Celebrate fall with an afternoon of family fun at Rock Springs Conservation Area! New this year, we are partnering with the United Way of Decatur & Mid-Illinois to bring the Food Truck Frenzy to Rock Springs. The Food Truck Frenzy begins at 12pm with the rest of the Fall Harvest Festival starting at 1pm.

After grabbing something good to eat, stay awhile and enjoy the festival! Activities you can expect to find include the following and may be subject to change.

3D Archery and Atlatl Throwing

Learn how to shoot a simple bow or throw an atlatl like early hunters would have done. All equipment provided. $3 per person.

Campfire & Marshmallows

Grab a toasting fork and roast a marshmallow over the campfire.

Canoeing

Spend some time on the water in one of our canoes. A naturalist will go over the basics and answer your questions before you launch your boat. Meet at the pond by the pavilions. All equipment is provided. $3 per person; at least one adult must be in each canoe.

Craft Station & Makerspace

Put your creative hat on to assemble some ready-to-go crafts, or use your imagination to create a unique piece of art from a variety of provided supplies.

Decatur Area Audubon Society

Meet representatives from Decatur Area Audubon Society to hear about the exciting things they’re working on, including the new “Bird City Illinois” designation they recently acquired for Decatur!

Tours of Homestead Prairie Farm

Learn what life was like in the 1860s by touring the historic farmhouse, heirloom garden, and woodshop, and playing with vintage toys and games. Volunteers in period clothing will be on hand to answer questions.

Lawn Games

Grab your friends and test your luck at Chomping for Apples, Sack Racing, and Corn Hole (Bags).

Pumpkin Painting

Play with paint and color to decorate a pumpkin you can take home. $5 per person.

Pumpkin Walk

Step right up for a fall-themed cakewalk! Pumpkin Walks will take place every fifteen minutes starting at 1:15pm, with prizes for the winners.

Quiet Room

Feeling overwhelmed by the hustle and bustle? Step into the Quiet Room to decompress before rejoining the fun.

Skeletons and Furs

Learn about some of Illinois’ native furbearers and meet our resident rabbit, Basil.

Wagon Rides, 1-3:30pm

Tour some of the highlights of Rock Springs Conservation Area on a tractor-pulled wagon ride. Wagon departs near the flag poles outside of Rock Springs Nature Center every 15-20 minutes, and rides are first-come, first-served.

Scouting America STEM Lab

Join a representative from our local Scouting council and explore all sorts of fun science tech in their mobile STEM Lab.

Participate in Butterfly Big Day

Butterfly Big Day is a global project with the goal of identifying as many species of butterflies as possible on September 12. Take photos of butterflies and upload them to iNaturalist.org or email them to ACallison@MaconCCD.org to participate. Submissions only count on September 12, so don’t forget to send them in! Learn more at www.urbanbutterflies.org/big-day

Jim Hollis Music

Enjoy live music on the patio with local musician Jim Hollis from 1-4pm.

Macon County Soil and Water Conservation District

Visit their Macon County SWCD at their table to learn more about what they do for our county.

Hand-Painted Tattoos

Birth to Five Illinois