THIS WEEKEND: Fall activities and family fun
Oct. 15—As Halloween gets closer, here are some upcoming fall-themed events activities to go to with your family and friends in Clark and Champaign counties.
New Carlisle Halloween Night Market & Annual Pumpkin Carving Contest
The New Carlisle Farmers Night Market will host a Halloween-themed night, including trick-or-treat.
In addition to the regular market activities, a variety of fall fun will be available, including hay rides and pumpkin carving. The pumpkin carving contest will take place at Abe's Hidden Treasures between 3 to 7 p.m. with judging taking place at 7:30 p.m. inside. Prizes include $100 for first place, $50 for second place, and $25 for third place.
Trick-or-treat will take place throughout the night, as all vendors will be participating in handing out candy and goodies to attendees.
Food trucks onsite for the night will be Spicey Rooster BBQ Catering, Freddie's Franks and Burgers, and Mom Andrasik's Hungarian Cabbage Rolls.
For more information, visit the New Carlisle Farmers Market page on Facebook.
Haunt & Harvest Festival
The Face Your Fears Hotel of Terror will host its Fall Festival this Saturday and Sunday.
The event will take place from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and 12 to 5 p.m. on Sunday at 1291 Cold Springs Road in Springfield.
Activities include daytime tours of the haunted house, pumpkin patch visits, amusement rides, bounce houses, costume contests, and more. Food trucks will also be onsite.
The $12 per person admission includes coverage of the price of one pumpkin from the patch.
Visitors can also go through the haunted house with a regular price ticket from 8 to 12 p.m.
For more information, visit http://faceyourfearshaunt.com/.
Haunted Halloween Drive-Thru
The annual Haunted Halloween Drive-Thru will take place this Friday and Saturday at the George Rogers Clark Park in Springfield.
The event will take place both nights from 8 to 10 p.m. at 930 S. Tecumseh Road.
In accordance with safety measures for all participants, the haunting night will be a drive-thru again, as it was last year. The drive-thru haunt is family-friendly, and attendees are encouraged to dress up in costumes for the experience. Upon entering the park, attendees must remain in their vehicles.
The cost is $15 per car to enter the drive-thru, which can cover the cost of a whole group entering in one vehicle.
Pre-registration and ticket purchase is required prior to attending. Visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/haunted-halloween-drive-thru-tickets-166706504643 to register.
Pumpkin Picking & Haunted Wagon Rides at Young's Dairy
Pumpkin picking and spooky wagon rides will continue to be available through the end of October at the dairy farm.
Pumpkins can be picked from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. For those who wish to choose their pumpkins by hand in the field, purchase a ticket at the Farmstead Cheese Marketplace located inside the Dairy Store to ride the wagon that goes to the Pumpkin Patch.
Pricing is $9.50 per pumpkin, and includes the wagon ride to the pumpkin patch. Pumpkins can also be purchased at the Dairy Store.
The wagon rides are offered every Friday and Saturday night from 7:30 to 10 p.m. The rides, although spooky, are family-friendly and child-friendly. Children under 11 must ride accompanied by an adult.
Rides cost $14 per person 6 years and older, and children 5 and under cost $6. Parking is available in the field on the property.
For more information, visit https://youngsdairy.com/.
Fish and Shrimp Festival: Halloween Bash 2021
This event is part of Freshwater Farms' "Seven Seafood Saturdays of Fall," which began in September, and continues Saturdays through the end of October.
These days will feature local food trucks, as well as seafood specialties from the kitchens of Freshwater Farms, along with craft beers, wine, margaritas and other beverages.
Arts and crafts vendors and local merchants will be at the festival, along with animal displays, including the sturgeon petting zoo, touch tanks and pygmy goats. The Freshwater Farms of Ohio Farm Market will also be open. The festival will also have live music performed by various bands each week.
Online reservations for festival food and drive-thru onsite ordering and pickup will also be available. Reservations can be made prior to each festival day at fwfarms.com/shop or by calling 937-652-3701.
For more information, visit https://fwfarms.com/.
About the Author
Tia Clyburn
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Tia Clyburn is a staff writer who covers the Springfield area's local businesses and entertainment. She graduated from Wright State University in May 2021 with a bachelor's degree in Media Studies. Before being hired as digital content producer at the Springfield News-Sun, Clyburn was an intern at Dayton Daily News as a contributing writer.
