What To Do: ‘Fall’ into great wine festivals

Also: October means scary, good fun for the whole family

By Denny Dyroff, Staff Writer, The Times 

This is a weekend for wine aficionados to celebrate because there are two wine festivals on the calendar.

Sipping crisp, chilled wines in a comfortable outdoor setting is a great way to spend a crisp, cool autumn afternoon. Fortunately, you have two good options to do that this weekend.

On October 9, more than 1,500 wine lovers will gather to help wage war against cancer at the 25th Annual Dilworthtown Inn Wine Festival (Dilworthtown Inn, 1390 Old Wilmington Pike, West Chester, 610-431-5329, http://www.chestercountyhospital.org/cchfdn.asp?p=1210). The event kicks off at noon and runs until 4 p.m. — rain or shine.

The festival features more than 100 wines, craft beers, hard cider along with delicious food prepared by Dilworthtown Inn chefs. There will also be a “Silent Auction,” shopping opportunities in the Gallery of Artisan Vendors, live music and a Craft Beer Area.

The Dilworthtown Inn, and the Brandywine and Greystone branches of The Women’s Auxiliary to Chester County Hospital jointly organize this event. Proceeds from the wine festival benefit patients of The Cancer Program of Chester County Hospital and Neighborhood Hospice.

Tickets are $40 in advance and $45 at the door.

On October 7 and 8, the Seventh Annual Fall Wine Festival (Skippack Pike, Skippack, 610- 584-1155, http://winetober.com) will be held Friday from 5-9 p.m. and Saturday from 1-6 p.m. along the main street of the scenic village near the Skippack Creek in Montgomery County.

The popular annual event, which is also known as Winetober Fest, will feature vendors with a tasty array of wine and food samples along with live music. Tickets for the event, which include food and wine sampling, are $25 on Friday and $30 on Saturday.

One of Chester County’s most popular wineries will be participating in Saturday’s event — Paradocx Winery. And, there will even be a meadery — Haymaker Meadery – and a whiskey distillery – Boardroom Spirits.

The list of participating wineries also includes Thorn Hill Vineyards, Bee Kind Winery, Peace Valley Winery, Benignas Creek Vineyard and Winery, Juniata Valley Winery, Blue Mountain Vineyard and Cellars, Deer Creek Winery, Naylor Winery, Grovedale Winery and A’Dello Vineyard and Winery.

Some of the featured food stations will be Bespoke Bacon, Lotus Korean BBQ, Wow Foods LLC, Keystone Farms Cheese,and  Ortino BBQ.

The following bands will be performing at the event — James Lauchmen Band, Brick Duo, and Hidden Treasure.

This weekend’s schedule also features two long-running fall festivals that have become area traditions — the Friends Fall Festival at the Downingtown Friends Meeting and the Hay Creek Apple Festival at Historic Joanna Furnace.

One of the most easy-going autumn events in the area is the annual Friends Fall Festival (Downingtown Friends Meeting, 800 E. Lancaster Ave., Downingtown, 610-269-4223, www.downingtownfriendsmeeting.org) which is scheduled for October 8 from 9 a.m.-4 p.m.

One of the most popular fall festivals in the region, the Friends Fall Festival has been offering families a day of wholesome fun and value for more than 30 years. A special supervised area includes children’s crafts and games. There’s also a hay wagon ride and exceptional face painting for both kids and adults.

Some of the free festival’s many attractions are plant, craft and white elephant sales, the Friends Mercantile for the sale of books, housewares, jewelry and children’s toys and the Quaker Heritage Exhibit, which features antique Quaker clothing and memorabilia.

At 2 p.m. there will be a re-enactment of the first wedding held in the Meeting House in 1806. Visitors can attend the wedding inside the Meeting House and have photographs taken with the bride and groom and wedding party — all of whom will be dressed in authentically reproduced early 19th-century Quaker garb.

The festival, which also offers free parking, will feature live folk and rock music along with demonstrations and community exhibits. There will also be a variety of tasty food items available for purchase. The Wooden Ladle will offer homemade vegetarian chili, hearty vegetable soup, juicy grilled hot dogs, funnel cake and hot apple cider, coffee, or cold drinks. The Friendly Cafe, which is an indoor venue, features homemade pastries, pumpkin and apple pies, specialty teas, cakes and coffee.

