Parker Wallis
As the Halloween season rolls in, towns all across the Centennial State are making preparations for their annual fall festivals and celebrations.
For example, the people of Calhan are setting up their yearly fall festival at Next Step Horse Rescue, which serves as one of the sanctuary’s annual fundraising events. Taking place on Saturday, October 15th from 11 AM to 4 PM, guests can expect classic fall activities like a pumpkin patch and a costume contest in addition to vendors and fresh food. Animal lovers can get up close and personal with the sanctuary’s four-legged friends with pony rides and a petting zoo. Admission is free, and the festival directly benefits Next Step Horse Rescue, described as a “safe place for horses to land to be rehabilitated and re-trained then adopted into loving approved homes.”
From September 16th to October 30th, the Denver Botanical Gardens at Chatfield Farms is opening up their corn maze, which guests can visit Friday-Sunday from 9 AM to 5 PM. This year, the theme is prehistoric times. Visitors can explore the 7-acre cornfield and view the whole maze from a 15-foot tall bridge. Children 10 years and younger can explore the mini-maze, and each mini-maze ticket comes with a barrel train ride included. General admission is not available during corn maze hours, so be sure to snag your tickets as soon as you can!
For an additional fee, guests can take a crack at the escape room presented by HD Escape Rooms. There, attendees will try to beat the clock and find their way out of a pirate ship using only their brains and the props, clues, and locks provided. Tickets are only available at the door with a credit or debit card (cash not accepted).
If guests want to take a rest from the corn maze and escape room, they can sit at one of the picnic tables and sample something from the many food vendors, such as funnel cakes, corn dogs, freshly squeezed lemonade, kettle corn, and roasted nuts.
Luvin Arms Animal Sanctuary in Erie invites you to the first annual Fall Fest on October 1st from 11 AM to 4 PM. Events include sanctuary tours, live music, a pumpkin patch, and raffles and giveaways. Over 30 vendors will be in attendance, such as 3 Kings Kombucha, Angie’s Vegan Cakes, Mora Pizza, Blue Suede Vintage, and many more. Admission is free with no pre-registration required.
Every Saturday from October 1st to October 29th, Miner’s Pumpkin Patch in Colorado Springs is throwing a festival to support the Western Museum of Mining and Industry. Events take place from 9 AM to 4 PM, and the price of admission includes unlimited play at their Pumpkin Patch Games, hayrides, gold panning, and more. Vintage Cider Press demonstrations will take place at 10:30 AM and 1:30 PM, and you don’t want to miss the Pumpkin Smash and Catapult! Watch the Historical Area’s blacksmiths perform actual smithing from 10 AM to 2 PM, search for gold at the Outdoor Troughs, and enjoy a hot food truck meal or cool ice cream as you explore the Farmer’s Market full of local vendors and artisans.
No two fall festivals are the same, and each one has something unique to offer. The best way to find the festival with the most fun is to experience them yourself.
