It is that time of year and it is contagious.

The leaves are falling, temperatures are dropping and students are breaking out their boots and scarves.

When fall comes, so does the annual Maple Leaf Festival to the little town of Baldwin City.

The streets get blocked off and have different signs saying go one way or the other, and parking becomes limited. There is an increase in the number of people who venture about Baldwin City and it becomes a large mass of people walking everywhere.

Yes, the over-crowdedness and parking difficulties are drawbacks to this festival, but for this one weekend, it is all worth it to me.

I find so much joy within this festival.

I love the over-crowdedness and the different assortment of people that come. It allows me to people watch, which is a secret pleasure I love to do.

I like to walk around and just see the different people who run the booths, who are walking along like I am and there are the people you have no idea what they are doing. It becomes a game and I find it a winning situation when I find someone who is doing something completely out of the ordinary.

Other than the mass amount of people, I enjoy the overall atmosphere of Maple Leaf.

I love the smells coming from the multiple food booths, the assortment of booths for me to shop in and just walking around with my family while enjoying a beautiful day. There is just something about a little, old town with a reoccurring festival that makes me giddy inside.

My favorite part of Maple Leaf is the food.

There are multiple booths ranging from Kappa Sigma fraternity’s turkey legs to fried pickles sold by the Baker University Spirit Squad. There are so many choices that sometimes I can’t decide which one to eat, so I eat multiple times, even if I am not hungry. I like to try a little of everything and can say in the end, it is all worth it.

The food at Maple Leaf is food you can’t help but splurge on for one time each year.

I probably sound like a little kid at the candy store, but that is how I feel when Maple Leaf graces my presence.

I love the whole idea of this festival. Food, shopping, enjoying beautiful Baldwin City and spending time with my family makes those difficulties worth it. It is an annual event I look forward to and get anxious for the smells, craft booths and walking around without a worry each year.