A look at fall festivals in the Sioux Falls area this season
Friday Night Lights are aglow, the mornings are crisp, and beloved fall drinks are on the menu. Autumn is near, and Sioux Falls offers many must-visit pastimes to reap the harvest of the season. Fall is a delightful turn of the calendar for so many. And local farms, harvest festivals and Halloween enthusiasts have been preparing for months. ● They’re ready for us. Here is a list of some family-friendly fall festivals to visit this season:
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Country Apple Orchard events
● Superheroes & Princesses Weekend, Sept. 13-15.
● Fittest on the Farm Weekend, Sept. 20-22.
● A Fittest on the Farm lift meet, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sept. 21. Tickets are $40, and proceeds go to Make-A-Wish Foundation.
● Let’s Jam Weekend, Sept. 27-29. Country Apple Orchard festival hours are 4-8 p.m. Fridays, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturdays and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sundays.
Stacks and Steins
Enjoy the best of German culture, food and brews during this Oktoberfest event, 5-9 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 28, at the Holiday Inn City Centre Sioux Falls.
Riverview Christmas Tree Farm Pumpkin Festival
The holidays begin in September at the tree farm in Canton. Weekends for their fall festival will be 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sept. 28-29, Oct. 5-6, 12-13 and 19-20. Their haunted trail will be 7:30-9 p.m. Oct. 5 and 12.
OakRidge Nursery fall events
The greenhouse in Brandon welcomes families to enjoy their Fall Harvest Festival on Oct. 5 and their Fall Maker’s Market from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Oct. 12. Their Annual Fall Sale will continue through October.
Newton Hills Fall Festival
Newton Hills will host its 24th annual event on Oct. 5. The festival and craft show will be from 1 to 5 p.m., and the candlelight walk will be from 7:15 to 9 p.m. A park license is required.
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ZooBoo
The Great Plains Zoo’s well-known fundraiser will be Oct. 18-20. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, and the Family Run Boo Run will be 5:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 18. The fun run includes pre-race yoga, a run in costume on a half-mile path around the zoo, Halloween medals and a post-race aerial fire show at 7:45 p.m.
The weekend will also include “Sensory Saturday” from 9 to 10 a.m. for a limited crowd to allow children with sensory processing issues to experience a quieter event on their own time.
Costume guidelines include no inflatable costumes, no sharp objects and family-friendly themes. Masks may be asked to be removed.
Spooky Seas
The Butterfly House & Aquarium will host their Halloween event on Oct. 26, featuring crafts, snacks and a
Today is Sunday, Sept. 15, the 259th day of 2024. There are 107 days left in the year. On this day in: 1858: The Overland Mail Company launched the first transcontinental mail service to San Francisco, initiating the government’s mail delivery across the nation. Funded by Congress, this service aimed to deliver mail from St. Louis to San Francisco biweekly in under 25 days. It operated until the transcontinental railroad’s special appearance by The Little Mermaid. Come in costume.
Spooky Science
The Kirby Science Discovery Center inside the Washington Pavilion will host its annual Halloween event from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 26. There will be allages activities and science experiments like oozing pumpkins and gummy worm dissections. Come in costume.
Arts festivals
The Sioux Empire Arts & Crafts Show will be 12-8 p.m. Nov. 8, at the W.H. Lyon Fairgrounds; and the Autumn Festival, an Arts & Crafts Affair will be Nov. 22-24 at the Denny Sanford Premier Center.
This is not a comprehensive list of fall festivals. If you would like your event to be included, please email ageorge@gannett.com.
RIGHT: Pumpkins are for picking and for sale at the Country Apple Orchard. completion in 1869.
1862: In the Civil War’s Maryland campaign, Confederate troops led by Major Gen. Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson seized Harpers Ferry, leading to the war’s largest surrender with over 12,000 Union soldiers captured. The Confederates encircled and bombarded the Union stronghold, forcing its capitulation.
– Cherie Saunders, USA TODAY Network