Slippery Rock celebrates Independence Day
SLIPPERY ROCK — Sitting on a bench facing South Main Street, Gina Iannozzi, 22, realized she had finally reached “townie status.” Freshly graduated from Slippery Rock University this past spring, she and her friend, Sam Squatriglia, 23, had transitioned from student life and could now call themselves alumnae.
What was a languid afternoon for the borough’s Independence Day celebration Saturday, July 6, offered a moment of reflection: in a matter of weeks, Squatriglia would move to Pittsburgh. A Butler County bucket list was in order.
Squatriglia, a Mount Lebanon native, said she would visit Slippery Rock after the move, describing the small town’s community-centric atmosphere with Iannozzi. They noted the borough’s Farmer’s Market, whose regulars frequented it “religiously,” and its landmark restaurants and breweries as passersby walked from vendor to vendor across the street.
Downtown roads were closed to traffic during the event that extended Fourth of July festivities into the weekend. Slippery Rock’s Fourth of July celebration featured summertime staples like ice cream and cotton candy and was visited by vendors including The Snowman, ForeverGreen Farm, Compadres Mexican Restaurant and Harrisville’s Family Tradition eatery.
The celebration continued into the evening, ending with fireworks just before 10 p.m.
The Saturday following the Fourth of July was “just another day” for Evan Roegers, 17, of Slippery Rock, who visited with Brooklyn Saul, 17, of Butler.
But for both Slippery Rock Area High School students, it marked the summer that would soon unfold into new beginnings: Evan will start his junior year in the fall. Brooklyn is entering her final year as a senior.
Saturday was a relaxing day in an otherwise busy summer, Brooklyn said. Looking ahead to the fall — and then to the months that would follow graduation — she said she was “excited to explore the world.”
Waiting in line for ice cream from The Snowman, Addie Mushruch, 14, of Grove City, noted it was her last summer before starting high school. Standing next to her was her sister, Kassie, 18, who had just graduated.
For Ianozzi and Squatriglia, who studied exercise science and public health, respectively, the day offered a respite from internships and work during a summer when post-graduation life would hit them full swing, they said.
“Being alumni, not being in school anymore, I’m just here as someone who loves Slippery Rock,” Squatriglia said.
“We’re working, so we’re in the real world,” Ianozzi said. “We’re ‘adulting’, for sure. But that’s what makes coming to this so much better, because we’re able to just be part of the community.”
“We’re all here, watching the same fireworks, watching the same vibrations,” she said. “We’re all in the same community.”
