A BOO-tiful October in the Arkansas Delta
Ahhh…October! There’s a crisp in the air, pumpkins on the porch and “ghosts” and “goblins” all around! In the Arkansas Delta, it also means fun and fabulous festivals and events!
In Piggott, it’s the 23rd annual Pumpkin Hollow Pumpkin Patch and Corn Maze through Oct. 31. Named last year by USA Today Travel as one of the 15 coolest pumpkin patches in the nation, Pumpkin Hollow offers something for the entire family. It’s a great spot for families to spend a beautiful autumn day, with fun activities such as the corn mazes, hayrides, catfish feeding, pony rides, the infamous pig scrambles, farm animals, Kids’ Barn, and Pond Slide. Shop for pumpkins of all sizes, shapes, and colors, mums, cornstalks, and gourds. And try the homemade pumpkin roll…made from pumpkins grown on-site. For those who LIKE being scared, there’s “Horror in the Hollow,” featuring Bubba’s Butcher Barn, the Frightmare Farmhouse, the Forest of Fright and the first-ever Zombie Paintball Patrol. Haunted attractions are open Friday and Saturday nights only.
Pocahontas celebrates the town’s location on the Rock ‘n’ Roll Highway with two events in October. On Oct. 1, it’s Stroll the Square in the historic downtown with a rock ‘n’ roll theme. Check out the sock hop from 6 to 8 p.m. Everyone is invited to wear their favorite 50s-themed attire. Root beer and coke floats are on the agenda…as well as a free movie on the courthouse lawn, starting at 7:30 p.m. On Saturday, Oct. 3, downtown Pocahontas hosts the 2015 Rock ‘n’ Roll Highway 67 Music Festival. The event features fun and activities for the entire family, with live music throughout the day. Arkansas’s own Sonny Burgess and the Legendary Pacers are the evening’s headliners.
McGehee hosts Owlfest 2015 on Oct. 2-3. The event is held in conjunction with the town’s Homecoming events, and features live music, a variety of contests, children’s events, arts and crafts, barbecue contests, tailgating, the Owl Hoot contest and the Tour de Hoot bicycle ride.
In downtown Lepanto, it’s the 85th annual Terrapin Derby on Oct. 3. Held along Lepanto’s Main Street, the Terrapin Derby features live music and entertainment, arts and crafts, and special activities for kids. But there’s no doubt that one of the festival’s main draws is the race, featuring turtles, sporting numbers on their shells, “rushing” down a 60-foot racetrack, all vying for the watermelon located at the finish line!
It’s the 26th annual Ding Dong Days Festival in Dumas on Oct. 6-10. The family-friendly event features a car show, softball tournament, a barbecue contest, special events just for the kids, and a poker run. Don’t miss the Ding Dong eating contest and the announcement of the winners of the Ding Dong Daddy and Ding Dong Mama contests.
Celebrating 30 years in 2015, the King Biscuit Blues Festival takes place in historic Helena on Oct. 7-10. Considered by many to be one of the best blues festivals in the nation, the Biscuit draws visitors from across the globe. This year’s headliners include Bobby Rush, Jimmie Vaughn, and Taj Mahal.
Trumann hosts the 33rd annual Wild Duck Festival on Oct. 9-10. The festival celebrates the community’s heritage of duck hunting, forest/wood products and agriculture. Activities include a carnival midway, a petting zoo, a parade, live music, a judged barbecue contest and much more.
The town of Weiner hosts the 39th annual Arkansas Rice Festival on Oct. 10. The festival celebrates not only the Arkansas rice industry but the harvesting season as well! You’ll find a plethora of fun events, contests, and displays. Activities include live music, a weiner dog race and show, arts and crafts, lawn mower races, duck calling contests, a parade, a rice tasting luncheon, carnival rides, a car show, a mini-tractor pull and a haunted scavenger hunt!
It’s the 21st annual Ghosts of the Past at Arkansas Post National Memorial in Gillett on Oct. 17. Guides take visitors “back in time” as they stroll down the luminary-lined trail around the park, watching history come to life. “Ghosts of the past” depict life in and around Arkansas Post, the Lower Mississippi Valley’s earliest European settlement and the first capital of the Arkansas Territory.
On Oct. 17, Hazen hosts the 39th annual Grand Prairie Rice Festival. The celebration features special events and attractions just for kids, live music, food booths, a variety of vendors, an antique tractor parade, and arts and crafts.