Fall activities: Plans for this fall compared to last fall

photo credit: Amira Welch and Emilia Martin

Fall is a favorite season for many because of the cooler weather and changes in the colors of leaves. People also get to enjoy seasonal foods and smells such as fall scented candles, pumpkin spice lattes and everything else that has to do with a pumpkin.

There are also seasonal activities that people enjoy such as apple picking, pumpkin carving and going to haunted houses. Due to the prevalence of COVID-19 last year, not everyone got to do all the fun fall activities that they wanted to, but luckily this year people have the chance to do what they missed out on last year.

“Last year, I did not do anything due to COVID-19. I just stayed home and did face paint with my family. Because I missed out last year, I have participated in as many Halloween activities as I could this fall, such as going to a haunted house,” junior Amira Welch said.

One of the most popular fall activities, especially around Halloween, is going to haunted houses such as Haunted Hoochie, Fear Columbus and Cedar Point HalloWeekends. However, some people preferred to stay in the comfort of their own home instead.

“My favorite fall activity is watching Halloween movies with my friends. Something about the chilly weather, pumpkin flavored drinks and treats makes spending time with people all the more enjoyable,” junior Emilia Martin said.

The Circleville Pumpkin Show was a popular attraction this year that was canceled last year due to COVID-19. Some things at the pumpkin show include parades, rides and of course many pumpkin related things.

“I went to the Circleville Pumpkin Show because the marching band was participating in the parade. While I was there, I bought some pumpkins to carve at home and ate some pumpkin related foods,” senior and saxophone player Jacob Sutton said.

In many neighborhoods, trick-or-treating was on Thursday, Oct. 28 despite Halloween being on Sunday, Oct. 31. Because of this, some people did not have explicit plans for Halloween and stayed home or celebrated on Saturday, Oct. 30.

“This year for trick-or-treating, I was not able to pass out candy because I had work. However, on Halloween day, I made plans to watch Halloween movies and carve pumpkins with friends,” Martin said.

Overall, fall is a season full of activities for everyone. If not a fan of pumpkins and all the products related to them, there’s always Thanksgiving. Some families were not able to spend time together for Thanksgiving last year due to COVID-19, but this year it is hopeful that families can be united again.