Donald Keough, News Editor–

In the midst of a field of clucking chickens, a whirling tractor and the smell of fresh cider, 33 students perused rows of pumpkins. 

Although to some it may feel too hot for fall, a variety of seasonal activities help set the mood, including a corn maze, potato-bag sledding and vendors selling food like popcorn.

“I’m from Washington, so there aren’t usually farms like [this],” Violet Kinsey ‘29 said. “It’s really fun to get to do something different.” 

Kinsey, as well as the other students, were participating in Denison Outdoors Club’s (DOC) annual Pumpkins and Peace event, which included a trip to Dupler’s Pumpkin Land and then pumpkin carving and painting at the Hoaglin Wellness Center on Oct. 4. This was the second year the event was held. 

“Getting off campus has been really nice,” Kinsey said. “It’s good to get outside as well.”

The group spent about two hours on the farm before heading back to the Hoaglin Wellness Center. The event was held in partnership with Hoaglin, who helped provide transportation as well as a space for the group to paint and carve pumpkins. 

When students arrived back at the space in Hoaglin, students chatted among themselves as they worked on fashioning their pumpkins. 

Jeanee Jimenez ‘27 worked with Kinsey while painting a pumpkin for a friend.

“I always have such a good time on these trips,” Jimenez said.“It’s fun to get together and enjoy the outdoors.” 

Kinsey and Jimenez also hope to do more trips like this in the future. This was the DOC’s fifth event this year, which each involved some sort of trip into nature. Jimenez had also been a part of last year’s white water rafting trip in the Lower Gauley River during fall break.

“It was my first time camping, and it was a lot colder than I expected,” Jimenez said. “But it was amazing, and it made me want to do more events like this one.”

This year’s event was organized by Maaike Snider ‘26, the president of DOC. She was excited to see the turnout of students. 

“[There] were a lot of people, and it was really fun because I love seeing people doing their own thing, like some picking up pumpkins, some going down slides, people talking to people they normally wouldn’t,” Snider said.

Snider hopes that his event can become a tradition because she believes it helps students “focus on mindfulness, focus on enjoying nature and being in moments.” 

“I’m really glad everyone had a good time,” Snider said. “I think it’s really good for all of us.” 

In addition to her role in DOC, Maaike is also a Wellness Ambassador for Hoaglin, which means she helps host events in Hoaglin as well. Her connection to Hoaglin helped her come up with the idea for the event, as she hoped to combine mindfulness with the outdoors. 

“It’s a really good partnership, because we get to focus on [being] peaceful, while also getting access to space,” Snider said. 

DOC’s next event is Oct. 12, during which the club will take a group of students to Cuyahoga Valley National Park near Cleveland.