Fall Family Festival coming next weekend

GARDNERVILLE - Looking for some good ol' affordable family fun while picking out your pumpkins this year? The fifth annual Fall Family Festival, held at Lampe Park in Gardnerville, provides a down-home atmosphere sometimes difficult to find in these days of plastic pumpkins, video games and surfing the net.

The festival will be from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 16, at the Lampe Park pavilion on Waterloo Lane in Gardnerville.

Open to the public, the event is sponsored by University of Nevada Cooperative Extension's Douglas County 4-H Council and Douglas County Parks and Recreation Department.

"Everyone has worked together to make a great day of fun for families," said Steve Lewis, extension educator at University of Nevada Cooperative Extension.

Lewis says that Douglas County Parks and Recreation Department has organized the Pumpkin Run, where youths from preschool to sixth grade will compete in races in separate age categories, 10:30 a.m -12:30 p.m. Entry fee is $2, and prizes and ribbons will be awarded.

Children will also enjoy great carnival games at the festival - some from days gone by, such as the cakewalk, milk bottle ring toss and the balloon pop. The little ones can even take a ride on a goat-pulled harvest cart. The face painting and pumpkin decorating at the festival are sure to be a hit. Visitors may choose from one of the 500 premium pumpkins for sale at the pumpkin patch and go home and make their own jack-o-lantern creations.

The whole family can indulge in some hot drinks and other treats, and a live scarecrow will be on hand for some great photo opportunities.

Mom and Dad can get in on the fun by entering the Fall Festival Raffle, featuring a bicycle donated by Jeff Peters of Coast to Coast Hardware as a grand prize. Other merchants also have pitched in to supply prizes.

A blood drive will be held at the festival, co-sponsored by the Gardnerville Carson Valley Kiwanis Club. Call 782-9960 to sign up.