“Begin driving, if you can, any time from 3–6 PM,” state the elaborate annual itineraries. The caravan, which consists of the Raffoon family (humanities students who nicknamed themselves after the author of a fictitious letter in The Tartan) leaves on Friday. The students take their time heading south along winding two-lane blacktops. Far from freeways, the group stops at the prescribed detours to shoot some pool and drink a beer or two.
Landmarks abound along the journey to Helvetia, population 225, located at the center of West Virginia. One of the first signs of spring there is the growth of the wild ramp, a kind of onion that is a trademark for this nook in Appalachia. Helvetia’s yearly Ramp Supper has become a destination on the last Saturday of every April for the Raffoons. They look forward to this precious time of year, when they can enjoy the billowy-leaved ramps with scallion-like buds. Ramps, served raw or boiled with beans, potatoes, coleslaw, and ham, are a unique delicacy; at least they are to the Raffoons and the rest of the crowd, judging by the long lines. After the feast, the Raffoons, satiated, digest and prepare for the evening dance by napping, sipping whiskey, and telling tales. Politics, sex, and rock and roll are prime conversation.
Some would find this adventure to the old Swiss town an excuse for a weekend bar tour. The allure of Helvetia, however, with all its beauty, peace, and authenticity, has hypnotized the Raffoons—first in 1973 and continuing 34 years later. Countless potholes have formed and since been filled on the road to Helvetia. And the Raffoons, who were originally six, but have since ballooned in number, still make the trek. Their starting point is no longer campus, but now New York, Seattle, and other cities scattered throughout the country. The rest of the year they’re alumni. But on this annual weekend, they are students again. Sure, favorite bars have burned down and others have long since closed. And sure, spouses, children, and friends have entered the mix. But according to David Noble (HS’75), who introduced the tradition (and is an English professor at Ohio University when he isn’t a Raffoon), the only thing that has changed among the Raffoon family is that they “go to bed a bit earlier and behave a bit better.” Itineraries still close with embraces.
