majority of people carried signs imbuing a sense of anger and hope, knowing that our country will endure as long as there are people who stand up to tyrannical ideas.
The courthouse plaza was renovated in 2007 and features dozens of monuments to historical figures. It also features a long, granite wall engraved with inspirational quotes of courage, brotherhood, commitment, service, and discipline. I walked the length of the courthouse façade, reading quotes from John F. Kennedy, Dwight D. Eisenhower, and Thomas Paine as well as numerous colonels and philosophers. One of the quotes that stood out to me was from Lieutenant Colonel Gregory Fontenot, dated January 1991, stating, “It’s okay to be afraid, guys. Cope with it, deal with it, face it, look at it, examine it, but do not let it dominate you.”
Near the end of the granite wall, I noticed a small blue library with an engraved plaque stating that it was a gift from the Lackawanna County Commissioner’s Literacy Committee. Inside, I found a book titled “Robert’s Rules: QuickStart Guide”. Back in 1876, Henry Martyn Robert published a book on parliamentary procedure. Looking through the table of contents, it illustrated guides for organizing and running committee meetings. It will become a perfect reference book as I continue to learn how local government operates as an aspiring councilperson in Glens Falls. After a few hours, we all headed back to the car and head back to the house.
For dinner that evening, Leah sent a menu to a nearby Thai restaurant, asking everyone to submit their desired option. After a quick delivery window, we all gathered at the dining room table to eat. After dinner, we all ventured into a large room where Alex had set up his computer, speakers, and microphone for karaoke. Brian and Amanda had organized a random drawing of names where two people would write a song for someone to perform. Michael was chosen first, singing Billy Joel’s Piano Man. His voice and performance were exceptional, with his volume and confidence increasing as the song progressed. Journey was next, performing Eve 6’s “Inside Out”, a punk rock band from 1998. Though Alex humorously introduced the song by stating, “and sponsored by Hulu”, since the website for karaoke songs had video advertisements. Following Journey, Phil unleashed his inner heavy metal voice with System of a Down’s “Chop Suey”. Alex was up next, singing Jimmy Eat World’s “Sweetness”, followed by Brian with an epic rendition of the “Pokémon Theme Song”. Both Brian and the rest of the group were surprised by its nearly four-minute length.
Leah brought some Christian rock tunes, singing a song from DC Talk’s 1995 album, “Jesus Freak”, while Angela sang the incredibly popular early 2000s hit from Smash Mouth, “All Star”. Jon sang Wheatus’ “Teenage Dirtbag”, with Alex showcasing his high-pitched talents during the song. I was next, cultivating my inner Queen, singing, “Somebody to Love”, though realizing quickly that the song was definitely hard to master. Following my performance, Nate performed “Ain't No Rest for the Wicked” by Cage the Elephant, imbuing a deep country voice to match the source material. Amanda sang the current pop hit, “Pink Pony Club”, by Chappell Roan, followed by Shawn singing Dashboard Confessional’s “Hands Down”. Lastly, Erik sang Offspring’s “Pretty Fly (For a White Guy)”, with Elizabeth closing out karaoke with a song from the Beatles, titled “I've Got a Feeling”.
Thoroughly exhausted but energetic, we headed to the kitchen table for some hot sauce tastings. Nate had whipped up some original hot sauce creations for the group to try. The first was titled, “Shawn’s Lunch Box”, with tastes of peanut butter and jelly, followed by one titled, “Umani Bomb”, with salty anchovies. The next one was ironically named, “Very, Very Mild”, with a picture of Shirley Temple giggling to indicate that it was very much spicy. Lastly, a hot sauce with an image of a Hindu Goddess of Death, named “Kalil’s Fire” was passed around. The subsequent group of hot sauces were created from Elizabeth’s peppers in her gardens, though without the pizazz of Nate’s bottle designs. After a little while, I headed off to sleep, though most of the group were chatting well into twilight.
The next morning, after breakfast and coffee, I decided to head on a short run through the nearby trails. Popping in my earphones and listening to a mission from the ZRX app, I turned onto Maple Lake Road, past some houses decorated for Halloween. Up head, I saw the trail with a sign indicating its name, “Old Sawmill Road”. Bobbing and weaving around downed trees and ground brush, I kept a steady pace. Within a mile, I reached a fork in the road and followed east on Bear Swamp Road. I passed by a gentleman walking his dog as well as a few trash dumps, one of which had a large, broken television. After a couple miles in the trail, I saw a break in the forest, with a sign for Schlittler Road that snaked its way back to residential houses. It led me back to State Route 307, where I picked up tons of trash, with the help of a large, empty paper towel bag on the side of the road. There were lots of beer cans and a few hats, one of which had the Yankees symbol. By the time I got back to the house, I completed four miles of running and picked up a couple pounds worth of trash off the side of the road. Mission accomplished.
In the afternoon, we all decided to have a short road trip to a local “winery and cidery”, called Ritter’s. While the winery and cidery opened up only five years ago, the Ritter’s Farm Market has been in business since 1955. It was only a fifteen-minute drive from the house, and once we arrived, it was packed with cars and people. After navigating a fielded parking lot to find a spot, we started walking toward one of the large red barns, situated behind a children’s playground, a minigolf course, and a large cannon. While the rest of the group waited in line to get a glass of their alcoholic beverages, I ventured to their farm market located in the other red barn building.
Walking through the market, I was reminded of the rural farms in upstate New York, like Hick’s Orchard. There were scrumptious-looking cider donuts, homemade pies, and other local sweets and snacks. I bought some of their crafted root beer as well as a bag of cider donuts and Uglies potato chips. I learned that Uglies is a part of a northeastern Pennsylvania company named Dieffenbach's that has been around since 1964. Their “Uglies” branding illustrates that the company uses commonly discarded potatoes that don’t meet the 1945 USDA Grades and Standards for Fruits and Vegetables for the production. Using “uglier” potatoes has saved over thirty-two million pounds from going into landfills since 2017, according to their website.
Once I secured my bag of goodies, I found the group seated at an outdoor table next to the aforementioned cannon. Up close, I could see the words “Pumpkin Cannon” indicating the purpose of the large cannon overlooking the forest. Within thirty minutes, we all got to see it in action, as a gentleman starts walking toward it with a pumpkin in hand. Before securing the pumpkin into the barrel, he allows children watching to sign it before it becomes a mash of pumpkin guts. The sound of the contraption as the energy builds is exhilarating, resulting in a fast explosion of the pumpkin through the barrel and into a faraway tree. It was a gloriously amazing sight, certainly cultivating the farm’s unique personality for locals and tourists alike.
The rest of the afternoon and evening involved ping pong matches, videogames, and friendship bracelet-making, along with lots of conversations about life, the universe, and everything, before we headed back to Glens Falls in the morning. Ever since I met Michael in 2015, I have grown to love and appreciate his college friends from Houghton University. While I have yet to visit the infamous campus an hour south of Buffalo, I am happy that Michael’s experience there has led to finding an incredible group of friends. We will see most of the group next year, but for what has become a tradition, Michael and I will attend a Pocket Vinyl show at Desperate Annie’s Bar in Saratoga Springs, New York on November 3rd. If you want to check out their unique show, it will start at 9pm. Perhaps you will walk away with a fresh painting from Elizabeth.
