As the leaves change colors and the summer air begins to cool, fall is filled with a certain sense of exhilaration. Hoodies and sweatpants replace tank tops and shorts. The days gradually grow shorter and the drinks get warmer; fall is the season when people slow down and enjoy life.
At school, everyone is thinking about their Halloween plans, outfits for the Friday football games and cozy movie nights with friends. Weekends and days off fill up with trips to pumpkin patches, apple orchards and haunted houses. Even walking through the streets—through piles of colorful crunchy leaves and in front of yards full of carved pumpkins—feels nicer than usual. There is something about fall that brings people together. Here’s a list of fall activities that students at RM love to take part in, and that we recommend trying for yourself—pumpkin patches, Thanksgiving traditions, Halloween fun, baking goods and apple orchards.
Maryland is home to many different pumpkin patches such as Butler’s Orchard, Homestead Farm, Gavers Farm and many other local favorites. Pumpkin patch visitors get to choose a pumpkin for their home, go through a corn maze, feed and pet different farm animals and enjoy seasonal treats. Many students from RM enjoy going to the pumpkin patches with their families or friends. “I went to Gavers farm this year for a friend’s birthday,” sophomore Sam Oo said. “It was fun to spend time with my friends.“
Butler’s Orchard and other farms have turned into traditions for many families. Sophomore Isabel Pearce said that her favorite part of the pumpkin patch experience is the variety of pumpkin styles and colors. “I went to Butler’s Orchard this year and I have been going for around seven years. I go because it’s a fall tradition to go pick apples and pumpkins and go in corn mazes,” Pearce said. “I usually go with my family but this year I went with my friends. We eat food there every time. I feel like caramel apples are a tradition.”
Pumpkin patches are perfect places to try out some fresh seasonal foods. Most pumpkin patches sell handmade treats like cider or pumpkin donuts, different pies and baked goods. “My favorite part was probably the hayride and the apple cider. I would come back just for the apple cider. It was really good,“ Oo said.
Thanksgiving is a holiday that many students and teachers look forward to throughout the beginning months of the school year. The classic Thanksgiving consists of a gathering with family and friends for a large meal. The meal is usually a roasted turkey, served with the traditional side dishes such as stuffing, mashed potatoes with gravy, cranberry sauce and sweet potatoes. For dessert, pumpkin pie is usually baked, sometimes including other options such as apple or pecan pie. The meal often proceeds with traditions like watching parades or football games.
RM is home to many students and teachers who have unique Thanksgiving traditions, different from the classic Thanksgiving. “My favorite memory is when most of my family from India came to the U.S., so we all had a really big family gathering,” freshman Neriah Anupama said. “We always make some sort of Indian sweet for each gathering.”
Thanksgiving is a holiday that many spend with their family. Many teachers have Thanksgiving traditions with their families. “Adults would hide the chocolate turkeys, and the kids would go look for them,” math teacher Hannah Vogel said.
But for many, Thanksgiving traditions evolve over the years. “Usually, I spend time with my parents and my siblings, but it’s definitely changed,” Ms. Vogel said. “My older brother has two kids now, and I recently got married, so they are more of us. And actually, this year, instead of going to see my family, I’m going on my honeymoon.” Thanksgiving is a holiday that everyone enjoys, with people trying to spend as much time with family as possible.
With the start of fall begins the opening of many fun Halloween activities. Halloween is a holiday loved by kids of all ages. Little kids get to dress up and walk around with their families, trick-or-treating for candy. For teens and adults, Halloween also comes with spooky activities—some local favorites include Markoff’s Haunted Forest, Laurel’s House of Horror and The Nevermore Haunt.
Many people enjoy frightening experiences during the Halloween season. “Me and my family, we always go to Markoff’s Haunted Forest, sometimes with my friends. Usually, early October. This will be my third year going there,” freshman Eliot Witherspoon said. “I think that the most fun part is making bets with your friends on who will get scared the most. “Markoff’s Haunted Forest is a haunted trail and town with terrifying scenes and creatures. It also includes a bonfire area with DJs, food and activities such as swings and ziplines. “I like going with my friends and other than that mostly the thrill,” freshman Leonardo Garcia said. “Halloween brings people together because you have to go with your community. I don’t know anybody that goes alone.”
Lots of people in the Rockville area celebrate Halloween. “I like how many people take it seriously. There are always a ton of houses that are completely decked out for Halloween,” Witherspoon said. “There are always challenges for the coolest costume, best decoration. I feel like that always brings the community together.” Many neighborhoods host their own local competitions for the best costumes for prizes. Some try to one-up their house decorations from the previous years or beat their neighbors in the scariest or most creative decorations. Kentlands is known for one of the best places to go trick-or-treating due to their amazing decorations, music and costumes.
For Halloween in RM, students are allowed to show off their costumes by wearing them to school. Some teachers give out candies or plan Halloween themed class activities for this day. The day before Halloween, the RM football team has a home game with the theme of “costumes” for students to show school spirit and get into the spooky mood.
Fall is the season during which baked goods are enjoyed the most due to the colder weather and the cozy feeling of biting into a warm dessert. “I’m a big fan of Taylor Swift, and she has a recipe for chai cookies, so I love making those during the fall time,” junior Brooke Bennett, president of Bakeaway Club, said. “They are very soft and they have the perfect topping so it is very cozy to make and eat them during fall.”
RM is home to the Bakeaway club, which is loved by many of its students. Bakeaway is the perfect club for any bakers since it provides monthly recipes, many food drive opportunities that help out the community and a way to meet new people with similar interests. Meetings happen every month. During the meetings, everyone votes for a “Dessert of the Month” to bake at home. There are “Bakers of the Month,” chosen by the leadership, and prizes awarded to those who win.
At meetings, club members also discuss information about food drives and SSL opportunities. “[Bakeaway is] hoping to do a big drive with Small Things Matter [club], and then participants can get SSL hours,” Bennett said. “Bethesda Cares is like a Thanksgiving drive, so we can also participate in that. I think that would be good to give back to the community in the fall time.”
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