Katie Samek-

The Gustavus Arboretum staff would like to formally invite the Gustavus community to the 13th Annual Arboretum Fall Festival. This event will be held on Saturday, Oct. 7 from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. in the Arboretum. This event is free and is open both to students as well as the general public. Attendees are free to come and leave whenever they like during the event’s duration.

There have been several events held at Fall Fest in the past, including but not limited to a petting zoo, student organization booths, a reptile table, apple picking, community vendors, and many others. This year, there will be yard games, free refreshments, live animals, various demonstrations for outdoor activities, crafts, a treasure hunt, and the ever-popular hayride. Self-guided tour brochures will also be available for those who wish to explore the Arb at their own pace.

“There is so much to do at Fall Fest, whether you are looking for things that are structured, or you want to just explore on your own,” Director of the Arboretum Scott Moeller said. “No matter your age or how long you stay, there are lots of things to do and enjoy at Fall Fest.”

Fall Fest is organized and hosted every year by the Arboretum staff, which is comprised of Moeller, Administrator and Program Specialist Samuel Mendoza ‘14, and a dedicated team of student workers. In addition to this team, various garden volunteers from the St. Peter community will also assist with the event, as well as a variety of student organizations on campus.

“Fall Fest is an annual event hosted in the Gustavus Arboretum, welcome to both students and the wider community of St. Peter,” Junior student volunteer Megan Lipke said. “It’s a great way to bring people outside and together to enjoy the Arboretum and fall colors.”

Fall Fest is a long-running event in Gustavus history, originating in 2010 and being held annually ever since. While the specific events of the event change from year to year based on attendee feedback, attendance is almost always high, ranging from a few hundred attendees to over a thousand depending on the weather of the day.

“One of the best things about Fall Fest is that it is a great ‘mixer’ of Gusties and the greater community,” Moeller said. “The Arboretum acts as a wonderful ‘front porch’ to the College, and a great point of interface between the campus and community. We have people of all ages come to Fall Fest to get closer to nature and to each other.”

While many Fall Fest events are popular with the students, the hayride stands out as an exceptionally popular and highly recommended event. The hayride’s route follows the longer walking trails in a circuit that goes all the way around the Arboretum, providing spectacular views of the fall foliage and the various native ecosystems and features that have been brought together in various parts of the Arb. This includes two types of forest, three types of prairie, four groves of native trees, the student tulip meadow, the wetland preserve, countless gardens, the Borgeson log cabin, Mor-Mor’s garden, and the Basset fruit orchard,

“I highly recommend the hayride,” said Lipke. “It takes you on a loop through the Arboretum so you can really get a sense of what the Arb has to offer.”

“Newbies to the Arboretum should definitely do the hayride to get a feel for all the different landscapes in the Arb,” Moeller said. “And for those interested, the Treasure Hunt is another great way to interact with the many diverse spaces of the Arb.”

At its heart, Fall Fest is an annual celebration of the outdoors and the beautiful fall landscapes of the Arboretum. Not only is it a chance for Gusties to interact with their families, their fellow Gusties, and members of the community, but a chance to experience the best the fall season has to offer. Open to the public and inclusive for all ages and interests, there truly is something for everybody at Fall Fest.

“We love to see people attend Fall Fest,” Moeller said, “because it is a great way to spend time outdoors with others and to enjoy the fall weather and the gorgeous Arboretum scenery.”