Our Spicy Chili Chow Down at Mike's Maze

Gorgeous harvest of spicy peppers

by Deb Wojcicki / New England Fall Events

On a warm September afternoon, New England Fall Events had the pleasure of stopping in at Chilifest! at Mike's Maze in Sunderland, Massachusetts.

Mike's Maze's Chilifest this year will be held on Saturday and Sunday, September 16th & 17th, 2016. Click for event details.

Presented by The Kitchen Garden "The Valley's Hottest Vegetable Farm" and Mike's Maze at Warner Farm, this two-day festival is a tribute to the mighty capsicum in all of its fiery glory and a celebration of fall in Western Massachusetts. This family-friendly festival is rife with live music, cooking demonstrations, food, games and a corn maze!

Beautiful giant vat of chili for tasting

We happened to be there on Chili Cookoff Saturday and started our quest at the tasting tent (of course). Eight mighty competitors served up some of their finest home-brewed concoctions, including Chillimatic, Hope & Olive, Mama's Best Vegan Chili, Dylan's Dynamite Chili, Ghost Dad, Magpie Chili, Heru & Eden's Rockin Chili and Chili 2.

Hungry festival goers indulged in a blind taste test and were encouraged to vote for their favorite medley via toothpick ballot. Seeing how we are, we tried each of the impressive offerings which ranged from beef to turkey to veggie and enjoyed them all.  The winner received a cast iron chili pot filled with The Kitchen Garden's home grown Sriracha sauce. Sunday was the Hot Sauce Competition, which we are certain was equally titillating. Competition is open to the public - will you take home the prize in 2016?

Next up was a cooking demonstration by Dan Whalen, author of Stuffed, The Ultimate Comfort Food Cookbook. In the shade of the spacious chili-tasting tent, Dan regaled us with amusing anecdotes and created something that heretofore had not occurred to us - grilled jalapenos stuffed with hot dogs and cheese. Brilliant! 

Samples of chili for tasting and judging

Afterwards, we wandered the festival and tried Chocolate Sriracha Swirl ice cream at Bart's Homemade, which was a surprisingly tasty combination. There were also chili peppers, local beer and spicy foods to enjoy. That said, if you're not into the whole "when in Rome" thing, there were tamer, but no less delicious, food choices available as well.

And in the unlikely event that we weren't inspired by any of the dishes served at the festival, The Kitchen Garden set up a gorgeous farm stand loaded with colorful peppers (hot and sweet), tomatillos, garlic, onions, tomatoes and their own Sriracha sauce. They'd even fire-roast your peppers for you.

Rocketing potatoes is great fall fun!

For the little ones, Chilifest weekend was full of fun, with an oversized chess board, hula hoops, a mini-maze (made out of hay bales - too cute), Dave's Derby - a pedal-powered speedway, a giant sand box with tractor tires to climb through, chili & veggie tattoos and even decorate-your-own Chilifest tee-shirts. For older kids, and for those of us who refuse to grow up, there was also a potato cannon. Yes, because there's nothing that says fun like projectile tubers. We may have loitered at the cannon a bit longer than we originally intended, but no one seemed to mind.

The piece-de-resistance, the jewel in the crown, the masterpiece of the season is of course Mike's Maze. This eight-acre corn maze is legendary in the Pioneer Valley and rightfully so. This year the maze is open weekends and holidays September 12th through November 8th, 2015. 

Alice in Sunderland is the maze theme

The 2015 design was called "Alice in Sunderland," a whimsical maze shaped like a keyhole that depicts Alice, Cheshire Cat, White Rabbit and other characters from the Lewis Carroll adventure story. Team trivia and little surprises await those who are curious enough to take on the maze. You can also visit the maze at night, where you have nothing but a flashlight to guide you. Past maze designs include Mona Lisa, King Tut and Satchmo! Louis Armstrong, among others.  As Halloween is fast approaching, they also have Haunted Maze events and Zombie Night Patrol - a little something for everyone.

Next year, be sure to get your own spice on at Chilifest! 2016. In the meantime, check out Mike's Maze at Warner Farm - you still have a few weekends left to enjoy the fun!

Tips for Your Visit to Chilifest at Mike's Maze

Ample free parking is in a field right next to the festival so expect no more than a leisurely one- to two-minute walk; no shuttles no worries. 

Tickets are available in advance or at the door. Advance tickets are sold at a discount and can be bought online. The ticket line at the door was pretty long when we got to the festival, but it moved quickly.

Wear comfortable shoes - you will be parking in a mowed field and the festival is set up in an adjacent field. The ground is relatively level, but it's still a field.

