With fall in full swing, HHS students are having a blast with fall activities. Many will choose to participate in spooky pastimes such as haunted houses, while others might opt for more laid back ones such as hayrack rides.
One thing that we can be sure of is that almost all students will encounter a pumpkin or two along the way. There is no doubt that pumpkins are a fall staple, whether they are used for decorations, carving, or baking, there is no way to escape their festive characteristics.
While many might see the major draw of October as Halloween, there are many smaller autumn occasions such as National Pumpkin Day on October 26.
Today is the day we celebrate the all in one festivity maker. According to pumpkinpatchesandmore.org there are over one billion pounds of pumpkin grown in the United States every year. A lot of these pumpkins are used in the autumn months including October and November, but what exactly are people using all these pumpkins for?
One of the most common ways is pumpkin painting.
“I painted pumpkins with my friends awhile back to show our fall spirit and creativity,” Senior Haylee O’Connell said.
Another way many students are getting into the fall spirit is by taking a trip to one of many nearby pumpkin patches. Sophomore Kolbie Kaiser and some of her friends have already gotten in on the fun by visiting Nielsen Kids U-Pick Pumpkin Patch and Sweet Corn Patch this past weekend. The girls all got a pumpkin and plan to use them in various ways.
“I plan on painting one pumpkin with my friends and carving the another one with my family,” Kaiser said.
Senior Leah Smith has a different perspective on pumpkin patches due to her experience working at Country Harvest Pumpkin Patch for her second season. As part of the staff, Smith loves watching others enjoy the fall spirit, including their interesting pumpkin endeavors.
“Working at the pumpkin patch really gets me in the fall spirit because everything at the patch screams fall from the big red barn surrounded by trees changing colors to small children carrying pumpkins that are bigger than they are,” Smith said.
Possibly the area that benefits the most from the existence of the pumpkin is that of food and beverages. Pumpkin Spice is definitely a cliché as many students enjoy the cornucopia of fall flavored treats available this time of year.
“My personal favorite are pumpkin spice muffins, they are a delicious way to celebrate fall,” senior Emily Beave said.
National Pumpkin Day is the perfect stepping stone to Halloween next week, so grab a friend and celebrate. It’s as easy as pumpkin pie.
