LEHIGHTON---Dozens of Lehighton Area alumni took part in a special reunion and goodbye tailgate Friday night. They bid farewell to the old football stadium, where the Lehighton Area Indians took on Jim Thorpe Area.
The stadium is more than 70 years old and is being replaced with a $6.5 million stadium nearby, next to the high school.
"I played in '89 to'92, and this is a huge event, obviously, coming back to see the closing of the field. Being the last time, there's obviously a lot of nostalgia here. It's been a great opportunity to get back together with the guys and support the team that's currently playing,” said Kyle Williams of Lehighton, who was at the tailgate event.
“I was a cheerleader here, I grew up here. A lot of fun times at this stadium, but it is exciting for all the fun times happening for the district I work for and just seeing the new things,” said Sarah Dunchack, a Lehighton graduate who now works as a teacher in the district.
The old stadium on Mahoning Street in Lehighton has been where football was played for decades.
Darin Koch is also a Lehighton graduate who drove 12 hours from his home in Kentucky to be at this tailgate and the last game played on the old field.
"We were the first Centennial League champs, you know. I've come to this stadium since I was knee high, you know? Watched a lot of football here and played a lot of football here,” said Koch.
The new facility is expected to be completed soon and when it is, it won’t just be for football, but also soccer, field hockey and other outdoor activities.
"The new stadium, looks great. Just drove by it. Grandstands are up, field looks awesome, big field house. Little different from our field house when we had no hot water, but it's gonna be good,” said Forrest Shaffer of Mahoning Valley.
