TAHQUAMENON FALLS STATE PARK
At Harvest Fest hop on board a hayride.
TAHQUAMENON FALLS STATE PARK
Test your archery skills.
Harvest Fest Fun: If you plan to camp at Tahquamenon Falls State Park on October 13, you’re in for a few treats (and you might want to bring a few to give away, too).
The annual Harvest Fest offers hayrides with Smokey Bear, archery-range instruction on how to shoot a compound bow, a camper chili cook-off, pumpkin carving and trick-or-treating around the campsites.
A costume contest brings out lots of eastern U.P. residents and lots of creativity, says Theresa Neal, park interpreter, naming her favorite from the past: “The kid who dressed up as a refrigerator. You opened the freezer door and his head was there, frozen on a platter.” For the group contest, one family dressed up as the characters from “The Grinch Who Stole Christmas.” Families from Newberry and Paradise bring their children for safe trick-or-treating, says Theresa, adding, “You get tons of candy because you can hit 300 campsites in a short amount of time.”
The festival, based at the Lower Falls Campground, is open to campers and day visitors. Nature provides some decorations – trees often are still splashed with fall color.
Harvest Fest is held rain or shine, and they’ve had both says Theresa. “We’ve had years of snow, and we’ve had years of 80 degrees.”
I wonder which would be considered the “trick” and which the “treat.”
Good to Know
- Harvest Fest is 10 a.m.- 7:30 p.m Oct. 13 at Tahquamenon Falls State Park, 41382 W. M-123, Paradise.
- All vehicles need a Recreation Passport, available at park entrances.
- Harvest Fest is open to campers and non-campers.
- Event details are at www.facebook.com/TQFalls
- Reserve a campsite at www.midnrreservations.com
Other places for Hair-raising thrills
In Lake Linden, plan a ride on the Ghost Train, then tremble through the halls of the Haunted House at the Houghton County Historical Society’s Museum Complex, Saturday, Oct. 13. Be sure to wear your costume to scare away the ghosts. The Ghost Train for Kids runs 2-5 p.m., and the Ghost Train/Haunted House for the Brave (older children and adults) runs 6:30-9:30 p.m. The complex is at 53102 M-26. www.houghtonhistory.org
In Paradise, take a walk on the Haunted Trail, open Oct. 12-13 at Sawmill Creek Township Park on Whitefish Point Road. In this spooky forest, you can hike the trail while ghouls, goblins and gremlins dance around the pumpkins and pines. The trail is open 7-10 p.m., and admission is $7. www.euphauntedtrail.org