October brimming with fun fall family activities

​     With the temperatures finally coming down a bit and the leaves starting to change color, the search for fall family fun begins. There are a number of opportunities to get your fill of fall festivities in the area as we countdown to Halloween.
     Local high school students raising funds for Women for Afghan Women will present a movie in the park event at 6:30pm on Saturday, October 23rd at Faith United Methodist Church. Tickets are $3 and the Tim Burton classic, The Nightmare Before Christmas, will be featured.
     Powell Gardens is partnering with Quixotic to present Dark Forest, an immersive, multimedia walk-through installation in the woods. Dark Forest will be held October 22-24th and 28th – 31st from 7:00pm – 11:00pm. Gates open at 5:00pm for refreshments.
     Dark Forest invites you to journey through a magical and mysterious landscape brimming with enthralling performance, captivating music, and innovative creative technology where the channels of nature’s mortal realms are fiercely pierced by unexplainable paranormal forces and spellbinding supernatural beings. At Dark Forest, the universe’s most coveted secrets are freely revealed to all those who wander.
     Tickets are $28 and parking is $5. For more information on Dark Forest, visit www.powellgardens.org.
     The Pumpkin Pad, located at 35100 E Outer Belt Road, Lone Jack, is brimming with fall fun for all ages. Open Saturdays and Sundays through Halloween, more than 70 acres of activities welcome guests.
     Admission is $14 and includes unlimited rides and attractions, including the pumpkin patch, corn maze, sunflower field, in ground jumping pillows, corn pit, giant roller slide, tetherball, bounce house, kiddie barrel cow train, old-fashioned hay wagon rides, and much more.
     This weekend, the Pumpkin Pad will host two local clubs who are coming together to present an antique tractor show on Saturday from 10:00am – 2:00pm.
     Food trucks are on site each weekend, and kettle corn, chips, sodas, and water are available at the concession stand. This Saturday, featured food trucks include KC Concoctions, Grandma’s Mini Donuts, and ATE1SIX BBQ. 
     Every Saturday night from 7:30pm – 10:00pm, a $10 reduced rate gets fun seekers access to food trucks, a local band, bonfires, and the corn maze.
     The Pumpkin Pad is owned by Vince and Melissa Moehle, and their 13-year old daughter Jayden is an integral part of the business as well. Jayden designed the social media themed corn maze, and there are five SnapChat filters located around the farm for guests to use in their social media posts.
     For more information, visit the www.thepumpkinpad.net or The Pumpkin Pad on Facebook.
     And to usher in Halloween weekend in Grain Valley, the City’s Trail or Treat event will be held once again at Butterfly Trail Park from 6:30pm – 8:30pm on Friday, October 29th. Local businesses and organizations will hand out treats along the trail. Costumes and flashlights are encouraged.