Frightmares 2014

Last night Marilyn and I took Sean and Tashena to Frightmares at Lagoon, an amusement park north of SLC.  During October it is decorated for fall, there are spook alleys, haunted houses, and Halloween themed entertainment, and almost all of the rides are open!  I like going to Lagoon in the fall because the temperature is much cooler so walking around the park is much more pleasant than it is in the hot summer months.  We take the kids every year (it has become one of our favorite Halloween traditions) and we usually close the place down!  Sean has been counting down for weeks!  We had so much fun!  Sean and Tashena rode just about every ride and Marilyn and I occasionally joined in.  When Sean and I rode the Tidal Wave, we sat on the very back row and Sean yelled out, "It tickles my tummy!"  He is so adorable!  We ended the night trying to break our record of continuous rides on the Tilt-A-Whirl.  Last year we went seven times and this year there is some doubt as to whether we did it seven or eight times.  Either way, it was epic.  As we are leaving the park we always stop and get hot chocolate, which comes in a souvenir cup.  Sean has all of his cups and he reported that he liked this year's cup (purple) better than last year's cup (orange).  I kind of love that he has all of the cups and I really love that the kids like all of our holiday traditions and look forward to them!

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Heber Valley Railroad Pumpkin Patch

Last night Marilyn and I took Sean and Tashena on a train ride to a pumpkin patch and we had so much fun!

The Heber Valley Railroad was established in 1899 and operated freight and passenger service between the cities of Heber and Provo as part of the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad.  Now the railroad operates themed excursions (we've done quite a few of them).   Right now they are offering the Pumpkin Festival which includes a 45 minute train ride with entertainment and pumpkin cookies, a haunted train car, and a visit to a pumpkin patch.  Go here for more information and tickets.

I thought the train ride was very relaxing and the kids loved it (even Tashena).  The scenery was absolutely gorgeous with all of the fall foliage.

When the train returned to the depot we all picked a pumpkin.  After the train ride we had dinner at Chick's, which is a hole in the wall cafe in Heber.  My brother-in-law introduced us to Chick's when we were camping at Palisades State Park a few years ago and we are now big fans.  We got laughing so hard that it was a little bit embarrassing!  Such a fun night!  I am really glad that I get to spend so much time with Sean and Tashena!

Note:  Go here for more fall activities for the kids.

Thriller 2014

I really love Halloween and one of my favorite Halloween traditions is to see Odyssey Dance Theatre's production of Thriller.  I've been going for years and it just wouldn't be Halloween without it!  Last night was opening night at Kingsbury Hall in SLC (the show is also touring all over Utah this month) and I was happy to see all of my old favorites, as well as a few new surprises.  The dance extravaganza features the undead cavorting in a graveyard, break-dancing mummies,  a pas de deux gone horribly wrong between Frankenstein and his bride, tap dancing skeletons, a trio of Jasons jamming with assorted weaponry, scarecrows who are not what they seem, condemned witches who come back from the dead for revenge (my favorite number), frolicking Chucky dolls, acrobatic vampires, and gunned down Irish dancers.  All of the dancers in the company are amazing and this show is definitely a crowd-pleaser, especially "Jason Jam."  I had a great time, as always, and I highly recommend seeing Thriller for a fun night out.  It runs until Nov. 1 at Kingsbury Hall.  Go here for tickets and information about the various touring locations and dates.

Note:  If you should happen to see any of the undead wandering about, do not make eye contact with them!  Trust me on this!

Fall Fun For The Locals

I just love the fall!  The leaves are beautiful, the air is crisp, the fall flavors are delicious, and there are so many fun activities this time of year.  Here are some of my recommendations if you live in the SLC area.

Witch Fest at Gardner Village

Gardner Village has a wonderful display of witches from September 12 through October 31 but there are also some really fun events such as Breakfast with a Witch, Witchapalooza Dinner Theatre, and the ever popular Witches Night Out.  Go here for more details.

Cornbelly's at Thanksgiving Point

Cornbelly's is an amazing fall festival at Thanksgiving Point with lots of fun activities for the kids, including games, rides, face painting, a spook alley, a corn maze, a pumpkin patch, and a hay ride.  It runs from October 3 through November 1.  Go here for more information.

 Pumpkin Days & Festival of Scarecrows at Wheeler Farm

Wheeler Historic Farm has a really fun fall festival called Pumpkin Days which runs from Sept. 26 to Oct. 31.  There is a hay maze, a pumpkin patch, and a hay ride.  You can also make a scarecrow (Tashena named hers Toby) for fun prizes.  The scarecrows will be on display throughout Pumpkin Days.  Go here and here for more information.

Schmidt's Pumpkin Patch

There are a lot of pumpkin patches out there but Marilyn and I always take the kiddos to Schmidt's.  It is located in West Jordan at 9000 S. and 3400 W.  Try not to wait until the last Saturday before Halloween (like we did last year) because it is kill or be killed gets really crowded.  Schmidt's also has a really great Farmer's Market.

Crazy Corn Maze

Again, there are a lot of corn mazes out there but I really like the Crazy Corn Maze.  I usually go through it every year with or without Sean and Tashena.  My friend Tony and I once got so lost inside we paid an attendant $5.00 to get us out!  Last year Marilyn and I followed Sean and he had us out in about twenty minutes!  Go here for more information.

Frightmares at Lagoon

Lagoon, our local amusement park, is a great place to go in the fall for Frightmares!  The park is decorated for Halloween and there are a lot of fun activities, spook alleys, hay mazes, and Halloween-themed entertainment.  Lagoon-A-Beach isn't open but all of the other rides operate and I think Lagoon is a lot more fun when the temperatures are a little bit cooler!  Marilyn and I take Sean and Tashena every year and we shut the park down!  Frightmares is open from September 19 to October 30.  Go here for more information.

Note:  Obviously there are a lot of haunted houses in the SLC area.  I had a really bad experience at one when I was in high school so I don't like to go to them!  If Tashena wants to go to one, Marilyn will have to take her!