The Friends Mercantile, a not-to-be-missed stop for serious garage-sale shoppers, opens its doors at 9 a.m. and attracts a loyal following of shoppers with everything from fine gifts to children’s toys, books, housewares, jewelry, electronics, and more. The festival’s craft vendors offer everything from handcrafted needlework to woodcraft, leather, ceramics and more.

The Willowdale Pro Rodeo is usually held in conjunction with the Unionville Community Fair but things are different this year. The events in 2016 are being staged on different weekends.

The Sixth Annual Willowdale Pro Rodeo, which is staged as a benefit for the Unionville Community Fair, will be held at the Brandywine Polo Field (232 Polo Road, Toughkenamon) on October 8 at 2 p.m.

Tickets for the professional rodeo, which will be held rain or shine, are $17 for ages 13 and older, $12 for ages 4 to 12, and free for ages 3 and younger. Tickets are available through the UC Fair web site at www.ucfair.org as well as at the gate day of the event.

The weather in West Chester on Sunday may or may not be chilly but the vibe in the borough will definitely be chili.

On October 9, West Chester will be the site of a special event to determine who can make “The Best Darn Chili in Chester County!” — the site of the West Chester Rotary’s 14th Annual Chili Cookoff (Gay and High streets, Downtown West Chester, www.westchesterchilicookoff.com). All-you-can-eat wristbands are just $12.

There will be more than 70 “Chili Teams” competing for the top prize in the following divisions — “People’s Choice,” “Business,” “Restaurant,” “Non-Profit” and “Hometown/Volunteer Cook.” Each team will prepare its best chili and submit a sample to a panel of local “celebrity” judges who name Best Chili in each category.

The family-oriented event, which runs from 10:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m., will also feature a “Just 4 Kids” area on East Gay Street (with kids’ bounces, slides and other games), a variety of crafters who will be selling their goods, live entertainment and an array of food vendors.

The Delaware Nature Society will host a special attraction called “Fall Hike and Warming Event” on October 9 at Coverdale Farm Preserve (543 Way Road, Greenville, Delaware, 302-239-2334, www.delawarenaturesociety.org).

Fall is a time of change for the life inhabiting the 356-acre Coverdale Farm Preserve. It’s the perfect starting point to observe seasonal changes as the preserve transitions into winter.

Farm Educator Tracy Lea-Dorsey will lead a hike from farm to field to forest and beyond. Participants will be able to discover native wildlife preparing for winter sleep, observe the flight of migrants, and take in the beautiful fall colors.

And, they will be able to warm up in the farm kitchen by preparing a seasonal snack. Participants are advised to dress for outdoor adventure.

The event is scheduled to run from 2-4 p.m. Tickets are $14.

The 10th Annual Delaware Auto Show, which is being held October 7-9 from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. each day at the Chase Center on the Riverfront (815 Justison Street, Wilmington, Delaware, 302-324-2558,www.delawareautoshow.com), will feature displays by auto manufacturers. More than 14 manufacturers will display close to 150 different 2017 models.

The show will feature the DeLorean Time Machine, Captain America and the Delaware Ghostbusters along with an impressive exotic car lineup, including Rolls Royce, Maserati, Bentley, Aston Martin and McLaren and more.

The 2016 Delaware Auto Show will have a pair of special guests this weekend — former Philadelphia Flyers’ standout Bob “The Hound” Kelly and 2016 Miss Delaware Amanda Debus. Also appearing will be the Philadelphia 76ers’ Cheer Team.

General Admission is $10 and children (13 and under) are admitted free.

The Hay Creek Apple Festival (Historic Joanna Furnace, Route 10, Morgantown, 610-286-0388, www.haycreek.org), which also has been around for more than 30 years, is scheduled for October 8 and 9.

The festival is a celebration of autumn and especially autumn’s favorite fruit — the apple — with a long list of special activities and an amazing variety of taste treats featuring apples.

There will be more than 2,000 apple dumplings and over 800 apple pies ready for consumption this weekend at the festival. Also offered will be a variety of other treats such as fresh-pressed apple cider, apple waffles, apple crisp, Schnitz Un Knepp, apple fritters and the famous Hay Creek Apple Butter.

