Halloween and Team Spirit at Altenburg’s Farm
The Girls Cross Country team posed with their pumpkins during their visit to Altenburg's Country Gardens. Photo by Megan Woloszyn.

Halloween and Team Spirit at Altenburg’s Farm

The month of October is a celebration for all things Halloween.

As Halloween approaches, traditions of attending a haunted house, haunted trail, or a pumpkin patch arise. Younger individuals contemplate their costume for trick- or-treating while many others enjoy the delicious treats accompanied with the holiday, watch scary movies and share ghost stories.

Halloween festivities can be enjoyed at any age and by any group of people, including the Women’s Cross Country team.

The team used their weekend off from competition to participate in a team bonding Fall activity. The captains arranged for the team to visit Altenburg’s Country Gardens.

“Altenburg’s has lots of stuff. You can get pumpkins, apples, gourds, as well as go on a hay ride, go through the corn maze, pet animals and they also have a little haunted house,” said Head Coach Megan Woloszyn.

They enjoyed their time in a corn maze, on a hay ride and pumpkin picking.

“I really liked the corn maze,” said Cassandra Caine, a junior clinical lab science student.. “The maze led to a tower that allowed you to look over the corn maze and most of the pumpkin patch area.”

Each member of the team appreciated different things about the trip.

“The hayride was my favorite because I got to snuggle up with my buddies,” said Julia Colling, a junior dietetics student.​For about 35 minutes, the girls sat on hay bales and wood while making their way to the pumpkin patch.

“We took frequent stops because the farmer driving it liked to stop and educate us on the various weeds around the farm,” Colling said.

That farmer is Harold Altenburg, owner of Altenburg’s, who said he sees many college students stopping by since they opened the farm to the public in 1964.

“This year we opened on Sept. 21. Many familiesand students from around the area stop in to enjoy our holiday festivities. The corn maze is about six acres and the pumpkin patch is about seven acres, so everyone is allowed to roam about,” Altenburg said.

Each team member carefully selected their own pumpkin from the pumpkin patch to take home. “There are about 15-20 different varieties of pumpkins in our patch,” Altenburg said. “The Wee-Be Littles are popular this year. Some people carve theirs, make pumpkin pies, but without a doubt, the majority are used for decoration.”

Woloszyn said the girls were able to decide what they wanted to do with their pumpkin.

“Everyone loves picking pumpkins. I’m sure many of them are going to carve them. One person said they were going to cook it and make pumpkin soup,” Woloszyn said.

Colling decided to paint her pumpkin, while Caine chose to carve hers into a face with ears. The team’s Friday adventure turned out to be a success.

“It was a lot of fun. It was nice to get away from campus and enjoy a laid back fall activity,” Caine said.

As students on campus celebrate Halloween in different ways, it is important to stay safe and enjoy the Fall festivities.

Cassie Scott

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