The most spooktacular time of the year has arrived. The temperatures start dropping, leaves begin changing colors, pumpkins take over everyone’s front steps and stores start bringing out their collections of fangtastic Halloween costumes.
Many people celebrate Halloween and the changing of seasons in different ways with different traditions. For some, those traditions are watching scary movies, painting/carving pumpkins, going to Pumpkinland or baking delicious fall treats. A few of Northwestern’s very own students have shared things they find themselves doing every year during fall, especially when Halloween hits.
“I love just enjoying the weather in the fall and making pumpkin seeds!” sophomore Stegenga RA Kate Staab said. “I also enjoy going to haunted houses as well.”
As a wing event, Staab and her residents painted pumpkins together, and then a few weeks later enjoyed a festive day at Pumpkinland. One of Staab’s favorite Halloween activities is dressing up and handing out candy to the children coming through the dorms trick-or-treating, a yearly tradition in the female dorms.
“It’s so fun to see members of the community and all the adorable kids in their costumes,” Staab said.
Sophomore Hannah Jorgenson has a few more traditions with her family than at college but still enjoys the holiday when she’s away from home.
“When I’m here at school I dress up and love handing out candy to the trick-or-treaters that come through Fern every year,” Jorgenson said.
Jorgenson’s favorite activities during this chilly time of the year include going to Pumpkinland for the corn maze and “the adorable alpacas,” baking fall treats and going to different parks like Oak Grove to walk around.
When October begins, Jorgenson takes the opportunity to start baking with pumpkins and apples. Recently, she made caramel sticky buns and cinnamon roll cake and hopes to make apple crisp and pumpkin spice monkey bread soon. As is the case for many Northwestern students, this time of year is synonymous with seasonal treats.
Sophomore Fern resident Natalie Blackman doesn’t necessarily have traditions, but she still enjoys the season.
“I don’t really have fall traditions, but I love watching the trees gradually lose their green color and change to red, orange or yellow and then eventually watching the leaves drop to the ground,” Blackman said.
While she does not have any specific fall customs of her own, Blackman has been a part of wing events that included going to Pumpkinland and attempting to make it through the corn maze, along with painting some pumpkins for dorm decorations. Aside from wing events, she also loves to bake during this crisp season. Some use a variety of different flavors and foods, but for Blackman, it’s “pumpkin everything.”
From going to Pumpkinland to baking seasonal fall treats to dressing up for the young trick-or-treaters, NW students really know how to get involved and celebrate the Halloween season. Wishing all a night full of frights, a bag full of delights and a spooktacular Halloween evening!
