DISPATCH #16 · TUE, SEPTEMBER 29, 2026 · NoCo · TUE HIGH 68°
Postcard from NoCo
Hi NoCo families. Hankins Farms in Johnstown opens for the season Friday, and it's this week's Fall Stop Spotlight: two corn mazes with games to play inside, pedal cars, a corn cannon, and a pick-your-own patch that's free to walk into. The other patches have news this week too: Fritzler sets off fireworks Friday and Saturday at dark, and Anderson Farms moves to its peak weekend prices on Saturday. Oh, the places you'll actually go.
JP & Alexis
Touch a Truck and the bookmobile's 85th birthday — FREE
Tue 9/29 · 10am to noon · Riverside Library & Cultural Center, 3700 Golden St, Evans
Big vehicles parked in the library lot for kids to climb into, and the High Plains bookmobile's 85th birthday party at the same time. The library notes the horns get loud. Preschool and elementary ages, no registration. Details →
Tuesday trivia with the Bite of the Bayou food truck — FREE
Tue 9/29 · food truck 4pm to 8pm, trivia 6:30pm to 8:30pm · Old Colorado Brewing Company, 3700 Cleveland Ave, Wellington
The Bite of the Bayou Cajun food truck parks outside from 4 to 8, and community trivia starts at 6:30. Details →
Harvest Festival in Wellington — FREE
Wed 9/30 · 5pm · Main hallway and community area, Wellington
Autumn crafts, kids' activities, and a spirit wear and costume swap. We couldn't find this one on a posted school, town, or library calendar, so the date, time, and place are as submitted.
Berthoud Homecoming Parade — FREE
Wed 9/30 · time not posted yet · Downtown Berthoud
The Berthoud High School Athletic Booster Club's parade for homecoming week (the Spartans play Niwot Friday at 7 at Max Marr Stadium). The 2026 time and route weren't posted as of Sunday. Last year's parade was also on the Wednesday of homecoming week, stepped off at 6pm from 2nd Street, ran along Mountain Avenue to 8th Street, and ended at the high school. Details →
Taste of Timnath Month — $25 passport
Thu 10/1 to Sat 10/31 · participating spots around Timnath
The Timnath Chamber's October food month. A $25 digital Taste Passport unlocks one offer at each participating spot (the list includes Pedro's Coffee Shop, G-Que Championship BBQ, Wild Pastures Burger Co., Chelos Modern Mexican, Mein House, and CF&G Public Market). You scan to redeem, and the passport expires 10/31. Half of the net passport proceeds go to the Food Bank for Larimer County. Details →
Les Misérables at the Candlelight — youth $80, kids 12 and under $70, adults $115 to $125 (dinner and show)
Thu 10/1 to Sun 10/4 · Candlelight Dinner Playhouse, 4747 Marketplace Dr, Johnstown
The Candlelight's fall musical, with table-service dinner before the show, for families with older kids and teens. There are no performances Tuesday or Wednesday this week; there's one each Thursday, Friday, and Sunday and two Saturday. Evening shows seat for dinner at 6 with the curtain at 7:30, and matinees seat at noon with the curtain at 1:30. Add a $6 fee per ticket. The theater discourages bringing kids under 5, and everyone needs a ticket. Details →
CSU Homecoming & Family Weekend — open to the public; 5K and football ticketed
Fri 10/2 3pm to 8:30pm + Sat 10/3 9am · CSU campus, Fort Collins
Friday 3 to 6 is the Festival on the Oval: live music, inflatables, and more than 100 booths. At 6 the marching band and spirit squad walk the crowd over to Friday Night Lights west of the Lory Student Center, which runs until 8:30 with a pep rally, a bonfire, a drone show, and the lighting of the A. Saturday at 9am is a Kids Fun Run, one lap of the Oval with a ribbon and CAM the Ram (the 5K before it starts at 8; ages 17 and under are $39.03). The Ram Walk tailgate is free and open noon to 3:30, and CSU plays Oregon State at 4 (ticketed). Details →
Hankins Farms opens: Fall Stop #3 — FREE to enter the patch; corn maze $16
Fri 10/2 3pm to 6pm (patch only) · Sat 10/3 11am to 5pm · Sun 10/4 noon to 5pm · 26745 Weld County Road 17, Johnstown
Opening weekend. Friday afternoon is the pumpkin patch only; the two corn mazes and the rest of the activities start Saturday. Tickets are $16 for ages 3 and up, $2 less online. Full rundown in the Spotlight below. Details →
Tour de Corgi — FREE to watch ($5 suggested); $5 wristband to march
Sat 10/3 · 9am to 2pm · Civic Center Park + Old Town Fort Collins
