Stevie Klein ‘12

The sky gets darker, the air gets cooler, school is underway, and halloween is near. The start of autumn on Wednesday September 22, at 11:09 p.m is the realization that summer days are over, and swimming and tanning give way to

apple picking, pumpkin picking, hayrides and corn mazes.

“I love the weather in the fall, so I love those activities because I can be outdoors,” Shelby Schulman ‘12 said.

Students especially love apple picking, as it is one of the first fall activities to be available. “I love picking the apples and eating them right then and there,” Grace Osgood ‘11 said. “Apple picking is the one event that describes the transition between summer and fall.”

But Katie Blumenfeld ‘12 likes what comes after the apple picking. “I love the apple cider in the apple containers at Silverman’s farm,” she said. And before it gets too cold, students enjoy a hay ride, wrapped in a sweater and pulled by a tractor.

“The hayrides are the best part,” Osgood said.

However, these autumn activities are rare for many.

“Hayrides are fun but I don’t get to go a lot. Its hard, usually a long drive away and I just don’t have time,” Courtney Babbin ‘13 said.

And for many, these fall activities are outgrown habits. “I used to do all that, pick apples and pumpkins and hay rides, but not really anymore,” said Brendan Bernstein ‘11.

However, when Bernstein does go pumpkin picking, he said how “relaxing it is” and how happy he gets when “he is able to choose the perfect pumpkin.” This fall excitement is not felt for everyone. Francisco Delgado ‘11 picked a lopsided pumpkin and ended up throwing it away. He has not gone pumpkin picking since. “I just don’t really do those fall activities. I never really have.” Although fall comes as a treat to some and a disappointment to others, it is here for the next few months, and apple and pumpkin picking and hay rides are a good way to enjoy it.