Hoot and holler! Squeak and squawk! Sky Meadows State Park’s Seventh Annual Fall Farm Festival second weekend, October 8 and 9, celebrates wildlife and habitat!
Immerse yourself in the beauty of nature and discover what fascinating animals call Sky Meadows home. Meet the local raptor ambassadors from the John Marshal Soil & Water Conservation District will also be here. They will be talking about their conservation efforts and their water management plans.
The sights, sounds and flavors of the farm will all be represented this weekend! Bring the kids to the Children’s Play Area for some old-fashioned outdoor fun. Enjoy a snack from John Kovac will entertain you with his handmade harps. And of course, the Pick-Your-Own pumpkin patch will be open from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Pumpkins of all shapes and sizes for carving, baking or decorating can be found here, so don’t forget to get yours.
Once again, the park will offer a number of interpretive programs that explore this weekend’s theme. On Saturday, October 8, start the morning off right with a Bird Walk led by a volunteer from Red-Headed Woodpeckers. (Oops, I gave you one of the answers!) Saturday afternoon meet local Forester Joe Rossetti and learn about tree identification on a beautiful Fall Color Walk from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. If you want a hands-on activity, why not sign up for ourBuild a HouseWorkshop? Park Naturalist Trish Bartholomew will lead an instructional workshop from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. in which participants will construct a usable bird or bat house. Each participant will also receive instructions on placement and care of their new take home critter cottage. Advance registration required and there is a $15.00 materials fee. The deadline for registration and payment is September 23, and space is limited to 15 participants, so register soon. Stay late on Saturday, and at 6:45 p.m. enjoy a tranquil moonlight stroll up to thePiedmont Overlook on a gorgeous “Full Moon Walk."
Sundays in the park are always special and Sunday, October 9, is no exception. Join us for “Making Tracks” from Noon to 2:00 p.m. You can learn about the different animals that walk the park and how to identify their paws, claws, and pads. Kids will also get the chance to make a take-home animal track. In the afternoon, Ranger Naturalist Trish Bartholomew will have the park’s “Skulls and Skins” set up for a touchy feely animal identification adventure from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. And don’t forget the “Ghosts of Mount Bleak” House Tour. On both days, Park Historian Budd Reitnauer and some of his “otherworldly” friends will take you on a special tour of the park’s historic home. Get a look into the past and discover what life was like on a Northern Virginia middle-class farm in the 1860s. But remember, once we open that window into the past, you never know what, or who, might come through! Tours will run from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
The Fall Farm Festival is sponsored by the www.virginiastateparks.gov.
LOCATION: The park is less than two miles south of Paris, VA, via U.S. Route 50 to Route 17 South; or seven miles north of I-66, Exit 23 on Route 17 North. The park entrance is on State Route 710.
Drive Time: Northern Virginia, 45 minutes to one hour; D.C., over one hour; Richmond, two hours; Tidewater/ Norfolk/ Virginia Beach, three hours; Roanoke, two and a half hours
Click here for a Google map. Latitude, 38.988703. Longitude, -77.968913
OVERNIGHT FACILITIES: This park offers year-round primitive hike-in tent camping. Reservations are required. There are no cabins or developed campsites with hookups at this park. To make a reservation, you can reserve online or call 1-800-933-PARK.