Fall at Calvin has long been commemorated by a nightly celebration of doughnuts, cider, hayrides, a corn maze, goats and cows to pet, s’mores and line dancing at Post Family Farms. This year was no different. This past Friday night, hundreds of Calvin students drove to Hudsonville to join these seasonal festivities.

Upon arriving at the farm and paying the four dollar admission, students were given a ticket with which they could redeem a self-proclaimed world-famous doughnut and cup of apple cider.

A short walk from the entrance took students to the barn. On the lower level of the barn there were a number of cows and small animals that could be pet. Line dancing was happening on the upper level of the barn and students quickly formed a line trailing down the stairs, waiting for their turn to swing their hips, stomp their feet and sashay together to classic country/western tunes.

There were also a number of tractors leading hay rides out to the corn maze. Each tractor pulled two trailers that could fit about twenty students, forty altogether. A ten-minute hayride took students to the corn where they wandered around in the darkness, looking for the exit. Much of the thrill of the corn maze is the dark element — sometimes students hide in the maze to scare other students; sometimes students get a bit lost. As long as students stay together, however, everyone eventually finds their way out.

Upon returning to the barn area by tractor, some students chose to sit around a series of bonfires that had been set up in a wooded area off to the side beyond the barn. These fires were surrounded by a perimeter of logs for sitting and there were tables nearby with ingredients for making s’mores, as well as large carafes filled with hot cocoa.

Though the fires were warm, students weren’t really around them for warmth. As senior Mary LePage reflected, “It wasn’t as cold as it has been in other years. Before, it has been freezing! So that was nice.” The weather seemed to contribute to attendance as students were able to enjoy a calm and crisp summer evening in a rustic, pastoral setting.