“Fall” In Love With The Season At Kinder Farm Park’s Annual Festival

A pumpkin patch, hayrides, a straw maze – all the iconic essentials of fall can be found in one place this month: the annual Kinder Farm Park (KFP) Fall Festival. Break out the flannel and gather the whole family for this beloved community tradition, set for Saturday, October 12, from 10:00am to 4:00pm.

Delighting audiences for over a decade, the KFP Fall Festival has evolved over the years, ranging from drawing an attendance of nearly 14,000 in 2018 and 2019 to being significantly scaled back for COVID restrictions in 2021. To ensure the most enjoyable experience possible, this year’s event will be capped at 3,000 attendees and tickets must be purchased in advance online.

Event co-chair and Friends of Kinder Farm Park (FoKFP) vice president Karen Haghighi explained that this will help mitigate parking shortages, long lines, and other challenges that both event organizers and attendees encountered in years past.

A collaborative effort between FoKFP and the Anne Arundel County Department of Recreation and Parks, the KFP Fall Festival will serve as a great backdrop for families to take autumnal photos together in a large pumpkin patch that will be dotted with tractors and displays made by the farm’s woodshop. Small pumpkins will also be available for sale.

Tickets are $15 for ages 3 and up (ages 2 and under can attend for free), and entry will include access to nearly all the festival has to offer: the straw maze, farmhouse tours, meeting the farm animals, games for children, fall crafts and several educational demonstrations.

Kids’ games include pumpkin bowling, duck pond, outhouse pitch, leapfrog, cornhole and disc golf toss. New to the festival, the “needle in the haystack” activity invites kids to play in a barn filled with hay where they can search for hidden prizes, Haghighi explained.

Kinder Farm’s fuzzy, furry and feathered friends will be out to mingle with attendees young and old, as well. Animal ambassadors will facilitate meet-and-greets with farm animals including goats, sheep, chickens, cows, quail, rabbits and turkeys. For this reason, event organizers have requested that guests who need to bring their dogs keep them on a short leash.

In addition to all-things-fall, festival-goers can look forward to demonstrations from the fire department and Kinder Farm’s woodshop, sawmill and blacksmith shop. The park’s historic farmhouse will be open for tours as well. For a separate fee, attendees can enjoy a long hayride that will wind throughout the park.

Food trucks and vendors slated to dish up good eats at the event include 2 Guys & A Grill, Diner on the Go, Lisa’s Luncheonette and Kathy’s Mini Donuts. Craft vendors will be on hand as well, offering their creative wares for sale.

Haghighi, who has been involved with the event since 2010, shared that she and her fellow members of the FoKFP Fall Festival planning committee have been meeting since April to ensure a well-planned and enjoyable experience for all. They are grateful for the many community volunteers who have and will assist with the event.

As 2024 is the 25th anniversary of Kinder Farm Park, Haghighi shared that the Department of Recreation and Parks has worked with an artist to design a poster commemorating the quarter-century milestone. Signed and unsigned copies will be available for purchase at the festival.

Add-on items such as the poster, hayrides and food may be cash-only. Tickets must be purchased in advance at www.kinderfarmpark.org. Gate fees will be suspended at the park during the event, but only ticketholders will be allowed to enter the park, which is located at 1001 Kinder Farm Park Road in Millersville.