On a warm, late-summer afternoon Aug. 25, Fellowship Community held a pep rally to mark the official start of football season in Whitehall.

Residents assembled on an outside patio to enjoy the rally.

Whitehall High School cheerleaders performed, and the Zephyrs football team, sporting their football jerseys, chatted with residents of the senior facility.

There was palpable excitement in the air as residents enjoyed being surrounded by the high schoolers.

Elizabeth Hess, formerly of Coplay but now a Fellowship resident, was a band mother and said she was thrilled to speak with and pose with cheerleaders and football players.

Hess is a proud holder of a lifetime pass to Whitehall sporting events.

WHS Class of 1956 graduate Mary Ann Giannelli said she was “happy the kids came to Fellowship.”

She added she is a proud WHS alumni.

Trey Dogmanits, the 2022 WHS football quarterback, was present and noted he was fired up for the upcoming football season, which began Aug. 26 against Bethlehem Catholic High School. His teammates agreed.

It was an apparent successful, meaningful encounter for both the WHS students and Fellowship residents, as both age groups seemed to enjoy each other’s company.

Fellowship resident Evan Burian also chatted with and posed with the high schoolers. Interestingly, Burian is a renowned Emmaus High School Green Hornet supporter and former writer for the Hornets.

He was mildly teased by a local newspaper sports reporter as years ago, Emmaus was the main Whitehall rival in football.

The sports writer tongue-in-cheek asked Burian, a solid Emmaus Green Hornet fan, how it feels to be surrounded by Zephyrs.