Comfort stations are provided in the form of porta-potties which were located peripherally to the festival. We didn't see any lines, so there appear to have an adequate number of them.

Cover is provided under the large food tent where the demonstrations and chili tasting are held. There are lots of chairs so you can sit and enjoy your chili and listen to the chefs. There are also picnic tables at the Warner Farm snack shed next to the maze.

Cranberry Fest, Pumpkin Boat Races, Apple Days, Foliage Fun, Cheese Festival, and more: New England Fall Events Top Picks for Oct 7-13

When New England Fall Events takes a peek at the events calendar and we see all the delicious, quirky, memorable, and traditional events and festivals lined up, we know all this local outdoor goodness is just what our site was truly made for!

Like you, we're fans of the season too and we never want to pass up a single moment to celebrate our beautiful region, this special season, and the people, communities, artists, and farms who bring us so many ways to appreciate the slow life and savor autumn's bounty.

Peak PYO Apple Season is Upon Us--Get Picking!!!

Smolak Farms' Antique Apple Orchard

It's all apples all the time these days! Apple Festivals, Apple Days, apple pies, applesauce, and apple picking!
Look for McIntosh, Cortland, Macoun and Liberty apples are still hanging around in southern New England while Northern Spy, Golden Delicious, Gala, Pink Beauties, Creston, early-Fuji, Empire, Jonamacs, and Primas are the show-offs right now.

If you're curious about "antique" apples you might check out Smolak Farms' antique apple orchard or pop by Old Sturbridge Village this weekend for their Apple Days Festival which offers heirloom apple tastings and you can try your hand apple picking in their orchard with a long "fruit picker" for fun!

As always, New England Fall Events has your complete guides, features, maps, and contact details for your local or destination-area New England PYO apple orchards. Here are your quick links to our apple picking guides: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont.

Pumpkins are Everywhere - Find a Local Pumpkin Patch!

Fun in the Pumpkin Patch

Nothing makes us happier than seeing MORE orange everywhere! No matter where you turn you will see piles of gorgeous pumpkins of every size, shape, and personality.

Your local pumpkin patch is likely to be in full swing too! Support your local small farms and pop by their pumpkin patch to load up on pumpkins for your home, pumpkins for your front steps, pumpkins for your centerpiece, pumpkins for your flower vase, pumpkins for your pie, pumpkins for carving, pumpkins for toasting seeds---shall we go on?

Here are  New England Fall Events' Pumpkin Patch Guides for CT, ME, MA, NH, RI, and VT.

Corn Mazes are Wonderful Outdoor Fun for Families

Wojcik Farm Corn Maze

If you haven't treated yourself to a corn maze yet this fall we ask, what are you waiting for?

We're always surprised by how many New Englanders have never enjoyed a corn maze so if that sounds like you, please don't wait another year to explore one!

Most corn mazes have a different themed design every year and many will incorporate statues, surprises, characters, signs, and props that support that year's theme--imagine coming across the Tin Man while inside a Wizard of Oz theme corn maze. Not only do the goodies or puzzles inside the maze fit the theme but the paths through the giant cornfield will create a picture as seen with a birds-eye view.

Escobar Farm Corn Maze Map

You might be given a map to carry with that overhead maze pattern to help you guide your way or you may just wing it as most people seem to enjoy. Some mazes will have puzzles to solve, clues to find, raffles you can enter when you discover hidden boxes within the maze, and more. It's common that there will be a tall bridge somewhere within the maze where you can pause to get a view of the whole maze from a different vantage point and soak up the scenic moment.

Kids and adults alike will have fun and if you call ahead to a farm, you can often get an idea how long it might take to go through. Some, like Sterling, MA Davis MegaMaze could take up  to 3 hours to get through whereas local farms like Portsmouth, RI's Escobar Farm has two smaller, adjacent corn mazes so you can complete one and decide if you'd like to re-enter to complete the second (perfect if you have little ones and aren't sure what you're in for).

Nessralla Farm Corn Maze

This year RI's Escobar Farm features a "Pawtucket Red Sox" design and Mike's Maze in central MA has a full Alice in Wonderland theme. Nessralla Farm in Halifax, MA has a "Frozen" Corn Maze design featuring Anna and Elsa cut out plus some Olaf hay bales out front. Riverview Farms in CT has you covered with all kinds of fun at their corn maze including additional farm activities like a petting zoo and an ice cream shop!

