Build It and They Will Come...Fall Festival

Okay...I desperately wanted to post about this two Octobers ago, but I didn't have the pictures the first year, and last year, life had other plans for our family and I couldn't participate in the Halloween Countdown.  But I eventually got it together, and it has finally made it as a post for this year's Countdown!  "Better late than never" is my motto anyway, so be it!  2012 was the 'inauguration' of something that I hope goes on for many more years to come.  As nothing gets me as excited for the Autumn Season as attending those quaint Fall Festivals up in New England, where there seems to be one on every corner.  

So imagine my utter delight at discovering my very own little Fall Festival just down the road from my house.  Yep....it was a tried and true, bonafide Fall Festival complete with Corn Maze, Pumpkin Picking, Bouncehouses and Punkin' Chunkin' into the lake.  Bare in mind here, that I do NOT live in the country by any stretch....in fact it could be called a 'suburb' at best, as grocery stores, banks and fast food restaurants are just a few miles down.  So the likelihood of this happening is about a gazillion to one.  But hey....I'm a devout believer in 'wishful thinking' and 'manifestation'....so I choose to believe that I somehow personally and magically, conjured up this little Fall Festival by sheer will, belief and determination!  And POOF....overnight my magical vision appeared in a big field down the road, that is privately owned by a local family who runs a Landscape business.  

I am assuming they just happen to love the Autumn Season too...so why not supplement their income by making use of their lovely property to bring a little Fall Magic to the residents of my town.  They planted corn and made their maze, they built little outbuildings for the farm stand to sell homemade breads and jams, they corralled off a big section to house all the pumpkins for sale, and they built a whole 'punkin' chunkin' apparatus on the edge of the pond.  They decked the whole area out with fall flowers, scarecrows and animated horror figures, and brought in an assortment of bounce houses for the wee folks.  True enough....the scale was a bit smaller than that of farms up north, but it was a fine effort indeed! Also I should note here that all I had with me last year was my iphone, so I took very few shots and they aren't good at all, but at least you can see proof that this manifestation did actually occur....the palm trees under the Corn Maze sign should be the clue that it's in Florida...ha!  

When I first laid eyes on it, the famous line from that Kevin Costner baseball movie 'Field of Dreams' sprang instantly to mind...."build it and they will come!"  Yes!  That's Right!  That's all we needed....someone, anyone, the FIRST one.... to just build it....and we will all come to pay homage to the glorious Fall!  And come we did....that little patch of land under the grand shady oaks was PACKED with curious townfolk every day it was open!  It filled my 'not so wicked lil' heart' to the brim, that all their hard work to bring a little seasonal magic to my town, was being amply rewarded with throngs of Autumn Revelers.  

They didn't charge an admission fee, but made their money through the sale of home made goodies, pumpkins, and tickets to the different events.  They had photo areas, and live music and even some local crafters' selling their wares.  All of that Autumn Goodness.... and I literally could have walked to it if I weren't so dang lazy.  So anyway, I just wanted to share my magical find, as they have been busy each year, making bigger and better upgrades to the property, putting in permanent play-sets and picnic tables etc.  Each year it gets bigger and better and the consistent crowds are proof.  I believe that this year's 3rd Annual Fall Festival is going to be even more stellar than last two.  October is the perfect month to conjure up your own Autumn Magic!  :o)

The Littlest Pumpkin Farmer

So it's almost the middle of June, and for many that means it's also Pumpkin Growing Time.  

In order for those shiny round orbs to be plump and round and ripe in time for Halloween....there is a lot of hard work that must precede the prize, and this is the time of year that Pumpkin Farmers everywhere are getting their head in the game.
And that includes pint sized Farmer, Milan Lukes of Manitoba.  Yes, Milan may be a bit smaller than the average Pumpkin Farmer, but the boy's 'got game' when it comes to cultivating squash!  It started with his love of all things that are orange....which inevitably ended up with every Halloween Lover's favorite orange object....the PUMPKIN! 
Milan learned everything he could about growing pumpkins and got straight to work.  He tilled up a patch in his backyard,  planted his seeds, watered, fertilized, composted, heated them and even left a night light on for them.  But he says that the real secret to successfully growing a giant, is in selecting the perfect seeds to plant.  Apparently using seeds that came out of a 1300 lb. gourd increases the odds in your favor of cultivating another giant specimen.  Thus at the end of last year's growing season, Milan's labors of love rewarded him with a 500 lb. Giant Pumpkin, taking 21st place at the local Giant Pumpkin Growing Contest, and a $100 prize!  And that just served to peak his interest even more!  He will attempt to best his own record this coming Fall....when he hopes to reach at least 800 lb.  You gotta love the tenacity and determination of this little fella!  Be sure to check out the video link below of Milan's Pumpkin Farm...it's really inspiring to see his journey!

(Image of Lukes © Janice Lukes)

Big ambitions for 11-year-old boy growing pumpkins | CTV Winnipeg News