When mid-September rolls around and temperatures begin to fluctuate, my sister and I have a saying for this time of year: “It feels like high school football season.”
We don’t necessarily mean football.
We mean the weather is finally starting to cool down. We mean bright stadium lights, marching bands and a field surrounded by school colors. We mean the sound of a drumline carrying across a parking lot.
I spent years going to high school football games to support my sister and friends in marching band. I went to nearly every home game, and even now, those memories rush back when I hear a drumline or feel the first cool evening of the season.
That’s one of the things I love about this time of year. Not only is summer finally giving way to fall, but locals are finally starting to emerge from their air-conditioned refuges.
In Maricopa, fall might mean Friday night football. It might mean decorating your house for Halloween, finding a new restaurant or finally getting outside to finish that DIY project you’ve been putting off since June. Our annual Food & Beverage guide has an update on where to eat, while our seasonal Things To Do offers plenty of reasons to leave the house.
And sometimes, fall means something more serious. In this issue, contributor Ron Smith writes about falls prevention and the risks that come with falling as we get older. His story begins with a barista who thought he was talking about autumn, a misunderstanding that made me laugh and then think about how differently we can experience the same word.
So here’s to the season ahead. To Friday night lights, spooky houses, good food and, eventually, weather that actually feels like fall.
