Falling for fall

A celebration of cooler weather, changing leaves, pumpkin spice and everything nice is much anticipated as students suffer through these last sweltering days of summer.

Lynchburg and the neighboring communities will have multiple opportunities for students to enjoy the autumn season with fall festivities ranging from pumpkin patches to music festivals. 

Student Activities will host a fall festival at Camp Hydaway on Saturday, Oct. 27 for student who don’t want to travel far. 

Several pumpkin patches, corn mazes and apple orchards will begin opening their gates for the season. A few listed from closest in proximity to furthest are Yoders’ Farm, Gross’ Orchard and Layman Family Farms. 

Yoders’ Farm has an originally designed ten-acre corn maze and a pick-your-own pumpkin patch located in Rustburg, Virginia and will be open on varying days from Sept. 22-Nov. 3, according to their website.

“We’d be delighted to have Liberty Students come out and enjoy our lovely little farm,” Delvin Huber from Yoders’ Farm said. “Y’all have been a real blessing to us and are welcome anytime.”

Gross’ Orchard is located in Bedford, Virginia and specializes in mountain grown apples for the picking. It is hosting an Apple Harvest Festival Oct. 20 and a non-profit Apple Valley 5K Nov. 3, according to the website.   

Layman Family Farms will be celebrating 15 years of operation this year in Blue Ridge, VA with a 40-acre pumpkin patch, corn maze and array of other activities during the weekends from Sept. 16-Nov. 11. Friday and Saturday nights in October will host a Haunted Harvest according to the website.

“It’s exciting to see the kid’s excitement in their faces when they get their first pumpkin, or fifth, and each year I have families and groups come up to me saying that this is their 10th or 13th year in a row,” Sharon Layman of Layman Family Farms said. “It is just so encouraging to hear that we can provide great family fun for everyone in the community.” 

Another greatly anticipated event this fall will be the Lynchstock Music and Arts Festival. According to the website, an event completely unique to Lynchburg, Lynchstock will be hosting big name bands like COIN and Dr. Dog as well as local musicians and bands in our very own Riverfront Park in Downtown Lynchburg Saturday, Oct. 20. 

“One of our goals is to just really bring out all kinds of people together from different communities,” Jonathan Smalt, co-founder and director of Lynchstock, said. “If you love music it’s the perfect time to come out, meet new people, see new bands and just enjoy a night together.”  

Lynchstock is looking for volunteers from everything to the creative team to the production team to help run the event and will offer CSER credit for those hours donated. If you are interested, contact them through their website at lynchstockmusicfestival.com or check out their profiles on social media. 

“It’s just such a special event,” Smalt said. “And there’s nothing like it
around here.”

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