GATHERING: Autumn Festival!
Oct. 17th, 2026 02:31 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
afeastofthirst posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
thecityneversleepsThere are two weeks left until Halloween, and festivities in Darrow are in full swing. The festival out in the countryside has been advertised all over town with brightly colored flyers and Suddengram ads, appealing to autumn enthusiasts of all ages. The pumpkin patch is ripe and ready, with classes throughout the day for those who'd like a bit of assistance preparing their jack o'lanterns, as well as a petting zoo for those interested in sheep and goats.
Veering off to the other side of the country road is a small fair. Hayrides run regularly, and the air is crisp and sweet with the scent of pumpkin pie, apple cider, fresh roasted pumpkin seeds and chestnuts, kettle corn and various other treats. There's the annual corn maze, with a prize offered for the fastest time of the day, and two rows of carnival games with plush prizes dangling overhead, including little stuffed animal Ghoulman Cats from the Shriek series. The Ferris wheel provides a good vantage point for the maze, for anyone wishing to scope out their route ahead of time, although it does occasionally get stuck — not a good option for the claustrophobic, perhaps. That isn't an issue with the carousel and its skeletal horses, at least. Vendors offer their seasonal takes on their usual wares. The smart ones keep bowls of candy on offer for the little ones, many of whom turn up in costume.
As day gives way to night and most of the younger children are shepherded home, the haunted houses open, hysterical laughter and sudden shrieks spilling out of them. A wider variety of alcoholic drinks are available at a concession stand which stood closed through the afternoon, and a masked DJ plays a medley of Halloween classics (and whatever the hell else he wants) punctuated by overly heavy bass.
Some of those shrieks may be a little more sincere than others, and word has it that venturing too far past the edge of the corn maze might provide danger that's a touch too real. Maybe word has spread of the event even as far as Silent Darrow; a few errant creatures have started to drift this way, a reminder for the unlucky few that the rifts still remain. But surely no one would wander off into the dark, wooded areas surrounding the festival, right? Stay by the food trucks, and the worst danger you'll have to face will be gastrointestinal.
[ Have a gathering! Come in costume or don't, come early or stay late or both. Encounter various Silent Darrow creatures beyond the edges if you want a little action or stick to corn dogs and pumpkin spice lattes and carnival games. Have fun! Tag in and tag around! Open as long as you like! ]
Veering off to the other side of the country road is a small fair. Hayrides run regularly, and the air is crisp and sweet with the scent of pumpkin pie, apple cider, fresh roasted pumpkin seeds and chestnuts, kettle corn and various other treats. There's the annual corn maze, with a prize offered for the fastest time of the day, and two rows of carnival games with plush prizes dangling overhead, including little stuffed animal Ghoulman Cats from the Shriek series. The Ferris wheel provides a good vantage point for the maze, for anyone wishing to scope out their route ahead of time, although it does occasionally get stuck — not a good option for the claustrophobic, perhaps. That isn't an issue with the carousel and its skeletal horses, at least. Vendors offer their seasonal takes on their usual wares. The smart ones keep bowls of candy on offer for the little ones, many of whom turn up in costume.
As day gives way to night and most of the younger children are shepherded home, the haunted houses open, hysterical laughter and sudden shrieks spilling out of them. A wider variety of alcoholic drinks are available at a concession stand which stood closed through the afternoon, and a masked DJ plays a medley of Halloween classics (and whatever the hell else he wants) punctuated by overly heavy bass.
Some of those shrieks may be a little more sincere than others, and word has it that venturing too far past the edge of the corn maze might provide danger that's a touch too real. Maybe word has spread of the event even as far as Silent Darrow; a few errant creatures have started to drift this way, a reminder for the unlucky few that the rifts still remain. But surely no one would wander off into the dark, wooded areas surrounding the festival, right? Stay by the food trucks, and the worst danger you'll have to face will be gastrointestinal.
[ Have a gathering! Come in costume or don't, come early or stay late or both. Encounter various Silent Darrow creatures beyond the edges if you want a little action or stick to corn dogs and pumpkin spice lattes and carnival games. Have fun! Tag in and tag around! Open as long as you like! ]
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