Taking the Kids: Visiting a fall festival

Eileen Ogintz, Tribune Content Agency on Sep 8, 2022

Have you got a pirate wannabe in your house? The Pirates of the High Seas Fest in Panama City Beach, Florida, ( Oct. 7 to 9) boasts a kids parade, Little Pirates Fun Zone, staged pirate battles, a pirate costume contest, storytelling , music and fireworks.

Have you ever chucked a pumpkin? The 13th annual Vermont Pumpkin Chuckin’ Festival ( Sept. 25) in Stowe, Vermont, includes teams who compete to see how far they can hurl pumpkins using a catapult. There’s also a chili cook-off, kids’ activities, live music and plenty of fall foliage. Held at Stoweflake Mountain Resort, the Chuckin’ Festival raises funds for the Clarina Howard Nichols Center, which aims to end domestic and sexual violence in Lamoille County.

On the West Coast, Half Moon Bay, California, calls itself the World Pumpkin Capital and celebrates all things pumpkin the second and third weekends in October at the 50th annual Half Moon Bay Art & Pumpkin Festival. Gawk at giant pumpkins, cheer on the kids in pie-eating contests, watch the world’s largest pumpkin carving and, of course, pick your own.

Tour a cranberry marsh, see who has the largest cranberry, shop til you drop at over 1,300 booths and sample cranberry chiffon pie at an eating contest at Warrens Cranberry Festival, all celebrating Wisconsin’s state fruit and benefiting the village of Warrens. (September 23 to 25,)

If apples are more your speed, head to Pennsylvania’s Amish country for The National Apple Harvest Festival in Biglerville, Pennsylvania, the first two weekends in October. Say hello to Johnny Appleseed, join a hayride, watch a puppet show or chainsaw carving, bite into a candy apple … and then go pick a bushel to take home. Have you ever tried apple guacamole?

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(For more Taking the Kids, visit www.takingthekids.com and also follow TakingTheKids on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram where Eileen Ogintz welcomes your questions and comments. The Kid’s Guide to Philadelphia and The Kid’s Guide to Camping are the latest in a series of 14 books for kid travelers published by Eileen.)