22nd annual Pumpkinfest returns to Didier Farms in Lincolnshire

Cornstalks and pumpkins at the entrance of Pumpkinfest produced a warm welcome for families and excited schoolchildren who entered Didier Farms in Lincolnshire on Wednesday.

The 22nd annual festival runs through Oct. 31 with hay rides, a corn maze, petting zoo, carnival rides, and lots and lots of pumpkins at the 102-year-old family-owned farm.

"We want to try an educate and entertain people in the fall time. We have wholesome family things that we try to do with younger kids," owner John Didier said. "We have hundreds of pumpkins here all over the place with lots of family things to do all day long."

New this year is the Pumpkin Playground with a farm obstacle course that includes a kiddie straw maze, corn stalk tunnel and a straw bale mountain.

"I really enjoy being here. I came last year with my family and this year I'm a chaperon with Parkview Montessori. There are a lot of great activities for the kids," Meredith Herzog of Mount Prospect said as she watched her 3-year-old son, Hudson, play on a large batch of pumpkins.