By Stephanie Yost
President of Idyllwild Community Center

As we welcome fall, it’s time to welcome back two traditional mountain community events that have been put on by the Idyllwild Community Center (ICC) for the past several years.

The first is Idyllwild’s annual Great Pumpkin Carnival. With no sidewalks, few streetlights, and many second homes, door-to-door trick-or-treating isn’t done much on the Hill. Instead, for many decades community volunteers have put on a carnival for local and visiting ghouls and goblins.

The Great Pumpkin Carnival Parade, which will be held on Thursday, October 31^(st), begins at 4:00 pm at Fern Valley Corners (located at the top of North Circle Drive). Costumed kids of all ages parade down North Circle into the center of town to the happy cheers (and candy hand-outs) of family, friends, residents, and visitors.

Immediately thereafter is the Great Pumpkin Carnival at Idy Park. Park Lane and a short section of Village Center Drive in the center of town surrounding Idy Park will be closed to traffic, as the area will be filled with trick-or-treaters collecting candy from local businesses and enjoying the special food offerings and festive atmosphere.

A $7 fee allows carnival goers to participate in Halloween-themed carnival games and activities for prizes. There will also be a face painter, spin art activity, bouncy-house slide, and costume contests with prizes courtesy of the Rustic Theater and Idyllwild Brewpub in seven categories broken down by age group.

The Great Pumpkin Carnival lasts until about 7:00 pm. Community organizations hosting carnival booths this year include Rotary, Soroptimists, CERT/Mountain Disaster Preparedness, the Idyllwild Association of Realtors, the Art Alliance of Idyllwild, Friends of the Nature Center, Idyllwild Bible Church, Riverside Mountain Rescue Unit, Idyllwild Fire Protection District, the Idyllwild Brewpub, and, of course, ICC.

Traffic support will be provided by the Mountain Community Patrol, and Mayor Max and his sister Vice Mayor Meadow will be there, too.

The second major fall event on the Hill presented by ICC is the annual Tree Lighting Festival, which will take place in Idy Park on Saturday, November 30^(th) (the Saturday of Thanksgiving weekend), starting at 2:00 pm with food and booths hosted by local non-profits, with entertainment starting at 4:00. This will be the sixth year that all eight trees in Idy Park will be lit courtesy of sponsorships by various local businesses, including Idyllwild Realty, Tahquitz Pines, Idyllwild Inn, Strawberry Creek Inn, Idyllwild Brewpub, FERRO Restaurant, the Idyllwild Association of Realtors, Village Market, and Idyllwild Heating & Cooling.

Keep an eye on The Town Crier for more information on this amazing and much-loved holiday event!