The organizers of the Turning Leaf Fall Festival heaved a collective sigh of relief as brilliant sunlight broke over the horizon and filtered between the trees in the Boyertown Community Park setting the stage for what was to be an extraordinary day.

On Saturday, Oct. 13, truck loads of equipment and the volunteers to set it all up began arriving at 7:30 a.m., one hour later—the smell of coffee and the music from the Rotary’s 5K check-in station filled the park.

Sound checks were all positive and the live music started as servings of food made their way into the hands of attendees.

From french fries and funnel cake to hot dogs and halushki—it was all there. The only drawback to waiting line for service was that one could smell all the foods that were in the works, making it nearly impossible to decide what to sample first.

Food vendors didn’t have the monopoly on lines, though, as kids of all ages lined up to paint a pumpkin or build a scarecrow.

The pony rides were a big draw for community members, those waiting in line were treated to the sounds coming from the bandshell while those waiting for a hay wagon ride were within earshot of the acoustic Walnut Stage.

Butter-making with the Girl Scouts was another big hit this year. It is yet to be determined exactly how many tubs of butter got churned, but we do know that the cows got tired of making cream.

On the way from the moon bounce, the colorful the eye catching Ukelele’s from Funky Frets were a favorite of not only the kids, but of many of the musicians who were wandering around taking in the sights.

Hats are off to the Boy Scouts who built a bridge (yes, it was a rope bridge), and had people crossing it in less than an hour. Maybe we should get them to help out Penn DOT with some of the bridges around here?

Rising temperatures in the afternoon encouraged more folks to check out the park’s new walking trail that meandered throughout the festival’s many attractions.

During all of this, the Reading Roller Derby Girls were also checking out the new track wishing they had brought their outdoor skates to put on an exhibition and really, where did those pirates come from?

As the last chords echoed from guitar strings and the last stragglers wandered from the trails, organizers quietly congratulated each other with hand shakes, hugs and smiles. Smiles apparently were the order of the day and everyone seemed to have gotten the memo.