The penguin applauded.
“Yeah, you guys make a good impression,” it said.
Then, with a smile and nary a waddle, it politely excused itself – and returned to its seat.
No, the above isn’t the fragment of some fairy tale.
Instead, it’s a real-life accounting in the Chronicles of the Goodwill City Ambassadors, the legendary greeters of the gridiron during WVU home football days in Morgantown.
In actuality, the “penguin” was John Propst, an avowed follower of the football Penguins of Youngstown State University, in Youngstown, Ohio.
His team lined up against the Mountaineers on a 95-degree Saturday back in 2016 at Milan Puskar Stadium.
It was the first time the teams smacked helmets since 1938, and Propst, who grew up in Youngstown, was making his first-ever visit to the University City.
And the aforementioned Ambassadors were among the first local people he met.
“You guys are good,” he said.
“There’s too much bad stuff and things you really have to worry about going on in the world,” he continued.
“This is people getting together for a football game and I really appreciate the welcome.”
COVID sidelined and diminished the program over the past two seasons, but the Ambassadors will be back in full force come Saturday for WVU’s home opener against Kansas at 6 p.m.
“We want our visiting fans to have a great experience in Morgantown,” said Susan Riddle, who is president and CEO of the Mountaineer County Convention and Visitors Bureau, which helps oversee the program and is a main sponsor.
“And it’s worked over the years,” she said. “We are making a good first impression. And a lot of fans across the Big 12 see us as a ‘destination’ game.”
That wasn’t always the case.
Before the Ambassadors program, it was hardly Almost Heaven for people coming in with the audacity to cheer for the team that didn’t the carry the flying WV logo on its helmets.
The outreach initiative was created in 2012 by The Dominion Post and other city entities as a nice way to right a mean wrong.
The flag was tossed after a group of visiting fans, including a pregnant woman, were assaulted in Morgantown during a home game loss to Louisiana State University that season before.
In the meantime, look for around 16 to 20 Ambassador-volunteers, clad in identifying hats, jackets and other representative gear positioned in various spots around Milan Puskar Stadium and the city – for every home game this season, Riddle said.
The idea, she said, is to be a benefit for all fans, especially the visiting ones, such as the above Penguin named Propst, who may be making inaugural visits to town.
That’s why Ambassadors are always up on restaurant recommendations and mini-history lessons on West Virginia, Morgantown and its football Mountaineers, she said.
That’s why Ambassadors in past seasons have been known to walk routes themselves from hotels to the stadium, so they can give a sense to Big 12 visitors with flatland feet on just what it’s like to be a pedestrian in the Appalachians.
And that’s especially why the program now boasts four motorized carts, compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, for those fans who might need a little extra help getting around, Riddle said.
“We’re here for you,” the president and CEO said.
Propst’s fellow Penguin Gwen Smith-Darnell found that during that Youngstown game of six seasons ago.
“Hope it’s a good game for both us,” an Ambassador said, offering a handshake and a bottle of water at the same time.
“What a nice thing to do,” Smith-Darnell said, uncapping the overture.
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