Autumn arrives this week, and the signs are all around us.

The weather doesn’t feel much like fall yet, but if you look closely you can see the vibrant green of the leaves beginning to fade. The trees that cover our rolling hillsides here in Eastern Ohio have just a hint of brown and rusty orange to them, and early mornings have become a little crisp.

You can smell the change in the air as well.  Just go outdoors and look around, and you’ll notice that gardens, grasses and weeds have begun to die and dry up, leaving a bit of a spicy, musty smell in the air.

There are plenty of other signs of fall besides the weather, though. Children are back in school, and all across the Ohio Valley, football season is in full swing. High school teams clash on local fields each Friday night (and sometimes on Saturday afternoons), and folks are glued to their TVs on Saturdays to watch their favorite college teams, and they watch the pros on Sundays and Mondays.

Fair and festival season is also underway. In Barnesville this week, the Pumpkin Festival will draw thousands of people to the village streets. In addition to the food vendors and carnival rides they can enjoy at any such event, Barnesville visitors will get a real taste of fall in the form of pumpkin-flavored treats, lots of autumn-themed crafts and a good look at the fruits of the summer harvest on display atop tables situated along Main Street.

Campaign signs are popping up along roadways everywhere. Candidates are now competing in earnest for victories in the Nov. 8 general election.

And already local communities are setting Trick or Treat dates and planning Halloween-themed activities. There has also been talk of Thanksgiving food giveaways and of Christmas parades on the horizon.

The beauty of fall can be fleeting in the Ohio Valley. Days will get shorter, and the leaves will turn to shades of red and yellow whether temperatures fall or not. At some point, however, the autumn rain will begin. It will knock those leaves off the trees and create a soggy, muddy mess for us to contend with.

Fall officially begins Thursday. It is a time to celebrate the harvest, rich with ripe tomatoes, squash, apples and many more of our favorite foods. But it also can be a melancholy time, representing the beginning of the end of another year.  We also begin to dread the arrival of harsher, winter weather, which will keep most of us mainly indoors for several weeks.

Perhaps this year has reached and passed its prime, but we should still try to embrace the coming season. Many of our most treasured traditions are associated with fall, especially those that surround Thanksgiving and gatherings of family and friends.

I, for one, will look forward to the changing leaves, spicy cider drinks, spooky Halloween activities and a change of wardrobe.

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Another thing to look forward to this Thursday is a Meet the Candidate Night, sponsored by The Times Leader and the St. Clairsville Area Chamber of Commerce at Ohio University Eastern, located along National Road west of St. Clairsville.

From 6-8 p.m. Thursday, candidates for office in Belmont County will have the opportunity to introduce themselves to the public and talk briefly about why they believe they are the best person for the job.

Ohio Sen. Lou Gentile, D-Steubenville, and his Republican challenger, Frank Hoagland of Mingo Junction have confirmed they will be there, along with Ohio Rep. Andy Thompson, R-Marietta, and Belmont County Commissioner Ginny Favede, the Democrat who is seeking to unseat him. In addition, candidates for county commissioner, sheriff, and clerk of courts will be on hand to meet the voters who attend.

After the candidates make their presentations — and perhaps answer a few questions from the audience — they will attend a reception in the lobby outside the theater at Shannon Hall. That portion of the event will feature refreshments and a chance for individual voters to meet and talk one-on-one with the candidates.

I believe that events such as this are extremely important because voters need to be educated and informed before they head to the polls. Unless the public has an opportunity to hear from the candidates about who they are and what they plan to do in office, they may have little to base their votes on.

Casting a ballot in favor of someone simply because of their party affiliation is less than ideal. But if a voter hasn’t met a candidate or at least had an opportunity to hear them speak — whether in person or through an article or broadcast – they may have little choice but to select a candidate based on party or the appearance of their campaign signs.

So, I urge Belmont County voters to attend this free forum on Thursday. Come join us for an educational evening, a nice snack, and the chance to learn a lot more about the folks who wish to serve and represent you.