A corgi costume contest and parade. Registration and vendors open at 9, the costume contest is at 10 (categories include Best Cosmic Corgi and Best Space Crew), and the parade leaves Civic Center Park at noon, goes up College Avenue, loops Old Town Square, and comes back on Mountain and Howes. Watching is free with a $5 suggested donation; marching or entering the contest takes a $5 wristband per adult, and kids under 5 are free. Proceeds go to 4 Paws Pet Pantry, Colorado Corgis and Friends Rescue, and Bandit's K9Care. Details →
Family Day Painting: Cute Fall Owl — $29 to $39 per person
Sat 10/3 · 11:30am to 1pm · Painting with a Twist, 1112 Oakridge Dr #107, Fort Collins
A step-by-step family painting class with a fall owl to take home. The studio recommends it for ages 7 and up, and kids 13 and under need an adult with them. Price depends on the surface you pick. Details →
Berthoud Oktoberfest — FREE
Sat 10/3 · 11am to 6pm · Town Park, 200 N 7th St, Berthoud
The Berthoud Area Chamber's Oktoberfest: German food trucks, local breweries, games, and contests for costumes, stein holding, and pie eating. Details →
Pup-tober Fest with All Aboard Animal Rescue — FREE
Sat 10/3 · noon to 6pm · Lazy Dog Bar & Grill, 4801 Thompson Pkwy, Johnstown
An adoption afternoon for All Aboard Animal Rescue: puppies to meet from noon to 2, puppy photos, raffles, family activities, and live music 3 to 5. Part of the day's proceeds go to the rescue. Details →
High Plains libraries: live chicks, the bookmobile tour, Lotería — FREE
Sat 10/3 11:30am + 1pm · Sun 10/4 3pm · Centennial Park Library (2227 23rd Ave) + LINC, Greeley · Riverside Library, Evans
Saturday 11:30 to 12:15, Peeping Chicks at Centennial Park Library: a local farmer brings live chicks and eggs due to hatch October 6, plus a chick craft. Saturday 1 to 4:30, the bookmobile's 85th birthday tour stops at LINC. Sunday 3 to 4, family Lotería at Riverside in Evans, with prizes and snacks. Chicks → · Bookmobile → · Lotería →
Severance Neighborhood Concert — FREE
Sat 10/3 · 2pm · Overlook Park, 10007 County Road 72, Severance
The town's replacement for Severance Days, which was canceled this year because of construction delays: live music and local food vendors in the park. The band and end time weren't posted as of Sunday. Details →
Elk Fest in Estes Park — FREE
Sat 10/3 10am to 5pm + Sun 10/4 9am to 4pm · Bond Park and the Estes Park Events Complex
The town's festival for the elk rut: wildlife exhibits, Native American music and storytelling, vendors, seminars, and the elk bugling contest. Saturday at 8:30am is the Rut Run 5K (strollers welcome; $50.14 adults, $10 off for ages 14 and under). It's also Estes Park's peak foliage weekend on this week's forecast. Details →
Pooches in the Park: Dogtober Fest — FREE
Sat 10/3 · 5pm to 7pm · Historic Halfway Homestead, 335 McNeil Dr, Windsor
The last Pooches in the Park of the year, at the Homestead this time instead of the pool: an off-leash area, vendor booths, free demos, and a donation drive for NoCo Humane. No registration. Details →
Starry Sky Soiree — FREE
Sat 10/3 · 7:30pm to 9:30pm · Red Mountain Open Space, 799 Red Canyon Rd, Wellington
Volunteers from the local astronomical society set up telescopes for a night of stargazing, for mixed ages. No registration required (signing up gets you weather updates). There's no water on site, dogs have to stay in cars, and it depends on clear skies. Details →
Thistle First Sunday Pop N' Shop — FREE
Sun 10/4 · 11am to 3pm · Thistle, 3713 W Cleveland Ave, Wellington
A monthly market day at Thistle on Cleveland Avenue with local vendors, kid-friendly treats, and seasonal items. It runs the first Sunday of every month. Details →
Ghostbusters in Concert — $35 to $73
Sun 10/4 · 6pm · The Lincoln Center, 417 W Magnolia St, Fort Collins
The Fort Collins Symphony plays the score live while the movie runs on the big screen. Costumes are encouraged, with a costume contest and prop photo spots. Details →
NoCo Regulars
Fort Collins' Wednesday market ends this week, and every patch's hours are on the regulars page. Fort Collins Farmers' Market (Wed 9/30 is the last Wednesday; Sundays through November) · Larimer County Farmers' Market (Sat, Old Town Fort Collins, through October) · Greeley Farmers' Market (Sat, 7th St, through October) · Johnstown-Milliken Farmers' Market (Fri 4 to 8) · Timnath Farmers' Market (next one Sun 10/11, Colorado Feed & Grain).
