This season may be called fall, but that doesn’t mean it’s a downer! Autumn is a fantastic time of year with lots of fun activities to do, and luckily you can still do a bunch of them while maintaining safe distance from your friends.
First, let’s think about aesthetics! What represents fall more than changing leaves? Not much! You can always go on a hike to see changing leaves on the Elizabethtown College campus, go to a nearby park or trail for off-campus hiking, take a leaf-viewing drive or go to one of the nearby overlooks. There are several just half an hour away in Harrisburg that look out onto the Susquehanna which should be lovely this time of year.
While you are outside looking at the leaves, maybe it’s time to revive one of the best autumnal childhood trends. Make a massive pile of leaves and jump in it! It’s still just as fun now as it used to be when we were younger.
If you see any extra special leaves or ones that are especially beautiful, you can collect them for crafts. You’re going to want to dry your leaves, and likely you want them to dry flat. You can do that between the pages of a book, which takes a while, but if you are in a hurry you can use and iron or even the microwave to speed up the process. Just look up how to do it, since I have more things to tell you other than how to dry leaves. When your leaves are dried, you can keep them just as they are and put them in a scrapbook, or there are some more involved crafts. You can make a dried leaf wreath, a garland, a mobile, use the leaves to stamp paper or fabric or even mod-podge them to a candle jar.
The only thing that I think may visually represent fall more than changing leaves is pumpkins and gourds. Fortunately, as a largely outdoor and distanced sort of activity, many pumpkin patches are still open. So a great afternoon could be going with some friends and picking out some nice pumpkins and gourds to decorate your living space or doorway. Soon enough we will be fully entrenched in spooky season, as well, so it’s better to get your carving pumpkins sooner than later! And don’t forget to roast the pumpkin seeds after carving jack-o’-lanterns!
Considering fall foods, another great fall activity is apple picking. Unfortunately this year the Masonic Village is not allowing apple picking due to COVID-19, however, there are other farms and orchards nearby that do seem to be open. Call in advance to make sure they are allowing apple picking, and remember to wear your mask. While you’re there, maybe pick up some apple cider!
If you aren’t able to go apple picking, most farms still are selling their apples, so they can be fresh and local, even if you don’t get to hand pick them. This year I wouldn’t recommend bobbing for apples, however you can still make caramel or candied apples with them. If you’re a baker, it’s time for apple pie, apple crisp or just a simple baked apple. If you don’t eat your fruit fast enough, it’s also really easy to make your own applesauce.
If all else fails to get you into the fall mood, maybe play a game with your friends and compete to find the strangest pumpkin spice flavored/scented object.
Stay safe, but have fun, Etown.
