The bright orange and red leaves flutter to the ground. The sun rises later in the morning and sets earlier at night. Some mornings, a white snowy frost covers the ground. 

People bundle up in a light coat and gloves for the chilly weather outside. Most days, grey and white clouds make the sky appear gloomy. It is finally fall in Huntley.

A well-known family business, Tom’s Farm Market, is one of the places with fall festivals people attend in Huntley. It offers a variety of fall-themed activities to create an inviting, family-friendly space for people to enjoy during the fall season. At the farmer’s market, people can climb the spider web, navigate through a 6-acre corn maze, visit the petting zoo, ride pedal tractors, or pick a pumpkin in the field. 

Following CDC guidelines, Tom’s Farm Market has made revisions to the way they do their fall fest every Oct. People must purchase tickets online for a specific time slot so the fest is not crowded and people are able to social distance.

People must also wear a mask outside when they come close to other parties. Hand sanitizing stations are provided and it is required that customers follow the social distancing circles on the ground.

This year, Tom’s Farm Market does not have any wagon rides, the corn crib box, inflatables, or the jumping pillow. They also have many different places for eating and ordering food to make it safer.

“We’ve added a snack shack in the very back…and in the yard, there is an area called ‘Drinks and Donuts’; it helps to not crowd up our store,” Jerry Sheppard, an employee at Tom’s Farm Market, said.

Earlier this year, the farmer’s market was declared an essential business so they were able to stay open. They ended up selling apple cider donuts and selling out of flowers very quickly, early in the spring.

“In the beginning, we did all online orders; we would have runners that would run out to the cars,” Sheppard said. “They would park in the spot, call us, and tell us their number located on a bag.”

In addition, the sales of flowers went up drastically because more people were able to do gardening this year, which was a great success for the business. 

The “Fall on the Farm” Festival is open from Oct. 1 to Oct. 31. Tickets are on sale for $7 on weekdays and $10 on weekends during the designated time slots. Tickets are available for purchase by going to ‘tomsfarmmarket.ticketspice.com/fall-fun-on-the-farm’.

Tom’s Farm Market employees have been working together effectively to get things done as safely as possible for the customers. If people can not make it to the fall fest this year, they can look forward to going to Tom’s Farm Market throughout the winter season for holiday shopping!