It started as just a friendly game of pickup football. Little did one Salisbury resident know he would start a tradition that would last for over half a century.

Nick Ampietro and his friends began playing football as young kids decades ago in Fountain Hill. The tradition carried on from one field to the next, all the way to Laubach Park in Salisbury Township years ago where the game is still every Thanksgiving.

“A bunch of us from Fountain Hill, we started playing every Thanksgiving,” Ampietro said. “We were all friends. We all grew up together. And we basically started playing 52 years ago or something like that. We used to play on the Fountain Hill Little League field.”

After building a house on Susquehanna Street in Salisbury, Ampietro realized Laubach Park would be the perfect gridiron to carry on the tradition. A short walk through his backyard and down the road would be the group’s new field.

That’s where last Thursday’s game was held, a 12-on-12 touch football game. Instead of people drifting away from the tradition, it has grown stronger over the years.

“As the years went on the group sort of grew” Ampietro said. “A lot of us played rugby, and we picked up a couple of rugby players. And now our sons are starting to get involved. About seven of our sons are now playing. I’m hoping my son will sort of pick this position up when we can’t play anymore.”

His son, Nic, played and scored the game’s final touchdown on the last play to cement the 6-6 final score in this year’s contest. It was a special moment for the Ampietros and the game is definitely competitive, but nothing beats the memories the group shares during and after each game on Thanksgiving.

Following the two-hour football game, the group returns to Ampietro’s house for a Thanksgiving meal and drinks. And of course, sharing memories with one another is a yearly traditional as well.

“It was a fun and competitive game,” Ampietro said. “When you get that many guys on a field, it gets a little tough to score.

“It’s special. These are guys that I grew up with. Some of them I see quite often. Others I don’t see so often, but when you see them it’s like you’ve seen them yesterday.”

Ampietro used to call the group the Sunday before Thanksgiving to see who would still be showing up for the annual game. At one point a few years ago, he stopped calling and said the tradition would continue as long as people showed up.

“I said ‘If you want to show up, I’ll be here. The food and beer will be here. The field is down there and we’ll play,’” Ampietro said. “They keep showing up.”

The group has a core of “senior members” who’ve been showing up for 50 years or more, including Nick Ampietro, Rich Wescoe, Buth Strobel, John Sterns, Rich Cacciatore, Jose Perna, Larry Shea, Mike Schlener, Bill Frey, John Bannon and Clarence Cook. Some of those members are also part of the original group of players, including Ampietro, Strobel, Sterns, Wesce, Cacciatore, Perna, Shea, Pal Pratka, Bill Herlinger and Bruce Love.

Even with over two feet of snow one year when the Lehigh Valley was trounced with a snowstorm before Thanksgiving, the game still went on.

Now, with many of the players in their 60s, Ampietro can’t help but think of the future and what it might look like. While he has no immediate thoughts of stopping the tradition right now, he hopes his son will one day carry on the tradition with some of his friends.

“I would love for him to be able to invite [Nic’s former Salisbury teammates] like Brad Vangeli, Troy Parton and Justin Aungst,” Ampietro said. “But then we would get overwhelmed with young guys. We might have to have separate teams.”

Only time will tell, but it’s almost certain the group will be back at Laubach Park next Thanksgiving for its 53rd game.