In October comes one of the year's most fun holidays, Halloween! All kids look forward to dressing up, running around the neighborhood, eating tons of candy, and of course, going to the pumpkin patch! What better place to go to spend the day hunting for the perfect pumpkin than Santa Clarita's own Lombardi Ranch. A real family-owned and operated working farm, Lombardi Ranch dedicates the whole month of October to celebrating autumn.

I absolutely love going to Lombardi's pumpkin patch. They literally have over a thousand pumpkins to choose from of all different shapes, sizes, shades and textures. Even after choosing your perfect pumpkins, there are still so many things to do! On weekends, family-oriented activities are set up for the visitors such as wagon rides, a petting zoo and Scarecrow Alley, just to name a few.

If you are creative and have some spare time, you can make a scarecrow to be judged and placed in Scarecrow Alley. You could even win cash prizes for your masterpiece. Just read and fill out a registration form at www.lombardiranch.com. You can work on your own or in a group and enter it in one of the three categories (based on your age or that of the oldest person in your group). Even if you do not make your own scarecrow, you can still enjoy all the other wonderful entries in Scarecrow Alley.

This year, Lombardi Ranch is celebrating their 40th anniversary. Opening day for Lombardi Ranch's 17th annual October Festival is on Sunday, October 1. All day you can enjoy free train rides, music and cake. A pumpkin-carving contest will also be held in honor of the farm's anniversary. That day, Scarecrow Alley will open at 1 p.m. after they announce this year's contest winners.

If you are not able to make it on October 1, you can still visit Lombardi Ranch anytime during the month of October. Scarecrow Alley is open daily and parking and admission to Lombardi Ranch are free. Keep in mind, the weekends are an especially great time to bring your family because there are wagon rides, a petting zoo, face painting, pony rides and train rides, live music as well as live scarecrows handing out free candy, balloons and stickers. There is a bake sale and caramel apples for sale every weekend so you can also support local schools and charities while enjoying yummy treats and even a fun craft fair on October 8. You will not want to miss the celebration so come join in the autumn festivities at Lombardi Ranch! For more information, call the Ranch at 296-8697.


This October, Jolie will be searching for the perfect pumpkin at Lombardi Ranch.