Spooky Season Takes Root in the Wissahickon
We’ll make this introduction brief because we’re already a week and a half into October and there’s so much seasonal fun left to be had. Join Friends of the Wissahickon and partners in a variety of events in and around the park this October, from spooky to festive, and always fun for the whole family!
Watch Timothy Grieve-Carlson’s Valley Talk: The Wizard of the Wissahickon–the Life and Legacy of Johannes Kelpius—Check it out.
Start the month on a spooky note with our most recent Valley Talk on our YouTube channel! You might think you know the story of Johannes Kelpius and the mysterious Kelpius Cave, but you might find there’s more to the story.
Friday, October 10-Monday, October 13: Academy of Natural Science’s Fall Nature Challenge—More information here.
Get out your iNaturalist app—we’re going and documenting the wealth of biodiversity all around us, from foxes to fungi! Be a citizen scientist for a weekend and help us better understand the world around us with this important data collection. Join us this Saturday, October 11 and take the Challenge with us at our native planting!
Sunday, October 12: Chestnut Hill Fall for the Arts at Germantown Avenue (between 8000 and 8600 blocks) ⌛11 AM-5 PM—More information here.
Stop by and say, “hi” to FOW and more than 300 artists and vendors at this exciting street fair. Live art demonstrations, children’s activities, live music, delicious food and drink, boutique shopping from local businesses, and more!
Saturday, October 18: Manayunk Fall Fest at Main Street, Manayunk ⌛ 11 AM-4 PM—More information here.
Get it while it’s hot! It’s the first annual Manayunk Fall Fest and it’s sure to be sweeter than an apple cider donut: local vendors and artisans, tasty treats and food trucks, family-friendly fun and games, live music, and a mac n’ cheese crawl. (purchase tickets here)
Saturday, October 18: Native Planting Volunteer Service at Houston Playground ⌛ 9 AM-12 PM—Register here.
Join us for a morning of planting native trees and shrubs that’ll haunt the park (in a good way) for generations to come.
Thursday, October 23: Go Mt. Airy’s Autumn on the Avenue at Germantown Avenue (between 6600 and 6900 blocks) ⌛ 3:30-6 PM—More information here.
Get excited for Halloween with a little preemptive trick-or-treating and family-friendly activities in Mt. Airy!
Friday, October 24: The Wissahickon in October at Blue Bell Field Parking Lot⌛9 AM-12 PM—Register here.
The Wissahickon is amidst one of its most beautiful metamorphoses. See some of these sites in their full autumn bloom, it won’t last forever: Historic RittenhouseTown, Saylor Grove, and McKinney Quarry.
Friday, October 24 & Saturday, October 25: Schuylkill Center’s Halloween Hikes and Hayrides at Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education ⌛ 5:30-8:30 PM—Buy your tickets here.
Roasting s’mores by the fire, taking in the autumn colors on a forest hayride, and Halloween classics on the big screen with our mystical woodland friends—what more could a halloweenie ask for?
Saturday, October 25: Halloween Planting at the Hermitage Mansion with Andrew the Arborist at Hermitage Mansion ⌛9 AM-12 PM—Register here.
Need an excuse to get dressed up? We’ve got one. The theme for this year’s Halloween planting is Wissahickon Flora. Pick some petals that speak to you, plant a tree, and meet Andrew Conboy (@andrew_the_arborist).
Sunday, October 26: Bird Walks Along the Wissahickon with Troy Bynum, Part 5 at Upper Andorra Parking Lot ⌛9 AM-12 PM—Register here.
It’s le finale to our friend (and renowned birder) Troy’s Bird Walks Along the Wissahickon in the gorgeous Andorra Meadow. Don’t miss out on this event or the mallards, red-bellied woodpeckers, or northern flickers!
Sunday, October 26: Halloween Hike to the Lost Cave of the Wissahickon at Hermitage Mansion ⌛ 5:30-7:30 PM—Register here.
As Halloween approaches, the veil thins as spirits cross over to roam abroad in the land. Walk the site of Kelpius and his contemporaries on this twilight adventure to the Hermit’s Cave.
Thursday, October 30: Bat Night at Upper Roxborough Reservoir ⌛ 5:30-7:30 PM—Register here.
Freakin’ bats, I love Halloween! Just in time for National Bat Week, take a hike around Upper Roxborough Reservoir Preserve, learn how to support their habitat, and how they support us!
Friday, October 31: ATC Hike 13: Spooky Wissahickon at Historic RittenhouseTown ⌛ 1-3:30 PM—Register here.
Phew! Get those steps in before you sit and give out candy on Halloween Night. We’ll check out Historic RittenhouseTown, Bluestone Bridge, Lover’s Leap, and the Henry Avenue Bridge.