When Rachael Rodgers learned a few years ago that the Centerville-Washington Park District was inviting residents to participate in the Pumpkin Glow—a glowing display of warm and cheerful pumpkins on Halloween night—she was all in. She asked neighbors to either join a pumpkin-carving party or donate a carved or non-carved pumpkin. She coordinated the event, ensuring that around 25 pumpkins were lit at Fence Row Park from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. on October 31.

The Fence Row Pumpkin Glow is becoming a neighborhood tradition, with more people and pumpkins joining each year. This past October’s third annual event again featured pumpkins lighting the way as kids ran around, played, and made memories together. Last year, a local farmer picked up the pumpkins and delivered them to a pig farm in Cincinnati. This year, Rachael donated the pumpkins to a local goat farm.

Rachael and her husband, Scott, love watching their children—Finn (10) and Callie (8)—enjoy the festivities with their friends. “We really enjoy planning this event,” Rachael says. “It is so fun to carve and light the pumpkins with our friends and neighbors. I’m looking forward to this year and hope we can make it even bigger!”

Rachael and Scott are originally from different places—Rachael from the Dayton area, where she attended Chaminade Julienne High School, and Scott from Duncansville, Pennsylvania. After college, they both worked for the Air Force as civilians at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base but didn’t meet until 2012 during a career-broadening trip to Las Vegas. “We’d been working for the same organization for years and didn’t meet until that trip,” Rachael shares. They married 10 months later, on St. Patrick’s Day in 2013.

The couple first lived in Oakwood, where their son Finn was born in 2014. By the time Rachael was expecting Callie in 2017, they had outgrown their home and were ready to move. “I was seven months pregnant when we moved here,” Rachael describes. “We bought this house from my dad, who was moving to Beavercreek. It worked out perfectly.”

Now firmly settled in the lovely Yankee Trace neighborhood, the Rodgers family stays busy with work, school, travel, and plenty of activities. With 20+ years each at Wright-Patt, Rachael currently serves as a Division Chief, supervising technical writers and graphic designers, while Scott drives innovation and digital modernization within the same directorate. Scott, who studied aerospace engineering at Penn State University and earned his MBA from the University of Cincinnati, also finds time to serve as den leader for Finn’s Cub Scout den and tinker with his Corvette in the garage—he recently installed a lift to make working on cars even easier.

Rachael, who holds a master’s degree in political science from Wright State University, once studied sculpture before changing her undergraduate major to art history. That creative spark shows up at home in all sorts of ways. “I make our Halloween costumes every year,” she notes, adding that this year’s theme was Dr. Seuss. She’s also known for her handmade piñatas, which she creates for every birthday. “We’ve had bumblebees, rainbows, Minecraft, trains—you name it,” she states.

Finn, a fifth-grader in Centerville, plays tennis, takes Spanish at the Dayton International School, and is earning his Arrow of Light in Cub Scouts. Callie, in third grade, is an Irish dancer, takes Spanish, and recently joined Destination Imagination. 

As much as they enjoy their local traditions, the Rodgers family also loves to travel. “We’ve done a couple of cruises and been to Universal Studios Orlando, and we make trips to Pennsylvania a few times a year,” Rachael says. The family also enjoys minor league baseball and tries to visit new ballparks wherever they travel. “We haven’t found another team that puts on a show as good as the Dragons—their atmosphere and fanbase are unmatched,” notes Scott, who has been a Dragons season ticket holder for over 15 years. 

The family has had a few notable milestones recently. Rachael completed her 10th—and final—half-marathon, the Queen Bee in Cincinnati. Scott celebrated his Leap Day birthday in style last year with a Harry Potter-themed party. He was sorted into Gryffindor by his sorting hat cake.

Between community events, school activities, and shared adventures, the Rodgers family has found a nice rhythm. “We really love it here,” Rachael says. “The neighborhood is beautiful, the people are kind, and we always have something fun going on.”