Fall Festivities: Social Distanced
Carter S.
Every teenager in the world has had an itch to enjoy the company of someone other than those who have helped change their diaper, at one time or another. It is important for teenage development to socialize with people, but with everything going on, accomplishing that makes it that much harder.
As we all move through this pandemic together, there are ways for people to interact safely and have fun. Richardson’s Farm, in Spring Grove, boasts the “world’s largest” corn maze. This year, the theme is the fiftieth anniversary of Earth day. Richardson’s requires all customers to wear a mask when inside one of their buildings and when a gathering of people occurs. “I personally felt safe when I visited with my family,” senior Marissa Parcell said, “everyone kept their distance from each other, and I had a memorable time”.
Halloween has many classic traditions like bobbing for apples, carving pumpkins, and eating every piece of candy you received from Trick-or-Treating until you throw up. While the candy sounds like a blast, carving pumpkins is a great way to spend time with friends at a safe distance. Obviously, pumpkins can be carved on a zoom call with people, but, weather permitting, grabbing a few tables and chairs allows people to carve them together without having to worry about anyone getting sick. For inspiration on what to carve, look at your favorite movie/television show character, pinterest, or if you’re really desperate, one of your friends. “I am really excited to carve pumpkins this year,” sophomore Monish Soni noted, “this is my first time ever carving pumpkins!”
Of course, nothing is better than being indoors on days when the weather is less than desirable. However, according to Center for Disease Control guid
elines it is urged to “Host your gathering outdoors, when possible”. A great way around this is “Teleparty”. This chrome extension allows people from all over the world to watch the same same movie or tv show on a multitude of different streaming services — Netflix, Hulu, Disney +, and HBO are all included. Participants can chat with each other and watch anything they want all on the same screen. “I used it [teleparty] to watch movies with my sister while she was off in college” senior Jacqueline Davidson said, “now, with COVID-19, I can do the same with my friends and it is super fun!”.
One of the major questions that is being asked now is do you feel safe? This is important for anyone, because if someone doesn’t feel comfortable or safe, are they having a fun time? “I feel safe when I am with friends because we all take precautions, and if someone has symptoms, they stay home.” Davidson revealed. She has an underlying health condition that would make her reaction to the virus worse than the average person’s.
“I limit the number of people I hang out with, and always wear a mask in public,” Parcell added. The CDC recommends “limiting close face-to-face contact with others”.
There are so many great things to do with friends and this just scratches the surface. “Usually, I look at Tik Tok for ideas of what to do with people,” Davidson stated. A lot of different companies are promoted on social media platforms and it is important to keep your eye out, so you can see and do what’s “in.”
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