Traditional Temecula Pumpkin Festival Now Open

TEMECULA, CA - Beginning this weekend, huge pumpkins, pig races, a petting zoo and mini train rides will be available to enjoy at Temecula's Peltzer Farms, as the owners celebrate another Halloween season with their annual Pumpkin Festival.

The event got underway Sunday morning with the opening of the farm's pumpkin patch, while other family-oriented fare will follow next week.

The Peltzer family has been organizing the festivals since 2007.

Visitors can visit an open-air market and buy gourds as large as 100 pounds, according to organizers. Corn, squash and other veggies are also available to purchase or eat at the cafe.

There will be pony rides and short trips aboard a 12-passenger train daily, organizers said.

An acre-wide corn maze -- with stalks as high as 10 feet -- will be available for kids to play in, along with a giant mound of hay and a petting zoo filled with goats, sheep, ponies and other animals.

The farm's unique tractor collection will be on display, and the Peltzer Mining Co. will offer visitors a chance to pan for a variety of "unpolished gems" in a sluice box.

The festival will run through Oct. 31. Most exhibits are free, though visitors will be charged $2 to $5 for train and pony rides, petting zoo access and panning.

More information is available at http://peltzerfarms.com/ .

— By City News Service / Patch file photo by Renee Schiavone