The annual Pumpkin Patch Festival at the Nelson Farm, south of Litchfield, will open on September 27th and will continue weekends – and during the MEA break – through October 26th. There will be some special weekend themes, including Grandparents Weekend Sept. 27th & 28th.
Don Nelson says grandparents will get $1 off of their admission when they bring a grandchild the first weekend. He says Bud & Marlys Larsen will be at the farm on October 4th & 5th with fiddle music; Dairy Industry Day is October 5th; and the final weekend – October 25th and 26th will be Military Appreciation weekend so active military members will get $2 off of admission.
Nelson says the pumpkin crop is pretty good even though the excess rain caused some of them to rot, but they planted more than usual this year. He says the corn maze this year will challenge your mind, and he had to put an electric fence around it this year to keep the deer out.
Nelson says there are 4 trebuchets on the farm – one which launches marbles, one that fires golf balls and two that send different sized pumpkins into the air. He says there are all kinds of other activities, foods and more and you can go to nelsonfarm.com to find more details.
There is more parking at the Nelson Farm this year for the Pumpkin Patch Festival. The farm is 3-and-a-half miles south of Litchfield on County-State-Aid-Highway 1. The Pumpkin Patch Festival is open Saturdays and during the MEA break from 11:01 a.m. to 5:01 p.m. and on Sundays from 12:01-to-5:01 p.m.
The Fallin Into Fun Fest will be taking place tomorrow in Litchfield. Saturday’s big event is from 10-to-3 in the downtown area.
Deana Wheeler from the Chamber office says the Litchfield Visitors Bureau is hoping that it brings lots of people into town. She says there will be a vendor/craft fair in Central Park with food trucks. She says 2nd Street will be closed from Sibley to Ramsey Avenues and there will be a business fair there – along with kid’s activities – including bouncy houses in the grassy area near the Rescue Hall.
Wheeler says Willis Chase will be in that area doing free caricatures. She says Sage, the Art Fox, will also be there doing classes for kids, some sidewalk chalk art and producing a large mural.
Wheeler says the Pumpkin on a Shelf event will be underway at 20 businesses in downtown Litchfield and when you’ve spotted the 20 pumpkins, you can turn in your “passport” for a prize drawing. She says you can also enter the $10 “Fallin’ Into 50/50” raffle for a chance to win a cash prize and you need not be present when the drawing is held at 2 p.m. More volunteers are needed to help with the Fallin’ Into Fun Fest, so if you’re willing to help, call 693-8184.
“Screenagers: Elementary School Age Edition” will be presented in the Litchfield High School Commons on Monday (Sept. 22) at 6:30 p.m. The original movie is updated with the latest research, expert insights and advice, specifically tailored for the students, parents and educators of elementary schools to help them better navigate the digital age.
Lake Ripley School Social Worker Tammy Minton says the event is being made possible with a grant from Meeker Energy. She says they did a similar event last year which was geared more toward teenagers.
Minton says technology is a great thing, but it can be all-encompassing and children need to be limited on their screen time. She says parents should set limits on when children may use devices and they should be encouraged to interact face-to-face with their friends and family members and do physical activities outdoors.
Minton says the film is just under an hour long, and there will be time for discussion afterwards, and refreshments will be served. She says it’s free and open to the public.
Judy Haag of Eden Valley, a parishioner at the Church of Our Lady in Manannah, was one of 4 people honored with the 2025 People of Life award for her pro-life activism at the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Conference in Arlington, Virginia last month. Haag and her husband, Bob, are pictured on the front page of the September issue of “The Prairie Catholic.”
Judy Haag, who spent 30-years as a long-term care nurse, was honored along with Valerie Washington and the late Rita and Mike Marker during a ceremony on August 11th. Haag has served in the New Ulm Diocese as the chairperson of the Council of Catholic Women Reverence for Life Committee – assisting in public education and advocacy on abortion.
Haag has co-chaired the local 40 Days for Life campaign since its inception 15 years ago and has been active in numerous other pro-life activities. The Haags have displayed billboards on their property with pro-life messages. Judy says there’s a group that travels to St. Paul the first Friday of each month during the legislative sessions to pray especially about pro-life issues.