Thursday,
October 1, 2015
9:30am
With 90-degree days still heating up September, October often feels like the true start of autumn. The green leaves that have decorated your neighborhood for the past five months gradually change to red, orange and yellow, and the temperature dips enough to bundle up in jackets and scarves. It’s the time of year for apple and pumpkin picking, hayrides, hot cider and football games. Take a stroll through this month’s exhibit – watch out for falling leaves! – and give your senses a treat.
Worthington has a long history of celebrating the season during the month of October. Events took place as far back as the early 1900s, when the sounds of square dance music, plus hog-calling and husband-calling contests, rang out across the Village Green. Can you imagine how loud Worthington High School students cheered in 1945 when their football team crushed the competition during homecoming (despite giving up 135 yards in penalties)?
Those attending the city’s popular fall festivals and parades always got an eyeful, from creative costumes and fall fashion shows. Everyone, it seems, got into the “spirit” of the season, taking the opportunity to have a great time, even if they had to hitch a ride on a parade float! Fall’s favorite fruit, the pumpkin, was everywhere, playing a part in parties at the Orange Johnson House and during events held by area churches.
Few things can stoke the memory more vividly than the sense of smell, and Worthington was awash in seasonal scents from bonfires and apple butter being made to leaves as they were either raked or scooped up by the city’s leaf loader.
The month of October in Worthington has always provided ample opportunities for residents to create family memories and celebrate the season.
