Fall brings annual Octoberfest event to Southwest Georgia

Published 5:59 pm Friday, September 18, 2015

FAMILY FUN: Spring Hill Tree Farms owner and Octoberfest organizer Dan Provence takes some people on a hay ride.  Powell Cobb — Post-Searchlight

FAMILY FUN: Spring Hill Tree Farms owner and Octoberfest organizer Dan Provence takes some people on a hay ride.
Powell Cobb — Post-Searchlight

Octoberfest is gearing up for its five year anniversary in Southwest Georgia, and anyone looking for a fall afternoon of pumpkins, hay rides and corn mazes just needs to head to Spring Tree Farms.

Farm owner and Octoberfest organizer Dan Provence has four weekends of the month planned out for families to enjoy the land and celebrate fall.

Everything from horse rides to bounce houses can keep kids occupied while adults can experience the nature trail—or the television with the big game on in the barn. Games like pumpkin bowling and pumpkin rolling, where contestants push their pumpkin to a finish line using only two sticks, are also offered.

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But the biggest draw for everybody is a 20-foot tall trebuchet that launches pumpkins. Provence launches pumpkins 100 yards every hour, on the hour. Visitors can also purchase pumpkins to watch them soar through the air and splatter on the ground.

If you’d rather decorate your pumpkin than watch it explode, there will be a station open for painting them, too.

Another big attraction is the corn maze, where visitors can get lost and try to find their way back out. Last year’s drought made for a weaker maze, Provence said, but this year’s corn is back to form and has given him the ability to make a tall-growing labyrinth for visitors.

Another big attraction, the haunted hay ride, has been moved up from Halloween to the weekend before it. On Saturday, Oct. 24, visitors can dare to take a ride through the farm and test their fear.

“We’re planning now for it already, we have a lot of stuff,” Provence said. “It’s the most fun I have every year. I don’t want anybody to know what it is, but I think it’s going to be good.”

Food from Boyd’s Barbecue, popcorn provided by the Kiwanis Club, boiled peanuts and drinks will be available.

Tickets are $10 for one day. Pumpkins will range between $3 and $15, depending on the size. Open hours are between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. on Saturdays and noon and 6 p.m. on Sundays every weekend in October.