Students and teachers participate in local fall traditions

Danielle O’Malley, Managing Editor
@domalley_

As the warm, crisp air of summer begins to cool, pools begin closing and the bright green of the trees fade into yellows, reds and oranges. The football season replaces baseball, and the looming anticipation of Halloween and Thanksgiving is on everyone’s mind. Gone are the late nights of watching movies and in comes cozy afternoons of Gilmore Girls with your mom. Pumpkin flavored everything fills the shelves of every grocery store and people begin to break out their chunky sweaters and jeans.

Staples like these, along with many others, mark the much anticipated and exciting change to the fall season. Fall, being voted America’s favorite season by a large margin, is highly popularized for its iconic traditions that vary from family to family. From weird Thanksgiving foods to crazy family outings, fall is a special time for traditions to be created and upheld.

For junior Riley Fortmann, her annual participation in town events, like the Nature Center Fall Fair, makes fall her favorite time of year. “The fair was a really fun environment because it captivated the fall spirit with apple cider and pumpkin patches,” she said. “I really enjoyed going on the spooky trail with my friends, and overall it was a fun way to get into the Halloween spirit.”

Riley loves spending time with her family, and highly anticipates the fall season to uphold her traditions. “Some of my favorite fall family traditions include watching the New York Giants play on football sundays and going to Jones Family farm to go to the pumpkin patches and corn maze,” she said. “When I was younger every year my dad would rake the leaves and make leaf paths in the yard for my brother and I to run through, like a maze, which was always one of my favorite things to look forward to.”

English teacher Robert Darken echoed this sentiment, however he expressed that his traditions are harder to maintain as his kids grow up. “I particularly like to go to the woods and have a long tromp with the dog and any family members that will accompany me,” he said. “We actually haven’t done that in a while because my kids are getting older, more busy and less interested in spending time with their parents.”

Despite this, Mr Darken loves reflecting on past memories and experiences during the fall when his kids were growing up. Even though those days are over, he appreciates the time he was able to spend with his children. “The Darken kids have always been big into making their own Halloween costumes and tend to start very early — sometimes months early – constructing them,” he said. “This trend was set by my oldest, who’s an engineering student at Boston University. He’s good at making masks, swords, and other stuff out of cardboard, and he really enjoys doing it.”

Riley also looks back on her childhood fall memories, especially the nostalgic feeling she gets from the season. “Activities like going to pumpkin patches and apple picking gave me a really fun environment because it captivated the fall spirit by providing me with a space to experience that fall feeling,” she said.

Freshman Larkin Celiberti also loves spending time with her family during the fall season as she feels it to be a great way to be with people that she does not see throughout most of the year. “Thanksgiving is always nice because I see my extended family. We don’t see them a lot throughout the year, but we see them a lot during the holidays and during the fall season,” she said. “It’s a highlight, definitely.”

Larkin is thankful for the time she gets to spend with her family, but even more so for fall as it provides her with the time to do that more frequently. “Family is everything. Truly, I don’t know what I’d be without my family. So, it’s nice to see them, especially when the holidays are coming up.”

Riley believes participating in fall activities and making memories like these are important, and they mean a lot to her. The feeling she gets from the fall season always leaves her in a positive mood, which is why she has such a fun time when the season changes. “Participating in fall activities is important to me because it’s a way to appreciate the season and spend time with family and friends,” she said.

Mr Darken also believes this, and highly values the time he gets to spend with his family and friends during the fall season. “The traditions a family has are reasons for being together, spending time together. Those are the times you’re making memories together and that you look back on fondly,” he said.