The festival will have a variety of family fun events starting with the belly-filling “All-You-Can Eat Apple Pancake Breakfast” from 7-11 a.m. Other family activities will be hayrides, scarecrow building, mini-tractor rides, pumpkin painting, Early American games, pony rides, an “Apple Dessert Contest”, basket weaving, Early American craft demonstrations and rides on the “Apple Barrel Express.”

The festival, which runs from 7 a.m.-5 p.m. on Saturday and from 7 a.m.-3 p.m. on Sunday, will also feature a flea market with over 100 stands. Visitors can shop for crafts, flowers, fall items, antiques and other items related to Berks County history.

A great way to enjoy autumn’s annual color display is to ride a special excursion on an area tourist railroad.

The West Chester Railroad (Market Street Station, West Chester, 610-430-2233, www.westchesterrr.net) is running its special “Fall Foliage Express” trains on October 9 and November 6 and 13 with departures at noon and 2 p.m.

The Wilmington & Western Railroad (2201 Newport Gap Pike, Wilmington, DE, 302-998-1930, www.wwrr.com) is running its “Autumn Leaf Special” with trains on October 8, 9, 15, 16, 19,22, 23, 26 and 29 and November 5 and 6. Trips are either a one-and-one-half hour roundtrips to the Mt. Cuba Picnic Grove or two-and-one-half hour roundtrips to Hockessin.

The W&WRR also is running its “Hayride Express” on October 14 and 28 and Novmber 11 at 7 p.m. Visitors can experience a one-hour evening ride through the Red Clay Valley on an original railroad flatcar converted especially for hayrides.

The New Hope & Ivyland Railroad (32 West Bridge St, New Hope, 215- 862-2332, www.newhoperailroad.com) offers a two-and-one-half hour, 35-mile roundtrip ride on its “Fall Foliage Trains” from October 15-November 5.

Halloween activities are starting to fill up the area events calendar faster than a ghost can appear and disappear in your neighborhood. The following is a chronological look at many of these events.

The 26^th annual edition of “Haunted Hayride, Bates Motel and Haunted Corn Maze at Arasapha Farm” (1835 N. Middletown Rd., Gradyville, 610-459-0647, www.thebatesmotel.com) will be scaring visitors through October 31.

The haunted hayride through the woods features monsters, special effects and actors. The Bates Motel has haunted rooms with special effects and computerized lighting. A haunted trail is cut through a cornfield inhabited by monsters.

Admission prices are: Haunted Hayride, $20; Bates Motel, $15; Haunted Corn Maze, $15; combination tickets, $40. There are reduced rates for children.

For “Count’s Halloween Spooktacular at Sesame Place” (100 Sesame Place, Langhorne, 215-752-7070, www.sesameplace.com), the popular amusement park has been converted into a Halloween-themed safe venue for kids with trick or treating, pumpkin decorating, hayrides and a hay maze.

Featured attractions, which will continue until October 30, are “Abby Cadabby’s Magical Halloween Maze,” “Rubber Duckie Costume Party,” and “The Not-So-Spooky Hayride.” Admission to the park is $45.

Pennhurst Asylum (100 Commonwealth Drive, Spring City, 484-866-8964, www.pennhurstasylum.com), which is open through October 30, is on the site of a former mental asylum which has been shuttered for over a quarter of a century.

It has been transformed into a haunted attraction with huge sets, detailed rooms and live actors. Visitors can also explore the labyrinth of underground tunnels.

Tickets are $16 for “Pennhurst Asylum”, “Dungeon of Lost Souls” or “Tunnel Terror,” $21 for “Ghost Hunt” and $47 for a four-event combo.

“Hurricane Hill Farm Maze” (Baldwin’s Farm, 704 East Reeceville Road, Coatesville, 610-384-6952, www.hhfmaze.com) will be open Saturdays and Sundays until November 6.

This event features miles of trails through a five-acre corn maze along with a corn slide, hayrides, a pumpkin patch and a farm animal display. Tickets are $13.

Corn mazes, hayrides, a pumpkin patch and scarecrows will be featured at Ramsey’s Farm (500 Ramset Road, Wilmington, Delaware, 302-477-1499, http://www.ramseysfarm.com) on weekends now through October 30.

The theme for the Corn Maze at Ramsey’s Farm this year is a trip around the world with sections for North America, Europe, South America, Africa, Australia and Asia. Tickets are $7 for the corn maze, $4 for the sorghum maze, $3 for the hay maze, $2 for pumpkin painting and $3 for a hayride.

