Looking for Halloween and fall-themed activities? The Patch at Whalen Oaks Farm and the Chelatchie Prairie Railroad are offering different opportunities this month.
The Patch at
Whalen Oaks Farm
The Patch at Whalen Oaks Farm began operating on Oct. 1 and will continue through Halloween day.
The Patch is located in the Woodland Bottoms area and offers visitors over 60 varieties of pumpkins, squash and gourds. Despite some challenges in the growing season, owner Matt Donald ensured there will be plenty from which to choose.
“We planted 60,000 seeds, 30,000 carving and 30,000 special varieties [of pumpkins],” Donald said. “We had unprecedented mouse damage where they were basically running down the rows in the field, eating the seeds every foot by taking them out of the ground and eating them on their own. … We had to replant about 6,000 seeds in our early varieties.”
Saturday, Oct. 7 and Sunday, Oct. 8, Whalen Oaks Farm will host its Fall Fest, including 30 vendors with homemade goods, food and beverages.
For a full pumpkin patch experience, The Patch includes a 4-acre and a 1-acre corn maze, as well as a hay maze and pyramid. On the weekends it offers pumpkin bowling and a weather-dependent hayride.
Along with seasonal vendors, Whalen Oaks Farm has established its own specialty sale area, the Marketplace at The Silo. This area offers a wide variety of home-decor items, floral arrangements, decoratie and specialty pumpkins, along with fall themed hand-crafted goods.
“Our mission that we ultimately have is to serve the local families in our area and that we try to make this a real farm experience,” Donald said. “So when you come out to the pumpkin patch here at The Patch, you see the vine that your pumpkin was cut off of right in front of you and you even get to haul it back to the barn yourself if you want to.”
The Patch at Whalen Oaks Farm is open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays; 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturdays; and noon to 6 p.m. Sundays and from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Halloween. It is located at 636 Whalen Road in Woodland and has free parking and admission. Pets on leashes are welcome. For more information, visit whalenoaksfarm.com/the-patch.
Chelatchie
Prairie Railroad
The Chelatchie Prairie Railroad will be offering two weekends of diesel train runs this October.
The first diesel train run will be the Fall Leaves Run, at noon and 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 7 and Sunday, Oct. 8., leaving from Yacolt station, 207 Railroad Ave.
It will take riders from Yacolt’s Central Park to the Hantwick Road area near Lucia Falls. The ride includes a stop at Moulton Station to visit Yacolt Falls.
Departing from Yacolt Station at 9:30 a.m., noon and 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 28 and Sunday, Oct. 29, the Chelatchie Prairie Railroad will be running its Halloween-themed Headless Horseman Train. Train riders are encouraged to wear Halloween costumes. The train will stop at Moulton Station for photo opportunities with the Headless Horseman.
“When we get to our intermediate Moulton Station, the Headless Horseman rides by and the kids see him, and when the train comes back he will be off the horse for pictures,” Douglas Auburg, with Chelatchie Prairie Railroad, said. “In the past, they’ve allowed kids to have a little ride around the paddock on the back of the horse. I can’t guarantee that’s true this year, but it has been true in the past.”
Tickets for both October events and further events can be found by visiting tickets.bycx.org/tickets/diesel.
