Fabulously Fun Fall Festivities with Family

We had a fall-fun-filled day in Logan on Friday, October 21st.  My mom told us about a harvest festival that was happening at the American West Heritage Center that day, and since she and my college sisters were out of school for fall break, and my dad had taken work off to play, we met up with them and Shelly and her two kiddies to explore and learn and romp.  What a great time we had on the train ride(s), pony ride, wagon ride, getting a balloon flower, helping press apples for cider, watching the blacksmith bend a nail into a hook, de-kerneling dry corn cobs, touring the old farm house, watching the steam-powered threshing machine and saw, feeding the chickens, petting the donkey, goats and miniature horses . . . whew!  We didn't even get over to the corn maze or pioneer games/demonstrations.  Callie didn't want to leave, but we were all getting hungry, so we loaded up the cars and headed to Grandma and Grandpa's house for a big sloppy joe lunch with Nate and Heather and Terrell and Grace joining us.  (Gregg was working at home that day, and we missed him!)

Ready for fun!  Our first item of business was
the train ride.

Cal's first time on a horse.

She rocked it!

Taking our turn (ha ha) on the corn de-kerneler.
(I really don't know what it was called, but you
put a dried up cob of corn in the top hole, turned
the crank a few times while the kernels fell out
the bottom into the pan, and out came a totally
empty cob out the other end.  The lady showing us
this piece of equipment told us that the cobs would
then be soaked in water and put in the outhouse to
be used as toilet paper! Yow!)

She loved petting the creatures.  And Sam loved
it, too, though I didn't get any pics of him, poor kid.

On the wagon ride.  Cal called it a hay ride, but there was no hay
to be had.

After our lunch and naps and quiet time, we trekked to North Logan for the grand finale of the day: the Pumpkin Walk.  This has been something I've looked forward to every October for my whole life.  I've helped design, make and set up a scene during my young women years.  I've carved pumpkins to line the walkways in my student ward years.  I've tromped through mud and rain and warm weather to see the scenes almost every year.  So it was fun to be able to go with my kids and my parents and even my Grandpa Thornley walked through with us, too.  We parked at his house, which borders the park where the Pumpkin Walk is held, and walked through his back yard and through the fields over to where all the pumpkins are.  This year's theme was "American Icons" and I loved all the patriotic scenes that were depicted.  After we had our fill of the pumpkins (and the free cookies handed out by the nice witch (and Lee's Marketplace)), we headed back to my parents' house for a pizza dinner before driving back home to Dad.

Georgia O'Keefe.
(This one was done by a local elementary school
class with the help of their art teacher.  I loved
all the colorful pumpkin flowers and the little
posters with facts about the artist.)

What's More American?
(This one was playing the song, too, which was fun.)

(Don't miss that cute horse peeking through the
window!)

And at the end of that scene (it was pretty big)
there was a photo-op station that these two
American Girls took advantage of.

Winnie-the-Pooh
(Love.)

A big draw for the pre-school crowd is the huge
set-up of these face-poke-through-photo-op-boards.
Ky captured this one of Cal for me.

A little on the short side.  :)

The Wright Brothers.
(Super loved this one.)

Lots of Charlie Brown.

(I guess it was a little sunny?)

Bob Ross Paints Peter Peter Pumpkin Eater

Not the whole group, but some of my favorites.

This giant American Flag was so great!  (Use Cal for scale -
she is about three feet tall.)

Another angle.  Giant.  Awesome.

Trick-or-treaters.
(Really cute.)

McDonalad's.
(Nostalgic.)

Annie.
(My high-school friend, Katie, made this one.)

Singing in the Rain.
(Classic.)

Norman Rockwell.
(Not the best angle on this pic, but it was really,
really well done.)

And since Sam was running away, I got a chance to take a
pull-back shot of the whole thing (well, a lot of it, anyway).

Lots of fabulous fall fun with family!  Couldn't ask for a better day in Cache Valley.