Seven Ways To Enjoy The Glorious Fall Weather In Morris County This Weekend

Many farms across Morris County are rolling out their fall festivities, from hay rides to corn mazes, this weekend. Here's a list of fun fall things you can do all by yourself, or with your family, this weekend:

Stickley Museum's Fall Family Day

Fall Family Day at the Stickley Musem at Craftsman Farms this Saturday promises to be an afternoon full of family fun. Visitors will have the opportunity to ride around on bales of hay, paint pumpkins, and participate in some old-fashioned games and races. The Museum will also be holding both indoor and outdoor scavenger hunts, encouraging children to explore the landscape that was once Gustav Stickley's home and farm. Fall Family Day happens this Saturday, September 17, between 12 and 4 PM at the Stickly Museum at Craftsman Farms. $5 Member Children; & Non-Member Children and Adults without Children; Free to Adults accompanying Children. The Museum is located at 2352 Route 10 West, in Parsippany. For more information call 973.540.0311 or email info@stickleymuseum.org.

Ort Farms Centennial

Ort Farms in Long Valley is celebrating 100 years this weekend, which means fall fun for the entire family. The farm, spreading out over 400 acres, gives visitors a good look at what Long Valley has to offer when Fall rolls around with its reds and oranges. Ort will give visitors the opportunity to pick your own pumpkins or get lost in a corn maze. Ort Farms is located at 25 Bartley Road in Long Valley. The events begin on Saturday, September 17 between 12 PM and 6 PM. For more information, contact the farm at (908) 876-3351, Fax: 908-876-4107 or visit their site at www.ortfarms.com.

Conklin Farms Cider

Conklin Farms is having some Fall fun starting on September 17, including shooting pumpkins with slingshots and jumping on hayrides. The farm will be offering visitors the opportunity to pick their own pumpkins, from thousands of different sizes, shapes, and even colors. From the last weekend of September through Halloween, the farm also offers mums, gourds, indian corn, and straw for Fall decorating needs. Cider, apples, jams, and butters will also be on sale at the barn store. Begin slinging pumpkins this Saturday, September 17 from 10 AM to 6 PM at 65 River Road in Montville. For more information, call (973) 334-4358 or visit www.conklinupick.com

Hackettstown Annual Street Fair

More than 100 artists, crafters, and vendors will descend upon Hackettstown's Main Street this Sunday, September 18, for the township's fair. The event, sponsored by the Hackettstown Business Improvement District, will showcase artists, craftworks, and other vendors--including the culinary kind--along Main Street in Hackettstown. Live performances will take place along the route throughout the day, and both admission and parking on the surrounding streets are free. The Street Fair has attracted upwards of 25,000 spectators, so be sure to squeeze in some fall shopping in Hackettstown on Sunday, September 18. The event runs from 11 AM to 5 PM and will be held on Main Street in Hackettstown.

1920s Country Fair and Harvest Festival

If you've ever wondered how butter is made, there's a place you can see it happen in Morris County on September 18. The Fosterfields Living Historical Farm is having its annual Harvest Festival, giving people accustomed to modern conveniences a taste of what it used to be like a century ago. Organizers expect hundreds to descend upon the grounds to bob about the farm on a wagon, to do the Charleston jig, and to learn what it takes to be a farmer when technology did not hold sway. Visitors can join in on various demonstrations, trying their arms in butter churning and apple pressing. The festival farmers will also be processing corn using gasoline engines. Kids will have the opportunity to watch a blacksmith perform his craft, as well as greet various animals including massive draft horses and Jersey cows. Admission is $8 per adult, $7 per senior (65+), $6 per child age 4 through 16, and $4 per child age 2 and 3. FREE for children under age 2. The event will take place on Sunday, September 18 between 12 PM to 5 PM at Fosterfields Living Historical Farm, 73 Kahdena Road, Morris, NJ 07960.

The 15th Annual Parsippany Fall Festival Street Fair

The Parsippany Fall Festival will showcase local food vendors, entertainment, and rides this year. You can stroll leisurely and check out the goods for sale at various stalls while getting your fill of delicious eats. The Street Fair is happening on Sunday, September 18 from 12 PM to 5 PM on North Beverwyck Road in Lake Hiawatha. For more information, email recreation@parsippany.net.

Chatham Farmer's Market Farm to Table Event

If you're a fan of MasterChef, Chopped, or any one of a number of competition cooking shows on air, you'll love seeing the flames and deft hands transform ingredients to masterpieces live. The Chatham Borough Farmer's Market is presenting a Farm to Table event this Sunday, September 18, with not only good food, but a cooking competition to boot between chefs James Laird and Nancy Sheridan Laird. Enjoy wine, beer, and samplings of food under the stars. The event happens on Sunday, September 18 from 4:30 PM to 7:30 PM at Reasoner Park in Chatham. For more information, call Janice Piccolo at (973) 635-0674 EXT. 200.

Image via Anthony Quintano, Flickr, used under Creative Commons.