Fall Fun--TGS Fall Festival

This year the PTO at TGS decided to hold a fall festival. It was a beautiful day and tons of fun for everyone. The kiddos loved doing all the activities their armbands would let them do.  Our daughter had fun looking for and counting pumpkins on the hay ride.  Sounds a little familiar since we were just looking for scarecrows on another ride.    They were excited their armbands also got them popcorn and apple cider.  Of course, the best part was turning in all the tickets they won for prizes at the prize table. Everyone had a great time.  Angel especially enjoyed spending even more time in the Book Fair.  You can never spend enough time in there.

Football Toss

Fall Fun--Granny Mae's Pumpkin Patch

How exciting we are officially in fall.  This is Angel's favorite season and we all love when fall decor starts to come out and we can enjoy the changing leaves and visiting pumpkin patches.  We had beautiful weather for our fall adventures this year (after we rescheduled the trip to Dorrance because of rain)

Our first fall adventure this year took us to Granny Mae's Pumpkin Patch in Dorrance.   Before we even got to the patch, we started having a good time spotting the scarecrows along the way.

 

 

There was so much to see and do.  The kids got to play in Bailey Park and hunt through the hay for treasures.  We all did the corn maze (no one got lost and had to call 911) and checked out the Haunted Forest.  It's not quite so spooky in the daylight, but there are surprises around every corner.

Our favorite part was the tram ride through Scarecrow Meadows. It was fun trying to count all the scarecrows along the ways and tons of fun listening to the live music.  This is a must do.  They even have a ramp so Angel could get on the tram in her wheelchair.  We would have done it over and over if we had the time.

Check out all the different areas where different kinds of pumpkins and other fall crops are growing.  Make sure you check out Gourd Grove, Munchkinland, the Land of Giants, and don't forget Superfreaks.  :)

There is so much to do at Granny Mae's.  Make sure you check out the places to eat and shop as well as the fun stuff to do.  We thought Belly Acres was a cool name for a candy store.  You can also check out carnival games and train rides, as well as make your own smore over the bon fire.  Plan to spend all day--there is so much to do.

Wichita Children's Theater

We attended a performance of Chicken Little by the Wichita Children's Theatre.  Angel loves the Wichita Children's Theatre and she and the kiddos look forward to their performance every year.  They always do an interesting twist on a fairy tale and are quite entertaining.  The year Chicken Little was a chicken hawk, not a chicken and it was Henny Penny who thought the sky was falling.  It was an interesting twist, but I (Angel) had a hard time staying focused, because I kept thinking, "That's not right.  It should be Chicken Little."  I thought maybe it was just my normal traumatic brain injury response to change, but the kiddos were confused too.  They thought it should be Chicken Little who thought the sky was falling.

The costumes were amazing as always and a very fun way for actors to change characters.  I think I want a chicken cape and hat for Halloween (or turkey or duck or something)  :)  It is always fun when the cast involves the audience during the play and the audience did not disappoint.  I think the best part of the Wichita Children's Theatre productions is watching the response of the kiddos in the audience.  They really stay involved and watching.

Svensk Hyllningsfest

October 8 took us to Lindsborg for Svensk Hyllningsfest.  We arrived as the parade was heading down the street and the rain was just beginning.  It sprinkled on and off all day but nothing could damper the feelings and activities.  You really felt like you were in the middle of a Swedish festival when you looked at all the people in authentic Swedish garb walking around. 

The Parade

Every parade should have bag pipers

Besides the normal fun shops along the main street, there were arts and crafts tents and food vendors as well to help you enjoy your day.  The arts and craft vendors didn't just have product to sell.  Many of them were producing more of their product as you watched.  It was fascinating and we could have watched all day.



Eric's favorite craft--a Santa with a hat twisted
by a Kansas tornado



What a cool ice cream maker.
Who knew?

Live music in the arts & crafts tent was awesome!!

It was recommended that we try a Viking on a Stick for lunch.  The line was super long at that food vendor and they actually ran out shortly after we got ours.  The kiddos and Eric tried Viking on a Stick and Angel had Swedish pancakes.  No one was disappointed.  In fact, our son still talks about his Viking on a Stick.

The main stage had entertainment all day--dancers and singers, etc.  We didn't get to see all of it, but did have a chance to see and hear some.

When they said there would be cloggers, we expected grown ups.
Oh well, you have to start somewhere.

We have visited Lindsborg before, but it was Memorial Day, so this time more of the stores were open and we got to see inside the Anatoly Karpov School of Chess and watch dala horses being made.

http://kansas150th-150thingstodoinkansas.blogspot.com/2011/06/80-exploring-lindsborg.html

If you want to learn about chess, the Anatoly Karpov School of Chess is the place for you.  There are tons of chess boards set up for you to practice on and free lessons are offered.  We even got to see a chess game in progress and hear some instruction.  Wish we lived closer.

Hemslöjd