Each Fall, just about the time Mother Nature starts to change her outfit, historical Blackberry Farm and its natural beauty plays host to Pumpkin Weekends, a popular, monthlong event for families to celebrate the season and add memories to the digital scrapbook.
Returning in 2021 after a one-year absence due to the pandemic, Pumpkin Weekends are held 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. every Saturday and Sunday this month, along with Columbus Day (Monday, Oct. 11), at Blackberry Farm, the Fox Valley Park District’s (FVPD) living history museum, 100 S. Barnes Road in Aurora.
Admission to the park is $8 per person (ages 1+) and $7 for seniors (65+), and visitors can purchase pumpkins to decorate for an additional $3 upon arrival. Unlimited rides and attractions, train, carousel, ponies, hay wagon, to name a few – are included with admission.
“We’re beyond thrilled to welcome Pumpkin Weekends back to our seasonal lineup,” said Becky Harling, facility manager at Blackberry Farm. “Guests can roam the park, which will be festively decorated in the spirit of the season, and enjoy unlimited amenities and all sorts of interactive, pumpkin-themed activities.”
Visitors are invited to be on the lookout for five golden pumpkins strategically placed throughout the Park. Successful scavengers can enter to win a 2022 Season Pass (family of 4) to Blackberry Farm.
Additionally, special activity dates will be featured throughout the month of Pumpkin Weekends, including:
• Saturday, Oct. 9: Children’s Concert, 1 p.m. to 1:45 p.m.;
• Sunday, Oct. 10: Face Painting, noon to 3 p.m.;
• Saturday, Oct. 16: World’s Tallest Scarecrow, 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.;
• Sunday, Oct. 24: Balloon Artist, noon to 3 p.m.;
• Saturday, Oct. 30: Trick or Treat, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. (Teal pumpkins denote peanut-free treats!).
“Blackberry Farm is beautiful year-round, but it just may shine the brightest in October with all of the spectacular colors,” Harling said.
For more information visit www.foxvalleyparkdistrict.org.
—Fox Valley Park District