White House hosts annual fall festival

October 1, 2011 at 12:00a.m.

By ABBY SLANKER

With the help of beautiful fall weather, White House Fruit Farm kicked off the fall season by hosting its 30th annual Craft Show and Harvest Festival Sept. 17-18.

A craft show was on the grounds of the farm with 60 vendors featuring artisans from around the region. Visitors also enjoyed several outdoor events, including horse-drawn wagon rides through the orchards, a petting zoo and a children’s play area.

The weekend also marked the opening of the farm’s pumpkin pavilion. Mums were also available for purchase from Lutz Greenhouse.

According to Debbie Pifer, White House Fruit Farm owner, approximately 10,000 people attend the two-day festival.

“Most people come for the food,” said Pifer. “There are plenty of fall favorites, including fresh apples and cider, both inside the market and on the grounds.”

Inside the 10,000 square-foot market were the usual fare, including pies, doughnuts, cookies, homemade fudge and seasonal produce.

Outside, visitors could purchase fall favorites caramel and candy apples and could also make their own gourmet caramel apple with several toppings available.

Food carts offering whole chickens, hot dogs, corn dogs, French fries and lemonade also drew big crowds.

Several large round hay bales were painted to look like jack-o-lanterns, Frankenstein and a cottage, and were placed throughout the grounds and provided photo opportunities for visitors.

To help deal with the large crowds, several Boy Scouts directed cars to parking areas.

Special fall outdoor events continue every weekend through Oct. 23. Fall hours are Monday-Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday, noon to 5 p.m.

White House Fruit Farm is located 10 minutes south of Canfield on Route 62. Additional information is available at www.whitehousefruitfarm.com.