ASHLAND — Break out the flannels, boots and puffy vests — it’s fall.
Well, technically, fall has been around since Sept. 22. But something about the month of October is synonymous with autumn.
The foliage, the cider, the crispy air; the costumes, the soups, the overpriced candy.
Ashland is not immune to the events available to residents eager to usher in the new season. Below is a comprehensive and chronological list of all the farm tours, hayrides, costume parties and pumpkin-flavored events happening this month around the county.
Sept. 24-Oct. 31
• Honey Haven Fall Festival. Wednesday-Friday, 3 to 7 p.m. Saturday: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday: Noon to 6 p.m. Prices vary $1 to $8 per activity. Straw maze for kids 10 and under, a barnyard zoo, a corn maze and shop.
Oct. 4-8
• Loudonville Street Fair. Daily schedules vary. Prices for rides are “to be determined.”
Oct. 7-8
• Halloween Campout & Fireworks at Pleasant Hill Lake Park. Activities start Friday at 6 p.m. and then again on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. Examples include a zombie archery shoot, pontoon hayrides, trick-or-treat, haywagon rides and fireworks. Some activities require purchasing tickets.
• Halloween Trunk-or-Treat & Cruise-In at Hayesville-Vermillion Fire Department, 1 to 5 p.m. on Oct. 8. Event includes live music, a K9 demonstration and a costume contest.
Oct. 15-16
• Autumn Fiber Festival at Ashland County Fairgrounds, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Free admission and parking. Wares from local fiber producers, craftsmen and artists. There will also be demonstrations on natural fibers’ importance to community and culture. A raffle will benefit the Ashland County Food Bank and local 4-H club.
• Flannel Fest at Downtown Ashland, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Oct. 15. Downtown businesses will feature food and drink specials, store sales and events.
• Souper Saturday Benefit for Ashland ACCESS at Grace Church gym, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Oct. 15. Donation of $10 recommended. Auctions of soups, bread and desserts. Also, the event will feature games and raffles. Proceeds benefit the Ashland Church Community Emergency Shelter Services.
Oct. 16-30
• Fall Foliage Drive-It-Yourself Tour. Participants can drive or hike through Mohican State Park. Download the maps here and here.
Oct. 22
• Autumn Apple Festival at Appleseed Community Mental Health Center, 1 to 4 p.m. The event coincides with the organization’s 30th anniversary. Event features trunk-or-treat, face painting, a bounce house, crafts, cornhole and other games. To register a car for trunk-or-treat, email Dan Lefever at dlefever@safehavenofashland.org.
• Pumpkin Glow at Freer Field, 5 to 8:30 p.m. Admission is $5 per car. Tickets available online. The event features a drive through the grounds decorated with more than 300 illuminated jack-o’-lanterns. There will be food trucks, costumed characters and free tours of the Freer Children’s Home.
Oct. 23
• Fall Fest at Ashland County Wildlife Conservation Farm, 3 to 7 p.m. Free admission. The event features trunk-or-treat, food, games, a bounce house and fishing.
Oct. 25
• Costume Capers at Downtown Ashland, 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. A chance for little ones to trick-or-treat in downtown Ashland while dressed up in Halloween-themed costumes.
Oct. 27
• Trick-or-Treat in City of Ashland, 5 to 7 p.m.
• Trick-or-Treat in Village of Savannah, 6 to 7 p.m.
Oct. 28-29
• Autumn Leaves & Quilts Please, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Ashland County Fairgrounds, Mozelle Hall. The Old Uniontown Quilt Guild will display 160 quilts, along with the organization’s display of quilters of the year.
• Costume Crawl at Downtown Ashland, 6 to 10 p.m. on Oct. 29. A chance for adults to dress up and celebrate the Halloween season at downtown restaurants. There will be a photo booth and a costume contest.
• Cider Days at Pine Hill Park/Sauers Park, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Oct. 29. Free cider samples. Food ad cider purchasable by donation. The event will feature more than 35 vendors, an 1890s cider press, antique tractors, a Ruggles Township firetruck available for children to tour, a playground and a fishing pond.
• Loudonville Halloween Parade on Oct. 29. The parade down the village’s Main Street starts at 4 p.m., followed by a Downtown Business Trick-or-Treat from 5 to 6 p.m. and a residential trick-or-treat from 6 to 7 p.m.
If your event is not listed here, please email me at dillon@ashlandsource.com.
