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It’s August in Alabama and all we’ve had to do was walk outside for about five minutes to know it — insufferable heat with humidity that smothers you like a heavy woolen blanket, yet dry enough to make your front lawn crunch beneath your feet.

But the rains came to my house yesterday, and very likely, to many of yours well. We could have done without the thunder and lightning and flickering lights, but what a blessing that precipitation — and the accompanying drop in temperatures — was.

I felt a touch of autumn in the air this morning. Of course, it is warming back up, and we aren’t “out of the woods” in terms of summer, but that subtle hint of fall is enough to give me hope.

Fall is a busy time for the communities in our readership. Football, that most beloved of sports in the south, gets underway — publisher Adam Prestridge, managing editor Mark Rogers and Luverne editorial coordinator Matt Hutcheson have been working hard on our area’s football magazine — and our marvelous GHS Tiger Pride band is just one group of musicians gearing up to dazzle us on the field and in concerts in the coming months.

Fall also means family-friendly festivals. I will be attending the Okra Festival in Burkville for the first time at the end of the month; there are events slated in Downtown Luverne in October, including the Fall Festival organized by Sheree Prevett, slated for the 5th and the big Bicentennial Makers’ Market and Celebration set for the 12th.

The last Saturday of October will usher in Old Time Farm Day in Butler County. I will actually be videoing a wedding that day. I am hoping for good weather with a little crispness in the air, so everyone — bridal party and OTFD attendees alike — can enjoy a beautiful Saturday as they celebrate family fun and fellowship together.

And this year’s Trick or Treat on Commerce Street in Greenville, slated for Oct. 31, will see the return of Sonya Sims Rice’s talented troupe performing a “spookaliciously” themed dance for the crowd in front of City Hall. 

Fall also means the return of a new season for the Greenville Area Arts Council, with its professional productions drawing folks from across the region who love good music presented in the intimate Art Deco setting found within the storied Ritz Theatre. Fliers will be going out soon to those who have purchased season tickets in the past, so be on the lookout. And of course, we will be sharing information about the wonderful upcoming artistic season with you all right here within our pages. With another sold-out season almost guaranteed, you will want to go online and get those tickets early, folks!

Now that I have felt that faintest hint of fall, I can hardly wait for the real thing — and all the celebratory times that come with it, to arrive. How about you?