Moore Family Farm in full autumn swing

What started as a fun experiment and a way to showcase a local holiday tradition for Lansing families is now a staple of the fall at Moore Family Farm.

For the last three years, the iconic Christmas tree farm has been hosting a yearly fall festival, bringing seasonal staples like a corn maze and a pumpkin patch. This year, Carrie Moore said, the festival is bigger than ever. A map of this year’s set of fall activities shows 53 attractions. Festivities will run through Oct. 29.

Here is a list of the new activities visitors can expect at the farm this year:

• Harvest barn and a new farm layout
• Moore Family Farm Radio: the farm’s very own radio station
• Adorable animals at the “Cluck Truck”
• A journey through the “Spookley the Square Pumpkin” story trail, which features an anti-bullying message
• New games such as the pumpkin shout-n-match and count your chickens
• New food offerings, including kettle corn and cider slushies

Moore, alongside her husband Jason, came up with the idea for a fall fest, citing a need to bring local families together in the spirit of the season at the farm. 

“We decided that we were going to expand the farm and our season,” Carrie said. “And instead of just being trees in November and December, we wanted to open basically a fall festival for September and October.”

Although there was consideration to start the festival right after the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020, Carrie said the family knew better.

“We knew that that was not a great idea, and we actually ordered some of the attractions that we have here, we ordered those to kind of test with our own kids. We were done with the pretty strict guidelines once we decided that we were going to be open.”

Being outdoors, Carrie said, is a key part of the festival’s identity.

“Wide open spaces and fresh air,” she said. “Our slogan is ‘This is where fun grows.’ It really is the truth. We’re spread out over many acres here so that there could be a couple hundred people on site.”

Outside of the new additions, the farm’s fall festivities include classic seasonal staples like a corn maze and a pumpkin patch.

“This last year, we built a barn and we have expanded and kind of rearranged the flow for a better guest experience so that everybody sees everything kind of in the same order,” Carrie said. “Whereas before you could come in and basically go wherever you wanted, this year it is much more of a guided tour of the farm.”

Along the way, Carrie said that the family has learned what makes the experience best for customers.

“As an organizer, expect the unexpected. When you think something is done, it probably isn’t,” she said. “You are always going to need more signs than what you think. Directing, helping people navigate through the farm is just one of the biggest lessons we have taken.”

There is also a rotation of food trucks coming in throughout the season. Some of the vendors, Carrie said, will feature fresh apple cider donuts.

“Moore Family Farm celebrates the spirit of giving back by offering special weekends to honor

our community,” she said. “Look for grandparents weekend, and teacher and first responders appreciation weekends, where we offer discounted or free admission to individuals who do so much for us.”

The farm will also host a trick-or-treating event before Halloween on the weekend of Oct. 28. 

Moore Family Farm opens its gates from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Treleaven Winery will be

On site daily from 11 a.m., serving their finest wines and beer.

Lansing at Large appears every week in Tompkins Weekly. Send story ideas to editorial@vizellamedia.com. Contact Eddie Velazquez at edvel37@gmail.com or on X (formerly Twitter) @ezvelazquez.

In brief:

The town of Lansing will host its seventh annual Community Trunk or Treat event on Halloween night.

Neighbors can come together from 6 to 8 p.m., strolling through the trunk alley to gather treats and goodies from local businesses. The town’s website promises refreshments and a contest where residents can vote for their favorite trunks and pumpkins from the pumpkin carving contest.

For those participating in the pumpkin carving contest, their creations can be dropped off at the Lansing Community Library on Oct. 30 or 31 during normal business hours. The library encourages interested parties to drop off pumpkins no later than noon on Oct. 31.

Free registration is required prior to attendance on Halloween night. Attendees can register at https://lansingrec.recdesk.com/Community/Home.

Folks interested in donating candy can drop off donations at the Lansing Community Library or at Asbury Church during regular business hours.

If you are interested in decorating a trunk, email lovetageesey@gmail.com.