Top 10 Things for Every Newberrian to Experience a Frolicking Fall!

Creating these seasonal Top 10 lists has certainly been a challenge of creativity this year; however, there’s still so much to see and do in the City of Friendly Folks!

Although the way we approach even daily tasks may be different and our rituals changed, that doesn’t mean boredom should ensue! The following are some options for you to consider as you look for activities to take your mind off the stress of the world around you. Each can be done in a safe manner with care and consideration not only for your health, but your neighbor’s health. Keep kindness in mind, and please don’t forget to carry a proper mask and hand sanitizer with you — you never know when you may need it, just as you never know what someone else may be dealing with. And remember, if you smile behind that mask, we can still see your “smiling eyes!”

1. Pay a Visit to the Newberry Recreation Complex, NOW OPEN!

Get outside and enjoy a morning or afternoon at the newly opened Newberry Recreation Complex. The park has opened to showcase its first phase of results from the last two years of construction since the passing of the Newberry County penny sales tax initiative (one of several projects funded in part by this program). Children will enjoy a visit to the playground, featuring play sets for ages 2-5 and 5-12, swings, whirly gig, and outdoor musical instruments! The playground is also fully accessible, making it a place that children and parents with disabilities can enjoy too. Saturdays in September visitors with children can also plan to visit Gully Washer Splash Park. A great way to enjoy a couple of hours during the final days of summer! If park amenities are too crowded for you to easily follow social-distancing guidelines consider a loop around the Hidden Lake Nature Trail to take some time while you wait for safe access. The trail takes you on a half mile loop around the man-made lake within the park, shaded by a plethora of pine trees. You could also consider bringing a Frisbee or ball to do a little pick-up game in the grass multi-purpose fields. There’s plenty to see and do! Just remember to be respectful of others, bring your mask, and keep a safe distance.

2. Enjoy a night at the movies, from the comfort of your car!

Moonlight Movie Night Drive-Ins continue this fall in downtown Newberry! Drive up and tune-in your radio dial for sound. Then relax and enjoy a fun night out in a safe and stress-free environment! The movies will be shown at the municipal parking lot at 901 Friend Street and will be able to accommodate up to 25 vehicles in the paved lot, and an additional 25 vehicles in the grass lot. Movies are set to show Friday, September 18 at 7:30 p.m., Friday October 16 at 7 p.m., and Friday, November 13 at 6:30 p.m. (all at sunset). Participants are asked to vote for their favorite movie selection- details and drive-in rules can be found at www.newberryprt.com.

3. #SupportDowntown and #ShopSmall

The Virtual Vendor Fair and #SupportDowntown Receipt Contest of the Newberry Oktoberfest: Virtual Festival 2020 are in full swing! Dozens of artists and crafters making and selling 100 percent handmade goods have joined the listings while offering discounts, exclusive to Newberry Oktoberfest Virtual Festival shoppers. Additionally, most of these virtual vendors are proud members of #NewberryMade! Support your local artists and be sure to #ShopSmall with them this fall via the Virtual Newberry Oktoberfest.

Don’t forget our downtown businesses! Show your support by entering the #SupportDowntown Receipt Contest. Any downtown purchases you make in the month of September, whether it’s lunch, a haircut, service, or gift, bring your receipts to the Parks, Recreation, and Tourism office at 1323 College Street. Three lucky winners will be selected, and each will win a $100 downtown gift card prize pack! Details: www.newberryoktoberfest.com.

4. ENTER TO WIN

In addition to the Virtual Vendor Fair, the Newberry Oktoberfest: Virtual Festival is offering a plethora of FREE to enter contests, with high value prizes! Do you have lederhosen or a dirndl? Put them on and take a cute photo of yourself or whole family dressed in your best German attire! Submit your photo to prt@cityofnewberry.com by September 26. We’ll post to Facebook and the photo with the most likes wins! Are you or your children fans of coloring? Enter the Logo Re-Design Contest! Submit your entry to prt@cityofnewberry.com by October 1 to win! Into TikTok and dancing? Create a short video of you (and maybe a few friends) trying to replicate a traditional German style dance and submit your entry to prt@cityofnewberry.com by October 1 to win! Each of the top winners of these contests will win a prize pack of German goodies and downtown Newberry gift cards valued at $300! We also have other contests like the #ThrowbackThursday I-Spy contest and Walkin’ Wednesday “hunts” for gift cards and prizes too (do you know the traditions of the Christmas Pickle and Marzipan Pig?- tune in to find out!). Learn more about the contest fun at www.newberryoktoberfest.com.

