October at The Center in Palos Park brings not just a pumpkin patch with barn tours and hayrides but a bevy of other activities, too.
Ladies Halloween Tea, ghost tales, a pumpkin pie class and autumnal-themed art classes are among the events welcoming the fall season at 12700 Southwest Highway.
The pumpkin patch with pumpkins, straw bales, corn stalks and food for sale is open from noon to 5 p.m. weekdays in October. Admission is free.
From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekends and Columbus Day, the patch is open with free hayrack rides along with Pumpkin Playland, which features barn tours and a petting farm with sheep, goats, pigs, cows, ducks and rabbits, plus a giant corn box, maze, straw bale climber and “Spooky Wood Shed.” Admission to Pumpkin Playland is $8.
In addition to the pumpkin patch and Playland, The Center will host many Halloween-related events and autumnal workshops.
Learn how to bake pumpkin pies straight from the pumpkin patch, and enjoy a tea party while pies bake, in a class from 1 to 3:30 p.m. Oct.26. The cost is $19 plus a $7 materials fee.
The Ladies Halloween Tea from 4 to 6 p.m. Oct. 10 will feature spider cider tea, a buffet and witch stories. Attendees are welcome to wear witch attire. Tickets are $30 and required in advance.
“The Haunting: A Terrifying Tale & Hayride” will be at 6:30, 7:15 and 8 p.m. Oct. 24 and Oct. 25. Tickets are $10 and required in advance.
Tickets also are on sale for the luncheon “The Ghost of Mary Surratt” from noon to 2 p.m. Oct. 28. Actress Lynn Rymarz will tell the story of Surratt, who was convicted and hung for her role in the assasination of Abraham Lincoln. The cost is $18.
The Center also offers family pottery workshops open to all ages. “Pottery Pumpkins, Jack-o-lanterns and Gourds” will be held from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Oct. 15 and 22. The cost is $16 per person.
An autumn leaf paper-marking workshop will be held from 1 to 3 p.m. Oct. 10. The cost is $15 plus $5 for materials.
The Log Cabin Art Center is home to many other classes such as silversmithing, quilting, weaving, watercolor painting, stained glass, woodcarving, knitting and crocheting.
Women are invited to sleep in camp shelters and cook on a campfire during the retreat “Nurturing our Connection with Nature” from 10 a.m. Oct. 18 to 10 a.m. Oct. 19. The retreat costs $86 and includes three meals.
In addition to the Children’s Farm and Log Cabin Art Center, The Center is an interfaith organization that includes a preschool and Wayside Chapel. Year-round activities include weddings, vespers service, meditation and spiritual workshops, weekend retreats, concerts, a book club, weekday luncheons and yoga classes.
For other details, call (708) 361-3650 or visit thecenterpalos.org.
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