ON DISPLAY AT NORTHERN LIGHTS CHRISTMAS TREE FARM IN PLEASANT HILL IS A PUMPKIN GROWN BY PLEASANT HILL’S STEVE DALETAS, WHO IS A WORLD CHAMPION PUMPKIN GROWER. THIS ONE WEIGHS IN AT AN IMPRESSIVE 1,653-POUNDS. Erin Tierney/The Creswell Chronicle
With Halloween creeping in, you’d be out of your gourd to miss out on some local spooky events.
Visiting Colonial Harvest Days at Northern Lights Christmas Tree Farm in Pleasant Hill, you’ll find a corn maze, pumpkin patches, a holiday store, hayrides and local vendors on the weekend.
It’s also a great way to support Creswell music students.
On the weekends, you’ll find 12 to 15 Creswell middle and high school music students ”haunting” the two-mile maze, as parents man the entrance booth and offer instructional help.
On Friday and Saturday nights, Creswell students slink into the corn and become the foulest creatures that walk this earth – dementors. The Harry Potter (mildly) Haunted Maze, while ”haunted,” is still a gentle scare and a family-friendly event.
It is an event that people of all ages enjoy, Creswell Music Boosters President Mandy Hoggard said.
Hoggard said she’s known the Northern Lights owners, Bob and Lynn Schutte, for a long time. Lynn is a retired educator and works tirelessly to ensure the fun had at the farm also doubles as an educational opportunity. Because of her background and passion for education, partnering with Creswell School District was a no-brainer.
”Everything she (Lynn) does (at the farm) is based on literature,” Hoggard said.
Farm goers can learn about sailing on the Mayflower on the farm’s life-size ”Hayflower,” and can ride to the pumpkin patch with Pilgrim Bob on a fun and informative hayride.
Lynn said the partnership with Creswell schools and their farm is a great one, one that has been going strong for three years.
The maze serves as an individual fundraiser for each student. Each student will receive a portion of the funds from the haunt, which will go directly toward their individual traveling fees for their Disneyland performance trip in March 2019, Hoggard said.
Butterbeer is a sweet treat for both Potter lovers and muggles. If you come to the farm dressed up as a wizard during the Harry Potter corn maze hours, participants will receive a delicious butterbeer on the house at the farm store.
The haunted maze is open on Fridays and Saturdays from 7 to 10 p.m. Admission is disallowed after 9:30 p.m. The maze generally takes up to 45 minutes, Hoggard said, but can take longer if you set out to find all the dementors.
Also at the farm, you’ll find 10 varieties of pumpkins to choose from and a charming corn maze during the day. By exploring the maze and discovering clues, participants can pinpoint the who kidnapped Farmer Brown. A smaller maze will entertain little ones as they look for animal tracks to determine who stole Farmer Brown’s pie.
There is also a quant Lazy Day Dahlias garden to mosey through. Jeff and Tina Davidson are growing over 1,200 plants this season, including 40 new varieties this year.
On display is a giant pumpkin grown by Pleasant Hill’s Steve Daletas, who is a world champion pumpkin grower. This year, Daletas won the 45th World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-off with his pumpkin weighing 2,170 pounds. The pumpkin on display at Northern Lights is a may not be the top contender, but still weighs in at an impressive 1,653-pounds.
Northern Lights Christmas Tree Farm is located at 36777 Wheeler Road in Pleasant Hill.
The farm is open through Oct. 31, Tuesdays through Sundays, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. with 7 to 10 p.m. being dedicated to the Harry Potter maze on Friday and Saturday. The farm is closed on Mondays.
For more info, call the farm at 541-746-5161 or email [email protected].
OTHER LOCAL HALLOWEEN EVENTS
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 19
▲ Outdoor Movie Night: ”Hocus Pocus” (1993) at Shady Oaks Plants and Produce, around 6 to 9 p.m. Located at 77380 Highway 99 in Cottage Grove. The film will begin at sundown; arrive early enough to park, order your snacks, and get settled in. The doors open at 6 p.m. Bring blankets, pillows, camp chairs and other seating options to ensure a comfortable and enjoyable movie-watching experience. In the case of rain, the movie will be shown under the cover of one of our greenhouses. Shady Oaks sells tickets for $1 during business hours.
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 26
▲ Village Green Halloween Party, 725 Row River Road, Cottage Grove, starting at 9 p.m. Free. Ages 21 and older welcome. Enjoy food and drink specials, jello shots, live music by Dennis Calvino and a costume contest. The first place winner will receive a one-night stay for two to the Oregon Garden Resort in Silverton. The runner up will receive a dinner for two to the Village Green Seasons at the Green Restaurant. Winner will be announced at 10:30 p.m.
▲ Harvest Festival at Applegate Elementary School, 85955 Territorial Highway, will be held from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Free carnival games, costume contests, trick-or-treating and a haunted house.
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 27
▲ Halloween Party at Round Up Saloon, 13. N Front St., starting at 7 p.m. There will be live music from The Minors and a potluck dinner; bring your favorite dish. There will be a costume contest.
▲ Ghouls, Goblins and Witches Halloween Celebration will be held from 7:30 – 11 p.m. at The Brewstation/Coast Fork Feed, 106 S. 6th St., Cottage Grove.Features the return of the popular Beard Contest, a Costume Contest and music from one of Cottage Grove’s Windy Ridge.
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31
▲ Safe Halloween Party by the Creswell VFW Post and Auxiliary will be held from 6:30 p.m. until 8:30 p.m. at the post, located at 111 S. 10th St. Prizes, games and free snacks will be available. More info: 541-255-5105.
▲ Safe Halloween at Creswell High School, 33390 Niblock Lane, from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m., followed by Trunk or Treat in the CHS parking lot from 6 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Bring your kids for games, music and candy.
▲ Trunk or Treat at Lorane Christian Church, 80290 Old Lorane Road, 5 to 8 p.m. Cars will be lined up in the church parking lot. There will be chocolate or apple cider, as well as snacks.
▲ Trick or Treat at Middlefield Oaks Senior Living Community, 1500 Village Drive, Cottage Grove, from 3 to 4:30 p.m. There will be games, coloring pages to win, prizes and candy.
▲ Creswell City Hall is handing out prizes for trick-or-treaters of all ages through Halloween from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
▲ Springfield City Hall is welcoming trick or treaters from 3:30 to 5 p.m. Magician Jay Frasier will provide a free performance in City Hall starting at 4 p.m. Springfield residents are encouraged to bring their kids in costume and have fun walking from department to department collecting candy and other goodies.
▲ Trick-or-Treating on Cottage Grove’s Main Street, 3 to 5 p.m. There will be a costume contest with prizes for kids at 4 p.m. next to the Bell Tower on Main Street.
Have a Halloween event going on? Email Erin at [email protected] with the information!
