Who wants to watch a bunch of rowdy teens yell and throw pumpkins down a hill?

We do.

For those who haven’t heard of the Chagrin Falls Pumpkin Roll, it’s an annual town tradition that dates back to 1967. In the past, participants have taken their pick of their neighbor’s porch-pumpkins, but this year residents took a stand against pumpkin theft by designating which of their pumpkins were being “donated,” writing things like “smash me!” on the pumpkins that were up for grabs. The kids roll the pumpkins down the city street, then proceed to sled down the mush-covered concrete. Check out this video courtesy of News Net 5. Shouldn’t those kids be wearing helmets?


This article appears in Oct 28 – Nov 3, 2015.

Xan Schwartz is originally from metro Detroit and graduated from the University of Michigan in 2013 with a very practical degree in Arts and Ideas. Since then she has been undergoing the slow realization that she is not selfless enough to be an educator and wants to be a writer instead. She is currently pursuing an MA in English at Cleveland State.