Blackberry Farm will celebrate the fall season throughout October with the return of its popular Pumpkin Weekends, beginning Saturday, Oct. 5.

Each weekend in October, including Columbus Day (Monday, Oct. 14), residents are invited to enjoy family-friendly, pumpkin-themed festivities from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Blackberry Farm – the Fox Valley Park District’s living history museum, located at 100 S. Barnes Road in Aurora.

Admission to the park, which includes unlimited rides and attractions, is $7 per person, and visitors can purchase pumpkins to decorate for an additional $3 upon arrival.

“Blackberry Farm is beautiful year-round, but it really pops with color during the crisp air that October brings,” said Holly Wiggins, facility manager at Blackberry Farm. “Blackberry is the perfect venue that offers an ideal backdrop for fall festivities, and Pumpkin Weekends have become a rite of passage this time of year.”

Guests can enjoy the park decorated for the fall season, play in the Corn Crib in Farmer’s Junction, visit the Carriage Museum to purchase pumpkins, take pictures throughout the park at various photo-op locations and enjoy the park’s established attractions, such as train, carousel, hay wagon and pony rides.

Special activity dates will be featured throughout the month of Pumpkin Weekends, including:

• Oct. 5: Pumpkin Bounce House (new this year)
• Oct. 12: Face Painting, 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. (new this year)
• Oct. 19: Trick or Treat, 11:00 a.m. to 3 p.m. (Teal pumpkins denote peanut-free treats!)
• Oct. 20: Professional Storyteller, 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
• Oct. 26: Balloon Artist, 12:30 p.m. to 2:20 p.m. (new this year)
• Oct. 27: World’s Tallest Scarecrow, Noon to 3 p.m.

For more information on Pumpkin Weekends, call Blackberry Farm at 630-892-1550 or visit www.foxvalleyparkdistrict.org and the Blackberry Farm Facebook page.

• FEATURE PHOTO CAPTION: Pumpkin Weekends return to the Fox Valley Park District’s Blackberry Farm every Saturday and Sunday throughout October, plus Columbus Day (Monday, Oct. 14).

Pumpkin Weekends

• When: Oct. 5-6, Oct. 12-13-14 (Columbus Day), Oct. 19-20, Oct. 26-27
• Where: Blackberry Farm, 100 S. Barnes Road, Aurora
• Hours: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily
• Admission: $7 per person (includes unlimited rides)