Memories of Fall Events

Fall events have always been times for making memories. Although hayrides are almost obsolete, they were once on every fall calendar. Now, they are found mostly in the corn mazes that are a much newer entertainment for the season. I remember church hayrides. They were so much fun, with singing, telling stories and a picnic at the end of the ride. It was always in a scenic meadow, complete with creek, or tucked into the woods, like an oasis in the desert. The sights, smells and sounds still fill my head, and the ride back in the dark was awesome

In high school, the Y-Teens started the school year with a trip to the local dam, on wagons driven by tractors, and filed with hay. The nights were cooler than our Fall nights are now, so it was necessary to cuddle up next to a date to keep warm, but even with cuddling, blankets were still needed to knock the chill. At the picnic, huge bond fires were blazing, as we roasted hot dogs and marshmallows on the glowing fire. Songs and stories served as the entertainment of the night, and the ride home by moonlight was magical. From freshmen year to senior year, the event was looked forward to by most Y-Teens.

Hayrides were enjoyed by Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, when my children were growing up. But that was not the only events of the fall season, for these groups. The Girl Scouts always had a camping event. It was one or two nights, and very primitive. We staked our tents to the ground (two per tent), and built a common campfire, cooked hotdogs, beans, potatoes and the ever delicious “some-mores”. The smells were delightful and the tent raising bearable, as our lips and taste buds connected to the “some-mores”, as no one can cook a “some-more” like the Girl Scouts!

I remember well, the fall of the torrential rain. We had filled our “bellies” with the delicacies cooked on the fire, told our ghost stories, and sung into the night. We were snug in sleeping bags and pup tents. We had no clue what was ahead, for suddenly, without warning, the rain came pounding down around us. We woke up as our tents were swept away, leaving us in mud, and I do mean a lot of mud! We slid through the mud to the small covered picnic area, and huddled together to wait for morning, when we could find the tents and belongings, that had washed down the bank. We were wet, cold and muddy. The rain was relentless, as it continued to blow our way. I was glad it was my older troop, and not my younger Scouts. Needless to say, on hind sight, I find humor in our reactions, but at the time there was nothing humorous about the, “night the rain gods showed their might”.

Ah, and then there was a special fall encounter for my Cub Scouts. My little troop of “brave” Scouts wanted to go to a haunted house. It was a real house, made “haunted” during October. It had quite a reputation for “scaring the pants off” anyone brave enough, to wonder through the doors. Well, my boys were brave, and for several weeks, I was privy to hearing just how brave they were. When we arrived, they were resolved to “laugh in the face of horror”. That lasted about two minutes, or until the first cold fingers reached out for them. I was wearing a trench coat, and suddenly I found my brave Cubs were hiding inside it, with a death grip on my body. Two boys dropped to the floor, grabbed my boots and “hung on for dear life”. I literally drug the group through the entire haunted house. I was laughing so hard at their squeals and behavior, I was in jeopardy of creating a different kind of scene. When we got to the end of our journey and the boys saw we were exiting, they flew from under my “wings” and ran down the ramp to “safety”. Little did they know the “Texas Chain Saw Maniac” was waiting half way down, adding one more element of surprise.

Fall is such a fun time, with cooler weather and fun activities for all ages. It is a time “ripe” for making memories… and “ripe” for remembering!