Friday, October 3, 2008

On the Campus

Fall into fun
Students look for places and activities to entertain them on fall days
By NATALIE STANLEY
Features Editor

While my days of trick-or-treating ended around the age of 9, I think that there are still some  fall activities that can be enjoyed at any age. 

Whether to eat a crisp, freshly picked apple or to find a good scare, students can visit the following fall-themed businesses that are only a short distance from campus.

Concord

Alex Jasinowski, Concord first-year, recommends that students visit the Sweet Seasons Apple Orchard, which is owned by his family.

The orchard is a 10-minute car ride from campus, and it is open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and will remain open until Thanksgiving.

The orchard sells a variety of treats including apples, doughnuts, peanut butter, caramel apples, cider, cookies, pies, jams, popcorn and many other homemade goods, according to JoAnn Lewis, orchard employee. 

“Of course, you can always take a walk through the orchard and pick apples,” Lewis said.

Jasinowski feels that visiting the  orchard is a necessary fall activity.

“It’s a place you should probably experience at least once,” Jasinowski said. “Right now is the time to go as well, as we have just hit our peak season. It’s also a great place to release tension. Everyone is free to take a walk, a bike ride or just roam around the orchard.”

Williamston

 Bestmaze corn maze is located in Williamston,   about an hour from campus.

According to  www.bestmaze.com, Bestmaze has a 20-acre maze that winds through corn for more than a  1/3 mile. It is open from Sept. 6 to Nov. 1, Thursday and Friday 6 to 10 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday 1 to 10 p.m. Tickets are $7 per person, with discounts for groups of three or more.

For a customer who is seeking more of a scare there is the Trail of Terror, separate from the corn maze.

According to the Web site, this trail includes 16-foot monsters, fog, strobe lights and more. Tickets for the haunted trail are $10 per person.

Homer

The first floor of the Homer Mill in Homer, Mich., is a restaurant and bar open from Thursday to Sunday all year long, but the basement and top two floors of the Mill are a haunted house during the fall. Tickets cost $15 on Sundays and Thursdays and $20 on Fridays and Saturdays from Sept. 5 through Nov. 1.

 According to www.thehomermill.com, it is the only haunted house visited and endorsed by Alice Cooper, musician and haunted house enthusiast. 

Ryan Thurston, Homer junior, has visited the Homer Mill many times.

“I’ve been there every year since it opened,” Thurston said. “It’s by far the scariest haunted house I’ve ever been to.”

Adrian

The Haunting, a 40,000 square foot haunted house located in Adrian, about an hour away from campus.

According to www.myhaunting.com, the Haunting includes 50 rooms and a maze to terrify its guests.

The Haunting also provides  ghost tours,  illusion shows, Halloween costume contest and a  backstage tour of the house.

The Haunting Haunted House will be open weekends throughout October. Tickets start at $13 per person.

Albion

Students don’t even have to leave campus to visit a haunted house this fall. On Wednesday, Oct. 29, Union Board will be providing a haunted house on campus.

“We have not had a haunted house in several years,” said Liz Williams, Flint sophomore and VP of the Late Night committee of Union Board.

“Because students often go to the haunted house in Homer around Halloween time, we thought it would be convenient to provide one for students who don’t have a car or don’t have enough money to pay the entrance fee to a haunted house,” Williams said.

According to Williams, the house is being ordered from a company in New York called Simplified Entertainment.

The haunted house is scheduled to be set up on the quad, but its rain location is set at the Dow. The house will be about 40 x 75 feet with 15 foot ceilings, and with several rooms.

The Sweet Seasons Orchard in Concord officially opened on Labor Day and is scheduled to remain open until Thanksgiving.