Corn on the job

Autumn arrives with fall festivities

Thursday, Sept. 29, 2005

by Nathan Oravec

Click here to enlarge this photo

Tom Roff⁄Special to the Gazette

Linda Arrogo and daughter Nicole, 9, of Orchard Grove Middle School (left), and Rich Lauria from Connecticut with Conner, 7, and Cade, 4, friends of Katheryn Sullivan, Middletown Elementary, and her dad, John (right), tour last year’s Summers Farm for All corn maze in Frederick.

Click here to enlarge this photo

Tom Fedor⁄The Gazette

Danny Wiles of Jefferson sits on his pick in the Jumbo’s Pumpkin Patch in Middletown.

Autumn has arrived, and with it an assemblage of activities celebrating the colors, the smells, the sights and the sensations of the season. From the old-time German jollity of Oktoberfest to the twists and turns from a collection of corn mazes countywide, October is rife with fun outings for the entire family.

Festivals

Oct. 1-2

Brunswick Railroad Days

40 West Potomac St., Brunswick

10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday

301-834-7500, www.brunswickmd.gov

Strolling minstrels, craft displays, antiques, a model train show, a flea market area, and food highlight The City of Brunswick’s 22nd Annual Railroad Days Festival. The Brunswick Railroad Museum will feature three floors of history, including a working model train that depicts life along the railway, circa 1950s, from Union Station to Brunswick, Md. A block party will be held from 7-10 p.m. Saturday. Held rain or shine.

Frederick’s Oktoberfest

Frederick Fairgrounds

797 East Patrick St., Frederick

12-10 p.m. Saturday 12-6 p.m. Sunday

$5 per person, Free for children 11 and younger

301-663-8811

www.frederickoktoberfest.com

The fourth annual Frederick Oktoberfest will feature craft vendors; live entertainment including Oompah Bands, authentic German dancers; and plentiful German-recipe foods, with pretzels, bratwurst, strudel, knockwurst, potato salad, sauerkraut and specially brewed Oktoberfest beers from Barley & Hops and Brewers Alley.

Farm Museum Fall Festival

Rose Hill Manor Park

1611 North Market St., Frederick

12-4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday

$1 parking; $3 manor house tours; 50 cent hayrides (Children’s crafts and food vendor prices vary)

301-694-1650

Enjoy autumn foliage, as well as hayrides, a tractor pull, a steam engine sawmill demo, Manor house tours, farm animal attractions, and various exhibit areas at Rose Hill Manor Farm Museum’s annual fall festival. Kids can visit the Children’s Museum to play with old fashioned toys and games or choose from a handful of old time craft activities.

Middletown Heritage Days Festival

Middletown Volunteer Fire Department Carnival Grounds

10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 12-5 p.m. Sunday

301-371-6171, www.middletown.md.us

Middletown’s two-day heritage fest features an exciting re-enactment of the 1864 Confederate Raid on Middletown by General Jubal A. Early. The Good Times Trolley, traveling between the Fire Company Carnival Grounds and Memorial Park, will run throughout the day giving historical narrated tours. Also featured will be artisans, vendors, children’s crafts and local entertainment.

Mount Airy Fall Festival

Main Street, Mount Airy

9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday

301-829-2112

Over 150 juried artisans and crafters, artists, entertainment, demonstrations, food, kids’ activities and more highlight the annual Mount Airy Fall Festival. Scarecrow making and pumpkin painting will round out weekend activities at the popular festival.

October 8-9

Catoctin Colorfest

Thurmont, Md.

9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Free admission

$5 parking, $20 for chartered buses

301-271-4432, www.colorfest.org

The 42nd annual Catoctin Colorfest, attracting over 100,000 visitors per year, will feature over 360 juried arts and crafts, exhibited in three areas: the Guardian Hose Company Activities Building, the Thurmont Community Park, and Thurmont Middle School. A dance program will be held at Community Park at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. both days.