The NoCo Fall Stop #3: Hankins Farms
Fall Stop #3 is in Johnstown. Hankins Farms has been run by the same family since 1910, and its corn maze and pumpkin patch sit in a low spot the farm calls The Hollow, on Weld County Road 17 a mile and a quarter south of Highway 34. The season opens this Friday, October 2, and runs weekends through November 1: Fridays 3 to 6 with only the pumpkin patch open, Saturdays 11 to 5, and Sundays noon to 5 with everything running. There are two corn mazes, a long one and a short one, and each has a game to play on the way through. The ticket also covers a corn cannon, a foam-ball archery range, pedal car races, bouncy toys for toddlers, and a tire pyramid slide. Tickets are $16 for ages 3 and up, $2 less if you buy online; groups of 8 or more pay $14, and military and seniors 65 and up pay $12. Walking into the pumpkin patch is free. Pumpkins run from $2 for a mini to $24 for a giant, and a maze ticket takes $2 off any pumpkin, so a mini is free. Kids 13 and under need an adult with them in the maze. The Cilantro & Lime and Sweet Talk Shoppe food trucks are there Saturdays and Sundays. Our plan when we go: the short maze first, then the pedal cars, then the free mini pumpkin.
Hankins Farms · 26745 Weld County Road 17, Johnstown · opens Fri 10/2 · Fri 3 to 6 (patch only), Sat 11 to 5, Sun noon to 5 · corn maze $16 (ages 3+), FREE to enter the patch · hankinsfarms.com
Pumpkin patches: what changed this week
Anderson Farms moves to peak pricing Saturday 10/3: weekends $32 timed, $42 anytime, $50 at the door. Through Friday it's $13.50 Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday and $18.75 timed on Friday. Closed Tuesdays.
Fritzler Farm Park has fireworks at dark Friday and Saturday, and free admission Saturday and Sunday for military, firefighters, police, and EMTs with ID. Closed Tuesday and Wednesday this week.
Osborn Farm dropped its pumpkin price to 55 cents a pound.
Every patch this week
Hankins Farms (Johnstown) · opens Fri 10/2 · maze $16, patch free
Bartels Farm (Fort Collins) · daily 10 to 6 · free entry · corn maze $5 or $20 per family of 5+, hayrides $2
Osborn Farm (Loveland) · daily 10 to 6 · free admission and parking · hayrides $3 on weekends, petting zoo $2 (cash)
Tigges Farm (Greeley) · Thu to Sun 10 to 6 · free entry · roasted green chile, limited pumpkins at the farm stand
Miller Farms (Platteville) · free admission · hayride $18 adults, $10 ages 4 to 10 · call (970) 785-6133 for hours
Fritzler Farm Park (LaSalle) · Thu 5 to 9, Fri 5 to 10, Sat 11 to 10, Sun 11 to 9 · Fun Pass $25.95 online, $33.95 at the gate
Anderson Farms (Erie) · closed Tuesdays · $13.50 to $50 depending on the day
Spooky's Pumpkin Patch (Fort Collins) · daily 2 to 8 · a retail patch, no rides
The NoCo Foliage Forecast
Cameron Pass is at peak color now, and Bear Lake is close behind. Rain and cooler air move in Tuesday through Thursday and could bring leaves down at the higher elevations, so go soon if either is on your list. Red Feather Lakes should peak this week. Estes Park and the Poudre Canyon are still turning and should look best this weekend, October 3 to 4, which is also Elk Fest weekend in Estes. The trees around NoCo are still mostly green and should turn in late October. With the drought, expect muted color.
Forecast data: morethanjustparks.com & iNaturalist.org. Updated every Tuesday through the season.
Community Corner
This week's question: does your family do the corn maze, or go straight to the pumpkins? Hit reply and tell us which patch.
Got a family event on your radar? Add it at theplacesno.co/submit-event and it might land in an upcoming dispatch.
That's the week, NoCo. Hankins Farms opens Friday, Estes Park peaks this weekend, and Saturday and Sunday are forecast sunny. Know a family who'd use this list? Forward it along; that's how most people find us.
Be the parent who somehow always knows about this stuff.
JP & Alexis
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