Fall Family Festival

What does FALL mean to you? Cooler weather? Football? Pumpkins? Crockpots simmering for a cozy meal? Time in the kitchen canning or baking? The nostalgic smell of burning leaves? How about a festival? For us, fall brings the annual Fall Family Festival to Russell Crossroads and Turpentine Tales to the Russell Forest! It’s so much fun watching the kids smile and play and run and laugh! It’s fun watching them pick out the perfect pumpkin from the Pumpkin Patch, pet animals in the petting zoo or ride a horse for the first time. Others love the grist mill and the rhythmic popping sound of that old engine as it slowly grinds corn into meal. Other kids are mesmerized by clanging of a blacksmith’s hammer as he works red-hot metal on his anvil in the Blacksmith Shop. Everyone loves Naturalist Marianne and her critters in the Naturalist Cabin, and oh yes, let’s not forget funnel cakes and hotdogs!

Our Blue Ribbon Baking and Canning Contest will also return, there is cash and other prizes to claim! So dig out those special recipes handed down from Mom and Grandma.

And last year we added a costume contest for the kids. So dress them up, there will be a prize or two for the best costumes.

There is a fee of $25 per family (based on a family of four). Individuals are just $10, and if you need an additional pumpkin, they are just $5 each.

At the Fall Family Festival, the word fall means a fun family event! We hope that you’ll join us at Russell Crossroads. The kids will love it, and we think you will too!

Turpentine Tales

And be sure to join the ‘animals’ in the forest for 2 nights only – Friday, October 25 and Saturday, October 26 from 6-7:30pm for Turpentine Tales. Turpentine Tales, held in the ruins of the old turpentine distillery, features some awesome children actors depicting animals who will tell you about their role in the forest. You may find a herd of deer, a bald eagle, and maybe even a possum or two. Meet your friends at Russell Crossroads near the Town Green stage where our trail guides will give you a bit of history before you wander into the forest! And as you complete your journey, make sure to find the camp fire and S’mores right at the end of the trail.