Another popular corn maze in the area is running now through November 5 at Cherry Crest Adventure Farm (150 Cherry Hill Road, Ronks, 717-687-6843, www.cherrycrestfarm.com).

The main attraction is Cherry Crest’s “Amazing Maize Maze.” Billed as “the world’s most dynamic and interactive corn maze,” it is a five-acre corn maze with over two-and-one-half miles of paths, scenic bridges, and clues. There will also be a “Flashlight Maze” every Friday and Saturday night. Tickets are $17 on Thursday and Fridays and $20 on Saturdays.

“Halloween Haunt at Dorney Park” (3830 Dorney Park Road, Allentown, 610-395-3724, www.dorneypark.com) is running now through October 30.

The event features scary creatures roaming the park and scarecrows lining line the walkways while frightening activities take place at the following attractions — “Fright Lane Including Skeleton Key,” “Chamber of Horrors” and “CarnEvil” along with seven mazes and four “Creepy Scare Zones.” Admission is $38.

The “25th Annual Fright Fest” (Six Flags Great Adventure, Route 537, Jackson, NJ, 732-928-2000, www.sixflags.com), which is running now through October 30, features family-oriented activities during the day and much scarier attractions after dark for teens and adults.

The “mature” attractions include “Asylum,” “Blood Shed,” “Voodoo Island,” “Total Darkness,” “Wasteland,” “Circus Psycho,” “Bone Butcher Terror-tory,” “The Manor,” “The Bloody Fountain” and “Skyscreamer of Doom.” Tickets start at $52.99.

Ghost Tour of Philadelphia (215-413-1997, www.ghosttour.com), Ghost Tour of Lancaster (717-687-6687, www.ghosttour.com) and Ghost Tour of Strasburg (717-687-6687, www.ghosttour.com) operate through November and offer an eerily entertaining evening of true ghost stories and real haunted houses.

Tickets are $17 for adults for Philadelphia and $15 for Lancaster and Strasburg and $10 for children at all locations.

The “31st Annual Jason’s Woods” (99 Stehman Road, Lancaster, 717-872-5768, www.jasonswoods.com), which is running through November 5, is a horror show complex that features a combination of live actors, impressive animation and scary special effects.

Popular attractions include “Horrifying Hayride,” “Chamber of Horrors,” “Zombie Apocalypse,” “Lost in Jason’s Woods,” “Carnival of Fear,” “Fields of Fright” and the “The Grand Jason’s Woods Theater.” Admission prices are for combo tickets are $25 for three attractions and $40 for five.

“Valley of Fear” (300 W. Bristol Road, Feasterville, 215-942-9787, www.valleyoffear.com), which is open through October 30, features four “heart pounding attractions” — “Haunted Hayride,” “UnderWorld,” “The Facility,” and “Operation Z Paintball.”  Admission prices start at $19.

“Terror Behind the Walls” (Eastern State Penitentiary, 2124 Fairmount Avenue, Philadelphia, 888-763-NITE, www.easternstate.org), which continues through November 5, takes place at a site Penitentiary that was once was an active prison and is now a National Historic Landmark.

It is a scream-inducing event featuring laser and special-effect lighting, digital sound, sinister scents, animatronic creatures and 3-D illusions. Admission prices, which vary with the date, range from $19-$45.

“Pumpkinland” (Linvilla Orchards, 137 West Knowlton Road, Media, 610-876-7116, www.linvilla.com), which is open through November 6, features fairy tale characters from nursery rhymes along with a huge scarecrow and a really tall storybook.

Other activities include train rides, a straw bale maze, hayrides, pick-your-own apples and pony rides. Another attraction, which runs through October 30, is “Hayride to the Witch’s House.” Admission is free and hayrides are $9 per person.

“Field of Screams” (Stone Battery Road, Lancaster, 717-285-7748, www.fieldofscreams.com), which is open now through November 12, features “Den of Darkness” (three-story horror house), “Frightmare Asylum” (walk-through haunted barn), “Extreme Blackout,” “Nocturnal Wasteland” and the “Haunted Hayride” (a 25-minute fright-filled ride featuring state-of-the-art special effects, pyrotechnics and animatronics). Admission is $34