Fall festival and pumpkin patch Oct. 4

by Douglas County 4-H County Ambassadors

Special to The R-C

Volunteers are hard at work, preparing for the Fall Festival & Pumpkin Patch, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Oct. 4, at Lampe Park pavilion in Gardnerville. The 13th annual event is sponsored by University of Nevada Cooperative Extension's 4-H program, Douglas County Parks & Recreation and Joe Benigno's Tree Service.

"It's always a lot of fun," said Shannon Montana, Douglas County 4-H youth development coordinator, University of Nevada Cooperative Extension. "We'll be overflowing with pumpkins, as well as a lot of other family fun."

This year's event will feature a costume contest at noon, a fun run, food, a youth mountain bike raffle, a silent auction, face painting, a petting zoo, a cakewalk and carnival games. Smokey Bear will also be on hand. Martial artists and gymnastics groups will perform demonstrations throughout the day. A child safety seat inspection, child fingerprinting and K-9 unit demonstration will be sponsored by Douglas County Sheriff's Office.

"We always enjoy partnering with parks and recreation to put this on. This year, Joe Benigno's Tree Service is again generously donating the pumpkins that will be sold for our 4-H fundraiser and prizes for the costume contest," Montana said. "The fall festival has become a tradition here and is a perfect way to enjoy the gorgeous fall weather and get together with your family and neighbors."

The fun run begins at 10 a.m. and races will be split into boys and girls divisions for each age group. First-place winners receive a holiday frozen turkey, second-place receives pumpkin pie and third-place a pumpkin with ribbons awarded to all participants. There is a $3 registration fee for the fun run. Pre-registration will be taken at the Douglas County Parks & Recreation Office, 1327 Waterloo Lane, Gardnerville, 782-9828.

The costume contest is at noon, with cash prizes for the cutest, scariest, best and most original costumes. All ages are encouraged to participate. There is no fee to participate in the costume contest.

Everyone is welcome and admission is free. There are nominal fees for food, pumpkins and some activities. For information, contact Montana at University of Nevada Cooperative Extension, 782-9960.