Fall Fest a family tradition in South Barrington

With Happy Jack smiling high on the silo, excited children and their families made their way into Fall Festival at Goebbert's Farm and Garden Center in South Barrington on Sunday.

The festival, which has been running annually since 1972, features a pumpkin-eating dinosaur, corn stalk maze, pumpkin tunnel, weekend magic shows, camel rides, petting zoo, a duck derby, and more in Animal Land.

"It's a family tradition," said Holly Danielson, market manager at Goebbert's. "You see parents who came and brought their kids and now their kids are bringing their kids. So it's just a nice tradition for everybody."

Happy children ran over and around the thousands of pumpkins scattered around the grounds.

"It's a fun activity for the kids, They love it," Jose Maldonado of Round Lake Park said after taking a picture with his family in front of a cutout of Scooby-Do and his van.

The landmark Happy Jack is a fiberglass pumpkin that was placed on the silo in 1979 by owner Jim Goebbert. It's 18 feet wide and 15 feet tall.

Fall Festival is open daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. until October 30 and from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Halloween.