The air is crisp. Fall has come upon us. This was the time of year when everyone went to visit Bell's Apple Orchard at the border of Lake Zurich and North Barrington.

It was a good drive from the city, but it was well worth the trip. For some folks it was just a hop across town but Bell's was a special place.

 Look!  There was the big red apple announcing Bells Apple Orchard. As you drove past, there in the distance, behind a small pond where the ducks like to play, was where memories were made. If it wasn't picking apples or hiding behind the trees, you were sipping cider, or biting into crisp doughnuts straight from the fryer. 

It smelled wonder inside the rustic orchard store. So many delicious things were being made for our pleasure. There was usually a line of some kind formed at the counter as you tried to wait patiently for your turn. 

While waiting, you could  look around to try and decide what wonder treat to have. Mrs. Ruth Bell was great at making the best taffy apples around! She took pride in everything she made. Dipping the apples into the warm carmel and rolling them into peanuts to rest on a waxed sheet that covered the pan.

Oh! Then there were apple pies, waiting to be bought so, many people could bring them home to be enjoyed and shared with others.

You could buy a bag or bushel of different kinds of apples too! It was a fun time for the whole family to go out in the orchard and pick your own. Many school children would come from miles around to share in the fall harvest. 

Yes, those were the good old days and the memories that we will tell others. Unfortunately, Bell's closed in 1998.

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Now, test your knowledge about Lake Zurich History and take the "History Mystery" quiz by viewing the photo to see if you can know any information about it.  The answer will be provided on Sunday, Oct. 24.

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Bringing Back the Past appears every Saturday with the "History Mystery" photo contest and then on Sunday to provide the answer.