Families can enjoy food, live music and a variety of fall activities Saturday during the Fall Harvest Festival and Food Truck Frenzy at Rock Springs Conservation Area.
The event will be held Saturday, September 12, at Rock Springs Nature Center, 3939 Nearing Lane, in Decatur.
The United Way of Decatur and Mid-Illinois is partnering with the Macon County Conservation District this year to bring the Food Truck Frenzy to Rock Springs. Food trucks will begin serving at noon, with the Fall Harvest Festival getting underway at 1 p.m. The festival runs through 4 p.m.
The Fall Harvest Festival will offer activities for all ages, including 3D archery and atlatl throwing, canoeing, lawn games, pumpkin painting, a pumpkin walk and wagon rides through the conservation area.
Canoeing will be available at the pond near the pavilions, with equipment provided. A naturalist will provide basic instruction before participants head onto the water. Canoeing and 3D archery are $3 per person.
The pumpkin walk will take place every 15 minutes beginning at 1:15 p.m., with prizes for winners. Pumpkin painting will also be available for $5 per person.
Visitors can also tour Homestead Prairie Farm and learn about life in the 1860s. The tours include the historic farmhouse, heirloom garden and woodshop, along with vintage toys and games.
Wagon rides will run from 1 to 3:30 p.m., with rides departing every 15 to 20 minutes from near the flag poles outside Rock Springs Nature Center. The rides are first-come, first-served.
Other activities include a campfire with marshmallows, crafts, hand-painted tattoos, a makerspace, a Scouting America STEM Lab and an opportunity to learn about Illinois wildlife through the Skeletons and Furs program.
Representatives from the Decatur Area Audubon Society and Macon County Soil and Water Conservation District will also be on hand. The Audubon Society will highlight Decatur’s recent “Bird City Illinois” designation.
Local musician Jim Hollis will provide live music on the patio from 1 to 4 p.m.
The event will also be part of Butterfly Big Day, a worldwide effort to identify as many butterfly species as possible on September 12. Visitors can photograph butterflies and submit their observations through iNaturalist or to the Macon County Conservation District.
The festival is free to attend, although some activities and food purchases have a fee.
For more information, visit the Macon County Conservation District website at maconccd.org.
Comments