Before the leaves and the temperature drop, autumn is a vibrant and festive time of the year. Everyone anticipates the trees’ shift to golden and rust foliage, cozy sweater weather, and of course, seeing pumpkins everywhere you look. To make the most of the season, here is your guide to everything pumpkin in Happy Valley, PA.
Festivals and events
Howard Punkin’ Chunkin’ is a day of pumpkin launching, fun and family friendly festivities. Held on Saturday, Oct. 18 at Bald Eagle State Park, teams come from near and far to show off their custom-built machines, catapults, trebuchets, and other engineered contraptions that send pumpkins soaring over Foster Joseph Sayers Reservoir.>span class="eop">
At Mountain Edge Farm in Bellefonte, PA, visitors are welcome to pick their own pumpkins, and stroll through the 13-acre corn maze. The working cattle farm is open for fall activities from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sept. 27-28, Oct. 4-5, 11-12, and 18-19.
Way Fruit Farm in Port Matilda features a seasonal event every weekend, which include hayrides to the pumpkin patch. The highlight is the Everything Pumpkin Festival weekend Oct. 10-11, in which the artistry of a professional pumpkin carver is on full display on that Saturday.>span class="eop">
Autumn dairy delights
From hayrides to the pumpkin patch, homemade pumpkin ice cream, local vendor booths, to barrel train rides, Wasson Farm’s Fall Fest has everything you need to enjoy all autumn has to offer. Open from 10-5 PM on September 25-26, October 2-3, and October 9-10. Regardless of your flavor preference, Fall Fest weekends are the last chances to enjoy Wasson Farm’s ice cream stand until next spring.
Stop out to Kinfork in Madisonburg, PA all day on October 4 for their farm to table Fall Colors event. Enjoy an all-you-can eat buffet, seasonal treats, produce, pumpkins, and experience the farm animal petting zoo. Their seasonal flavors include a pumpkin cheesecake muffin, pumpkin spice lattes and whoopie pies.
For another taste of Fall, visit Nittany Valley Creamery in Howard, PA. Try the pumpkin pie or caramel apple ice cream sundaes, banana splits, and hand-dipped cones overlooking the scenic Nittany Valley. Shop their seasonal snacks, gords, fall decor, and of course pumpkins. Don’t forget to say hello to their friendly goats before you go.
In State College, Meyer Dairy released its delicious cow-to-cone fall flavors. Pumpkin ice cream is joined by banana, blueberry, eggnog, mint crispy and peach. Enjoy their signature ice cream nachos, scoops, sandwiches, milkshakes, and more.
Rockin’ pumpkin recipes and more
Tait Farm Harvest Shop is home to many seasonal and local treats, including its line of fall butters,>span class="normaltextrun"> the quintessential flavors and aromas of autumn. Tait Farm pumpkin butter is rich in flavor with the subtle taste of lemon enhanced with spices, including cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. Outside, Tait Farm is aglow with pumpkins and gourds in every color and size imaginable, along with fall plants and flowers.
The Heirloom Farmer, known for its golden sunflower field and its annual Homestead Day event, is ushering in the fall season with decorative pumpkins, winter squash and heirloom pie pumpkins – best for cooking and baking. Visit the farm store and greenhouse, open daily, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Visit The Heirloom Farmer website blog to try traditional and honey-sweetened pumpkin pie, and pumpkin fluff recipes.
For field-to-fork dining options, RE Farm Cafe’s fall menu features its gnocchi dressed with a creamy sage and roasted pumpkin-butternut squash sauce.
Pumpkin in a glass
Delicious seasonal spirits are on tap at the 19 wineries, cideries, breweries and distilleries part of the Central PA Tasting Trail.
Seven Mountains Wine Cellars' Wicked Pumpkin wine is a sweet white wine spiced up with pumpkin pie spices.
Robin Hood Brewing Company's pumpkin beer -- Lil' Spooky -- is brewed with pounds of home roasted pie pumpkins and pumpkin pies. It is then conditioned on pumpkin pie spices and a splash of vanilla. At 8% ABV, this beer is a Lil' Spooky!
Titan Hollow's pumpkin spice martini consists of house-crafted pumpkin pie simple syrup made with real pumpkin, Spiced Mike Cider and Big Spring Spirits' spiced rum -- the perfect reflection of fall in a glass.
Purchase a passport and start your fall Central PA Tasting Trail journey.
If all of this is a bit too much pumpkin (is that even possible?), visit www.happyvalley.com or www.happyvalleyagventures.com for more fall fun throughout Happy Valley, PA.