Celebrate the Harvest in the Cooler Autumn Weather
Fall is here, bringing some long-awaited relief from the heat. With the cooler climes, it’s a lot more comfortable to spend the day outside. What better way to do that than at one of the many outstanding fall festivals across the United States. Here are some of the ones you don’t want to miss, if they’re nearby.
Sever’s Fall Festival, in Shakopee, Minnesota
Just 35 miles outside of the Twin Cities, you’ll find one of the top corn mazes in the country, one that’s different every year. If you make it through the maze, you’ll be entered into a drawing for a cash prize! Sever’s Fall Festival offers something for the whole family, from zip lines, a petting zoo and pony rides to live music and magic, as well as food from the heartland at the seemingly unlimited concession stands. Many of the country’s most popular apples were created at the University of Minnesota and you can have some of the local stars, including Honeycrisp and SnowSweet varieties. This year’s festival runs for six weeks, from September 14 through October 27.
The National Apple Harvest Festival, in Biglerville, Pennsylvania
Held near historic Gettysburg, this festival pays homage to the apple, featuring a wide range of culinary creations, from apple syrup to apple fritters to apple jellies, apple pizza, apple sausage, and, of course, apple pie. The Pennsylvania Apple Queen will be chosen, there’s a display of antique farming equipment and tours of many of the surrounding orchards. This year’s festival is being held on Saturday and Sunday, the first two weeks of October.
The Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze in Hudson Valley, New York
Featuring more than 7,000 hand-crafted jack-o-lanterns throughout the historic Van Cortlandt Manor in Croton-on-Hudson, this festival evokes images of Rip VanWinkle and the legend of Sleepy Hollow. That’s no surprise, as the nearby village of Tarrytown was the inspiration for Washington Irving’s harrowing tale. You can even stay at the Sleepy Hollow Hotel. Be prepared to get some exercise…it can take up to an hour and a half to walk the pathway lined with jack-o-lanterns. The festivities run from September 13 through November 17.
The Trailing of the Sheep Festival in Ketchum, Idaho
There’s no festival quite like it in the world. A celebration of sheepherding in the American West, the festival, held October 2 through October 6, include a parade, sheepdog trials and food from the Gooding Basque Association. The sheepdog trials feature nearly a hundred of the top border collies in the world, all vying for the title of the world’s best sheepdog.
