Spice Up Fall With Some Fun
Harvest
Definition: Noun
The process or period of gathering in crops
The season when ripened crops are gathered
A crop or yield of one growing season
The time of year when everything – and we mean everything – comes in pumpkin-spice flavor
It’s true. Fall is no longer fall, or autumn, or the harvest season. It’s Pumpkin Spice Season – the time for spiced lattes, and muffins, and candles, and body lotions, and even Cheerios. Yes, there are pumpkin-spiced Cheerios.
Thankfully, it’s also time for pumpkin picking, hayrides, and corn mazes. We’ve got the lowdown on all of the Valley’s best harvest season events. Grab a pumpkin-spiced latte on the way!
October 1-31: Studt’s Pumpkin Patch & Corn Maze. Imagine a playground made out of corn stalks and hay bales, and you can imagine Studt’s. In addition to the actual pumpkin patch, there is a hay mountain and slide, a corn pit, a zip line, corn cannons, and three different corn mazes (small, medium, and haunted!). studtspumpkinpatchandcornmaze.com
October 1-31: Moon Farm Pumpkin Patch and Petting Zoo. In addition to the usual activities – pumpkin patch, hayrides, and corn mazes – Moon Farm offers a bit of eccentricity with its impressive Barbie collection, creepy clown house, dinosaur museum, and village featuring small-scale buildings from around the world. Classic country music fans, don’t miss tipping your hat to the bronze sculpture of cowboy and singer Chris Ledoux. moonfarm.net
October 7-8: Cedaredge AppleFest. Thousands flock to downtown Cedaredge, tucked along the southern slope of the Grand Mesa, to celebrate Colorado apples. This two-day festival features hundreds of vendors, live music, an antique tractor show, a beer garden, and a chili cook-off. Downtown Cedaredge cedaredgechamber.com
October 21: Fall Day on the Farm at Cross Orchards. Owned and operated by the Museum of Western Colorado, Cross Orchards is a living museum that shows what life was like for Grand Valley pioneers in the early 1900s. At this annual harvest celebration you can watch blacksmiths at work, learn how to press apple cider, and get a fresh-baked cookie from the bunkhouse. museumofwesternco.com
October 28: 6th Annual Hard Cider Fest at Delicious Orchards in Hotchkiss. Cider lovers unite! Come taste your way through more ciders than you thought possible. Homemade food and local wares are available at the café and farm market. Live music all day. drinklocally.com