5. Round Out Your At-Home Oktoberfest Experience

In addition to the Virtual Vendor Fair and many contests, the Newberry Oktoberfest: Virtual Festival, is working to bring a little bit of Oktoberfest to your home! Families can enjoy Virtual Kindertown activities like how-to videos for Oktoberfest Crafts with the Newberry Arts Center and baking traditional Oktoberfest gingerbread hearts using the official recipe of the Munich Oktoberfest. Other famous Oktoberfest recipes can be found on the Taste of Oktoberfest web page for folks to make, including a recipe for the Newberry-Famous Liver Nips (if you aren’t sure what these are, check out our website…they are… quite traditional). Downtown is also getting in on the action with Biergarten and Oktoberfest To-Go! Be sure to visit www.newberryoktoberfest.com to see what’s on the menu in downtown for your at-home experience!

6. Pay a visit to the Grow Newberry Farmers Market

Returning this fall to downtown’s Memorial Park is the Grow Newberry Farmers Market. The market features farm fresh produce, pasture raised meats, and handmade goods from artists and crafters local to the area, including artists registered through Newberry Made. Don your mask and join them on Saturday mornings October 3 through November 21 for fall goods for your pantry and home, and maybe even a few gifts leading up to the holiday season. Learn more at www.grownewberry.com.

7. Make a Trip to the Farm for Fresh Air

In addition to the fall market goods you can get at the Grown Newberry Farmers Market, you may wish to add a locally plucked pumpkin to your haul! Plan to make a trip out to Lever Farms this fall for fresh air and pumpkins grown right on the farm, in addition to other fall produce and locally sourced goodies. While you’re headed that way, keep driving just a few minutes further to visit the alpacas at Carolina Pride Pastures. Tour the farm, feel the alpaca fleece, and get a few handmade alpaca yarn goodies to take home. Learn more about these farms at their websites www.leverfarms.com and www.cppastures.com.

8. Build a Picnic

After a hot and humid summer, the break in the weather for crisp cool fall is something worth celebrating! Consider building a picnic for you and your family to enjoy, or even a BYO spread with friends physically distanced on the lawn. Make your picnic out of goodies from the Grow Newberry Farmers Market or keep showing your support for downtown by buying from the many restaurants in downtown. How’s this for a picnic basket? Farmers market sourced apples, specialty sodas from Figaro Market, fair trade chocolates and snacks from Genesis, BBQ sandwiches from Steelhorse or pimento burgers from The Grille on Main, pimento cheese from Cabana, deviled eggs from Half Full, sweets from Laila’s Place, fresh brewed tea and scones from The Gallery Tea Room, Figaro Salad loaded with berries, and top it off with a handmade pizza from Steven W’s Pizza Pop Up! Perhaps you could even get a bottle of wine from Half Full or Figaro’s or draft growler of beer from Lancero Lounge or Martin Street Beer Parlor. Whew, I’m full just thinking about that list! And don’t forget to bring all those receipts by PRT for the #SupportDowntown Receipt contest too.

9. #OptOutside

For decades the Friday after Thanksgiving has been known for it’s doorbuster deals at big box stores and malls. The scenes of people mobbing the doorways for Black Friday can be anxiety inducing, even during a year without a pandemic to worry about. However, in recent years a new tradition has started to take root in the wake of the corporate push to start sales on Thanksgiving day. That tradition is to Opt Outside, and after a year like 2020 there’s no better time to add this tradition to your family’s holiday practice. There are many ways and places where you can opt outside, but one of the most beautiful is exploring the golden fall foliage of Lynch’s Woods (although peak leaf peeping is typically the second or third weekend of November). The woods and other great outdoor activities are featured in our Opt Outside Weekend Itinerary listed at www.cityofnewberry.com/area-attractions/itineraries-guides. These suggestions can be done any time of year too! Not just in the fall.

10. Don’t forget those who are still fighting the fight

At this point you may have so much local and crafted goodness from the Oktoberfest Virtual Vendor Fair, #SuppportDowntown Receipt Contest, Grow Newberry Farmers Market, and local farm visits, it’s just too much to keep to yourself! Consider creating gift baskets for those who are still working on the front lines of the COVID-19 fight. Consider the nurses, doctors, and CNAs working at our local nursing homes and Newberry Hospital. Visitation to these facilities is still restricted or even prohibited for the protection of their patients. And let’s not forget our many teachers and schools! We’re just three full weeks into the new school year, meaning many are just starting to get the groove of the challenges presented this year. Letters of encouragement are always appreciated, but be sure to ask directly, “how can I help you?” Maybe it’s funding for setting up an outdoor class space, or they need some additional supplies they weren’t expecting. Maybe they just need a listening ear. Lend a hand in the ways that you feel you can.

BONUS: Complete Your Census!

While we’re on the topic of helping your community, let’s not forget the importance of completing your census! By visiting 2020census.gov or calling 844-330-2020 — you can complete the quick and easy questions in just a few minutes. You can also complete it in the language of your choice! When you complete the census and get added to our local count, you’re helping your community secure funds and resources needed for everything from school lunches and roads, to support for first responders and the attraction of new businesses. Deadline to complete is September 30, so complete your census right now!

These are just 10 ideas for things you can do for yourself and for your community. We may be physically apart, but through thoughtfulness and kindness our community can continue to support each other.