This year’s Heritage Harvest Festival is bringing the season into full focus, with a wide variety of activities throughout Friday and Saturday’s schedule to keep visitors busy.  This year, the festival is being held on two consecutive weekends, with Friday and Saturday of this week still remaining for those who missed the first weekend of the event.  Admission is $6 at the gate, with a family discount for groups.  Children 3 and under are free.  Some events have additional costs.

The Heritage Square and Crazy Cow complex has been divided up into several main areas: Farmegeddon, Tortuga, Salem, and Sleepy Hollow, each with a set of events and theme.

Tortuga is located on the western side of the square, and features all things piratical.  The host of Tortuga is the Shanty Man Archer Flynn, who has a range of entertainment skills from singing and playing music to storytelling to knot tying and more!  A haunted cabin, storytelling pavilion, pirate grotto, and performance stage are in the area.  Costumed volunteers and visitors help bring the feeling of the seven seas to Samaria.  

Sleepy Hollow features “Ichabod’s Schoolhouse” as its hub.  The southern end of the square is set aside for activities such as rope tying, crafts, trivia, and most important of all, storytelling.  Both Archer Flynn and the Library’s Jeni Sperry will be on hand throughout the weekend with tall tales and stories.  Fitting in with the schoolhouse theme, a number of informative histories of such things as the origins of Friday the 13th, the Salem witch trials, and missionaries will be presented.  Trivia and craft events also provide activities to keep kids busy learning and having a great time.

Farmageddon describes the west side of the square, back to the Crazy Cow Adventures section of Heritage Square.  The area includes a Zombie Lazer Tag course, pedal car track, a straw maze, and a new escape room themed around the Iron Door.

The main stage and event area are located in Salem Square, next to the playground in the park.  Over the first weekend, live music and the Stasia Acrobats from Idaho Falls entertained crowds.  The second weekend will also feature live music and dancing, as well as the Talent Show.  Pie eating contests, apple bobbing, cackling contests and more will also be featured during the day at the location.

Around the square are many other sights to see and activities.  Midway games line the southern end of the square.  The pumpkin walk can also be found at the eastern edge of the square, at the entrance to Tortuga.  Humorous displays show off dark senses of humor—the display from Oneida Family Dental, for instance, is an offbeat take on the field of dentistry.

A cider press gives visitors the opportunity to press their own cider, fresh from the harvest.  Food can also be found at the Hungry Heifer, as well as in Farmeggedon at the Welsh kitchen.  Clothing, art pieces, jewelry, candy, freeze-dried treats, and a host of other items can be purchased from booths located throughout the Salem area of the festival.

Building on last year’s success with the Heritage Harvest Festival, this year’s event has added a number of new attractions and increased its scope.

One of the new experiences to be found inside the square is a newly constructed escape room, which takes guests into a locked mine with only their wits and a series of clues to help them escape within twenty minutes.  During the initial trial runs results were mixed, with most of those who attempted the escape coming in at a little over twenty minutes.  Shayna Waldron conceived of and designed the escape room, which engages visitors with a series of puzzles revolving around one of the area’s most enduring legends.  Maybe you can solve the mystery of the Iron Door and escape before you become trapped forever in the Samaria hills!  

The first weekend also featured the acrobatics of Stasia Acrobats, visiting from Idaho Falls.  Stasia was founded by veteran Aric Nelson, who has had an impressive career in the field, including as a performer in Las Vegas.  After serving in the military in the 90s and 2000s, Nelson was approached by a former trainer about working with the acrobats.  Under his coaching, co-captains Jayah Clyde and Katie Nichols have performed all over southeast Idaho and Utah.  The performance routines involve highly skillful balancing and concentration, and include full handstands on top of carefully poised chairs, among other impressive feats of skill and strength.  “We have acrobats from eight to twenty-seven who come in and work with us, and it’s great,” Nelson said.  “They really want to be there and learn this stuff.  They work hard in school and everything they’re doing.”  

Nelson explained that he had brought his captain Jayah and co-captain Katie with him because they were the most ready.  “In our world, it’s merit-based.  You’ve got to earn your spot.  Because it’s too dangerous otherwise.  What she’s doing,” he said, pointing to Clyde, “makes it look easy, but it’s not.  It’s hard.  There’s no trick to it.  There are no magnets, pegs—it’s all in core, balancing, and skill.  I will never apologize for not putting someone on when they aren’t ready, but these two are definitely ready.”

The name Stasia comes from an experience Nelson had while serving.  “We were in Bosnia and it was a terrible thing.  But in the midst of it, we encountered a girl named Anastasia and her sisters who gave us all a lot of hope in that situation.  In the middle of that situation, just seeing them be able to smile and laugh and appreciate the little things was an amazing thing.  And that’s what I named the troupe for, that hope.”

As the evening wore on, the shadows lengthened and the light took on a spookier cast as visitors prepared for an evening murder mystery dinner.  This weekend, the event will end under the lights with dancing and celebration.

Prelims for the talent show in all categories will be on Friday October 20 from 4:30-5:30.  The finalists will be asked to return on Saturday October 21st at the same time.  There is a small entry fee to the talent show of $10 but all talent show contestants will receive a free entrance into the festival.  The final two kids and final two adults/teens will win a cash prize.

The Sweet Rolls contest will be on Saturday the 20th with $100 and $50 prizes.  The best Scarecrow will win a $25 prize. These competitions are open to entries from the community.

The Festival organizers want to thank their sponsors, a big thank you to the Heritage Square Platinum VIP Sponsors,  Nell J Redfied Memorial Hospital, ATC, Dr Thorpe and Robbins, Thomas Market, Hess Lumber, Hess Nampa Auto, Oxford Peak Arts Council, Northwestern Mutual and Oneida Family Dental.

While the first week is done, a schedule of events for this coming weekend is printed at the top of this page.

A big thank you to the  Heritage Square Plati-  num VIP Sponsors, Nell  J Redfied Memorial  Hospital, ATC, Dr Thor-  pe and Robbins, Thomas  Market, Hess Lumber,  Hess Nampa Auto, Ox-  ford Peak Arts Council,  Northwestern Mutual  and Oneida Family Den-  tal. Make sure to make some time this weekend to visit one of the most exciting and entertaining events of the season!  This weekend should be warm and dry on both Friday and Saturday, with temperatures in the 70s.