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Hundreds of acres of trees showing off their fall colors is only part of the pageantry on tap this fall at Lisle's Morton Arboretum.

The outdoor museum will usher in autumn with special events, art exhibits and children's activities.

The Fall Color Festival begins Saturday and continues through Oct. 28 at 4100 Route 53.

"It's grown and grown over the past several years," said Marilyn Baysek, arboretum special events manager. "It's a glorious time."

Naturalists and arboretum docents will lead guided walks several times each day Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays during the festival.

Those who pad around the visitor center and nearby Meadow Lake will see an unusual assortment of 45 scarecrows fashioned by local Scout groups.

"It's not just your run-of-the-mill scarecrow," Baysek said. "We have very stringent guidelines. It has to be a nature-based theme."

Past years' Scarecrow Trails featured straw men with monikers such as "Hedge Bob Square Plants," she said.

Weekend and Wednesday visitors will find a selection of plants, bulbs, planters and garden ornaments available for purchase at the Garden Marketplace.

The fourth annual Fall Color 5K Run and Walk is scheduled to step off Sunday.

Chip-timing was added this year to improve accuracy of the results, said race director Erin Cave-Rutili.

The 5K race begins at 8 a.m., with a Kids Dash starting at 9:30 a.m. Meanwhile, a fitness fair will be going on from 7:30 to 11 a.m. Cave-Rutili said more than 1,000 runners have signed up.

Race-day registration will be permitted provided the maximum 2,000 participants haven't already claimed spots at the starting line.

The cost is $25 for nonmembers and $23 for members; all proceeds go toward arboretum education programs.

Pre-race entertainment will include a visit from a select group of dancers from the Radio City Rockettes.

Cave-Rutili said local runners like this race because, unlike most, the course isn't flat.

"It's a winding, hilly course," she said. "It's such a unique terrain."

Baysek said art and nature combine for a display titled "Gourd Works," on exhibit Oct. 6-8 and Oct. 27 and 28.

A fine art show and sale titled "Portfolia" features nature-inspired art and will be on display Oct. 13 and 14.

The Fox Valley African Violet Society Show and Sale will be Oct. 20 and 21.

And a Theatre-Hikes version of the C.S. Lewis story "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" will be presented at 1 p.m. weekends and Columbus Day.

A full fall food menu will feature hand-dipped taffy apples, gourmet popcorn, hamburgers, bratwurst and hot dogs, along with beer and wine tasting every Saturday and Sunday, Baysek said. Wine tastings will begin this weekend with a special "green tour" featuring organic wine from Bonterra and Fetzer vineyards.

Giant jack-o'-lanterns will be under construction from 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday and Oct. 8, 14, 21 and 28.

"We have a pumpkin-carving professional coming in," Baysek said. "They grow pumpkins that are 300 to 500 pounds."

And there is the spectacle of nature making the transition from summer to fall.

"The big show, of course, is the color of the trees," Baysek said.

Visitors can tour the arboretum's 1,700 acres by car via nine miles of paved roads, or they can hike more than 30 wood-chipped trails.

The arboretum recently lifted its restrictions on bicycle riding. Cycling is allowed on paved surfaces provided riders follow speed limits and watch out for vehicles and pedestrians, Baysek said.

If you go

What: Fall Color Festival

Where: Morton Arboretum, 4100 Route 53, Lisle

When: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday to Oct. 28

Cost: $9 adults, $8 seniors, $6 ages 3 to 17, free for members and ages 3 and younger

Info: (630) 968-0074 or mortonarb.org

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