October 15-16

Oktoberfest at Schifferstadt

Schifferstadt Architectural Museum

1110 Rosemont Ave., Frederick

10 a.m. to 5 p.m. October 15, 12-5 p.m. October 16

Admission: $1

301-668-6088

Celebrating its 250th year, Schifferstadt will hold its annual, original Oktoberfest with entertainment, crafts, community displays, tours of the home and gardens, food and, of course, German brewed beer.

Family Festival at the Farm

Frederick County Farms

10 a.m. to 4 p.m. October 15, 12-4 p.m. October 16

301-694-1058

www.discoverfrederickmd.com

A self-guided farm adventure throughout the county, Family Festival at the Farm will feature a wagonload of fun when thirteen Frederick farms open their barnyard doors to the public. Each farm will host its own special events and activities, and the public will be able to learn more about the local agricultural community. Free.

Myersville Trolley Festival

2540 Canada Hill Road, Myersville

10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

301-293-2888, www.myersvillelionsclub.org

The 12th annual Myersville Trolley Festival will once again invite patrons to enjoy a relaxing day in the country, while learning the rich history of the Hagerstown and Frederick railway. Trolley car 150 will make its latest appearance at the grounds; arts and crafts vendors will share their wares; and artisans will demonstrate their various crafts, from sheep herding to blacksmithing.

Pumpkin patches, corn mazes and more

Brookfield Farms

8302 Ramsburg Road, Thurmont

3-6 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday through Sunday through October

301-898-3527

www.brookfieldpumpkins.com

Family-focused fun at Brookfield includes face painting, a petting zoo, family photo fun and free hayrides to the pumpkin patch Friday through Sunday. In addition, visitors can learn about six-generation history of the farm.

The Maze at Crumland Farms

7612 Willow Road, Frederick

12 p.m. until dusk Saturdays and Sundays in October

$9 per person, ages 4 and older

301-845-8099, www.crumland.com

Crumland Farms will celebrate its 5th year of agri-tourism with an 8-acre maze featuring the farm’s favorite bovine, Mazey the Cow. This year, the Crum family has added even more to their fall fest, including an oversized tricycle path, pedal carts and a windmill, in addition to tried and true activities such as a giant slide, a hay jump, a min-barnyard, hayrides, and pick your own pumpkins.

Jumbo’s Pumpkin Patch

6521 Holter Road, Middletown

10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily in October

Free admission and hayrides

301-371-6874

www.jumbos.org

Featuring pick-your-own pumpkins, hay-wagon rides, a petting zoo, pony rides and face painting for the kids, and a Snack Shack for refreshments, Jumbo’s is a ‘‘barnyard playground of fun.” In addition, a brand new Crazy Corn Maze will test the wit of the brave-hearted.

Mayne’s Tree Farm

3420 Buckeystown Pike, Buckeystown

10 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday

301-662-4320, 301-874-2665

There’s more than just trees at Mayne’s Tree Farm. In October, the farm’s pumpkin patch yields pumpkins, gourds, Indian corn, corn stalks, straw and more. Make your own scarecrow, enjoy face painting and straw jumping, navigate the corn maze, and try your hand at the great pumpkin sling shot. Free hayrides to the pumpkin patch.

Summers Farm For All Festival

5614 Butterfly Lane, Frederick

2:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekends in October

$6 per person; Free for children 2 and younger

301-620-9316, www.summersfarm.com

Visitors will ‘‘fall” for the annual Summers Farm For All extravaganza, including hayrides, farm-animals galore, giant slides, a straw mountain, an American Indian Teepee, a kids corral complete with pedal tractors, and the crowning achievement: a massive 5-acre corn maze.

Winterbrook Farms Moonlight Maze

13001 Creagerstown Road, Thurmont

Dusk until 10 p.m. Fridays, 12-10 p.m. Saturdays, and 12-5 p.m. Sundays in October

$7 for adults, $5 ages 6-12, Free for ages 5 and younger

301-271-4826

www.mazeplay.com

Four mazes, eight miles of trails spread over 35-acres, and a tribute to NASCAR highlight the Winterbrook Farms Moonlight Maze. Take aim at a 21’ bayliner boat or an old school bus with the farm’s signature pumpkin cannon. The cannon will operate during maze hours, 3 shots for $5.