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From the Emmys to the NFL, here's what was trending in Pennsylvania during the month of September

FOX43 spoke with Google Search Trends Expert, Molly VandenBerg, about what was trending both nationally, and in the Commonwealth last month.

PENNSYLVANIA, USA — It is officially fall, so it's a good time to check back in with Google experts about what people are searching for across the internet. 

FOX43 spoke with Google Search Trends Expert, Molly VandenBerg, about what was trending both nationally, and in the Commonwealth last month. 

According to her, Google saw a wide range of topics spanning across the entertainment industry, sports, culture, and more. 

The 74th Emmy Awards were held on Sept. 12 at the Microsoft Theater in Downtown Los Angeles, and despite the show breaking a not-so-great record of low viewership this year, it was one of the top-searched topics during the month of September, according to VandenBerg. 

People were Googling the likes of Zendaya and Sydney Sweeney of "Euphoria," Sheryl Lee Ralph and Quinta Brunson of "Abbott Elementary," and Jason Sudeikis of "Ted Lasso." In terms of television shows, some of the top-searched were "Better Call Saul," "Succession," and "Stranger Things," according to experts. 

Also last month, the world received a shock with the death of Britain's longest-serving monarch, Queen Elizabeth II. People wanted to know when the queen's funeral would be, how much the queen was worth, and who was next in line for the throne, among many other questions. 

VandenBerg also said that the 2022-23 NFL season kickoff, which occurred on Sept. 8, was searched more in September than any other time in Google Trends history. People were looking up the likes of Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, Joe Burrow, and their individual teams. 

Another big search trend? Hispanic Heritage Month, which runs from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15 each year. 

"One thing that I think is really interesting that speaks back to trends we've discussed before is...Hispanic Heritage Month, and so we did look at some of the contributions of Latin American artists," VandenBerg said.

For example, the top-searched concert in 2022 in the United States so far was for Puerto Rican rapper, Bad Bunny, she says. 

Lyrics for the song "We Don't Talk About Bruno," from the Disney film "Encanto" were searched nearly six times more than "Running Up That Hill," by Kate Bush, which was brought back into the public's mind by the arrival of the fourth season of the Netflix-hit "Stranger Things," in July, as well. 

"It's interesting to see that those popular songs have really taken root in culture," VandenBerg said. 

And of course, with the arrival of fall comes all things food-related. Butter boards, an alternative to charcuterie boards, received a lot of traction in September, for example. 

"(They're) really designed to be sharable with flavored butters that you can dip bread into, so I think that a lot of people are planning to use that on their fall gathering tables," she told FOX43. 

And we can't forget about "pumpkin-spice everything," as VandenBerg put it in her interview. The term "pumpkin spice" hit an all-time high last month, according to Google Trends. People were also searching for the release of Starbucks' fall menu, as well as every food combination imaginable, such as pumpkin spice Spam, if you can believe it. (Looking at you, Connecticut.) 

In Pennsylvania, a large number of people were looking up pumpkin spice vodka, as well as sunflower and apple festivals across the Commonwealth. 

"It seems like a lot of people are looking to take part in those fall activities," VandenBerg said.

Credit: Google Trends

And as October kicks off, VandenBerg told FOX43 that she's seeing all things Halloween start to trend, as well as "Hocus Pocus 2," which was released on Disney+ just last week. Because of this, she expects the Sanderson Sisters to be popular costumes this year. 

Also, as Hurricane season rages on further south, people in Pennsylvania are starting to look up all they can about Hurricane Ian, and how it will affect the areas they live in.

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