Random Thoughts from a Random Memory

By Edward Master

Once, there was a worn-out saying about spring and a young man’s thoughts. At Clarion U (now West Penn) springtime meant three big events with the nice weather: our spring formal, Greek weekend, and our spring picnic at Sandy Creek.

Sandy Creek was basically a swimming hole near Rockland. A few years ago the locale became infamous due to it being the location of a Halloween abduction in Oil City.

Sandy Creek to Phi Sigma Epsilon fraternity was a rite of passage in the spring. Sandy Creek meant you had to scrape up a date for a Saturday afternoon picnic for a trip west on route 322. At the intersection where the Cranbury Mall is (now) and Sky-Hi Drive In used to be, Sandy Creek is a left turn south, just a couple miles down the road. The swimming hole is on the right side and a bit of a hike along railroad tracks.

There was a back-way into the swim spot, made a bit longer when lugging a half keg of liquid refreshment, but I don’t recall that route as it was up and down and full of ruts. Since our picnic was usually in April, the swimming hole water was usually ice cold. However, with a little liquid courage that cold water became an after thought and after a while, a few daring souls partook in a spring dip.

Our dates were often “blind” in nature, ergo someone’s sorority sister or dorm floor mate. But a good time was had by all. Straight across from a small beach was the Phi Sig rock--a rock that had slid down the hill and was adorned with our Greek fraternity letters, Phi Sigma Epsilon. I am assuming they are still there and will be for eternity, or at least until someone scrapes off the paint. The letters probably date to the early 60s.

We generally roasted hot dogs and brought along assorted chips and pretzels. The kegs went right into the water and stayed plenty cold. Two containers were ample.

Over the passage of time and travel, I have had the opportunity to talk to people from the Oil City/Franklin/Cranberry area who were familiar with Sandy Creek as it was a swimming hole over the summer. I know I enjoyed my final Sandy Creek and had the fortune of being accompanied by an Alpha Sigma Tau, whose name escapes me, but I remember her being blonde. She was the sorority sister of a young lady for whose eventual husband I became his best man.

Sandy Creek, I remember it well.