• the217
• Life
• Editor's Note

I’m not sure of the exact moment, but sometime this week it suddenly became fall. I’m a fall fanatic, so you can just imagine my excitement as the leaves turn, the evenings get cooler, and the days grow shorter. While we all know this shift in weather will eventually give way to the bleak Illinois winter, I still can’t help but get caught up in all the lovely autumn activities CU has to offer.

Let’s be honest: Half the people in this town gage what season we’re in by what seasonal beer is available at local liquor stores and bars. Recently, summer wheats have given way to Oktoberfest and pumpkin brews. When standing in line at Espresso Royale or Bar Giuliani I’ve notices people ditching iced coffee for autumn spice lattes and hot apple cider.

But don’t forget about fall festivals. buzz has been looking forward to Pygmalion Music festival for months, and starting on Wednesday we’ll finally have our chance to see acts like Yo La Tengo and Dan Deacon live in CU. On the September 27, Urbana will host the seventh annual International Beer Tasting and Chili Cook-Off, where you better believe I’ll be soaking up the season. This year I’m traveling to the infamous Parke County Covered Bridge festival in Indiana to further indulge my fall frenzy.

Before you know it we’ll be carving pumpkins hand-selected from Curtis Orchard and dressing up like zombies and slutty nurses for Halloween.

So amidst all these seasonal changes, just know that buzz will still consistently report on and indulge in these awesome autumn activities (like alliteration). Like the Carpenters once said, we’ve only just begun.