Gaines Farm in Vermont hosts a 7-acre dinosaur theme and with its location just 1.5 miles over the Massachusetts border, Gaines is a snap to get to whether you live in central MA, Connecticut or Vermont. Maine's "Pumpkin Land" corn maze at Harvest Hill Farms is host to a "Farm Scene Investigation" or "FSI" to solve the mystery of where Farmer Joe disappeared to for a fun twist. We have a full list of New England Corn Mazes at our website so you can easily search by state.

Where have New England Fall Events Been Lately?

Day of the Dead Scavenger Hunt

We had a wonderful weekend visiting Halifax MA's Nessralla Farm where they were in full swing with a pumpkin patch, a Frozen-themed corn maze, and bouncy houses and Bridgewater MA's CN Smith Farm had an orchard just busting with apples. Cranston, RI's Confreda Farm was busy running their nighttime haunted hayride and corn maze called Scary Acres.
We spent all day Sunday adventuring through southeastern MA at the day-long Day of the Dead Scavenger Hunt in Taunton, MA where we explored the history of the infamous Bridgewater Triangle and checked off a crazy list of scavenger hunt items and activities such as trying our hands at archery, eating a hot pepper, or finding a string of garlic. It was a blast and we can't wait to do it all again next year! 

Where is New England Fall Events Headed this Weekend?

Giant Puppets at Night Fall Hartford

With so much going on over the long weekend we're keeping all our options open to see how we can fit as much in as possible.
We've definitely circled Hartford's Night Fall for this Saturday and if our schedule aligns just right you'll find us at the Topsfield Fair too!
With the Halloween season underway we're also getting into the spirit of more nighttime and Halloween-focused events so we'll be checking out local flashlight corn mazes and a couple ghost tours while we can! Our sister website Halloween New England has all your guides to nighttime events, attractions, haunted houses, night hayrides, Salem attractions, costumes, and Halloween fun.

New England Foliage Report from our favorite foliage tracker Jeff-Foliage:

This week Jeff Foliage says "What we're seeing so far is seasonal temps and sunny days but the fall colors are slowly appearing across Northern New England....."  Click here to read Jeff's full report.

New England Fall Events' Top Recommendations for this Weekend's Fall Fun

The long weekend will offer you no shortage of fantastic local events. If you're headed out of town to another New England state, New England Fall Events makes it super easy to see what's happening in your getaway area.

This is one of the biggest fall events weekends of the year so please don't pass up the opportunity to support your local farms, seasonal attractions, and community festivals of every size and shape. We've narrowed down our long weekend's Top Picks (and you'll find even more online). 

Here are our recommended activities for Oct 7-Oct 13:

Jack-o-Lantern Spectacular at Roger William Zoo
Providence, RI     Click for details
Nightly, now through November 1st, 2015

Wee Faerie Village presents Whimsical Kingdoms
Old Lyme, CT     Click for details
Tuesday through Saturday, now through November 1st 2015

Topsfield Fair
Topsfield, MA     Click for details
Now through October 12th, 2015

Night Fall Hartford
Hartford, CT     Click for details
Saturday, October 10th, 2015

Damariscotta PumpkinFest and Regatta
Damariscotta, ME     Click for details
Friday, October 9th - Monday, October 12th, 2015

HONK! 2015 Festival of Activist Street Bands
Somerville, MA     Click for details
Friday October 9th - Sunday, October 11th, 2015

Pumpkin Weigh-Off at Frerichs Farm
Warren, RI     Click for details
Saturday, October 10th, 2015

New Hampshire Fall Festival
Portsmouth NH     Click for details
Saturday, October 10th, 2015

Fall Festival at Dog Mountain
St. Johnsbury, VT     Click for details
Saturday, October 10th, 2015

Annual North American Wife Carrying Championship
Newry, ME     Click for details
Saturday, October 10th, 2015

Prescott Park Chili Cook-Off
Portsmouth, NH     Click for details
Saturday, October 10th, 2015

Woodstock Foliage Walk
Woodstock, VT     Click for details
Saturday, October 10th, 2015

Annual Connecticut Garlic & Harvest Festival
Bethlehem, CT     Click for details
Saturday and Sunday, October 10 & 11th, 2015

Woonsocket Autumnfest

Woonsocket, RI     Click for details
Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, October 10-12th, 2015

Cranberry Harvest Celebration
Wareham, MA     Click for details
Saturday and Sunday, October 10th & 11th, 2015

Milford NH Pumpkin Festival - FREE
Milford, NH     Click for details
Saturday and Sunday, October 10th & 11th, 2015

Southington Apple Harvest Festival - FREE
Southington, CT     Click for details
Friday, Saturday, Sunday, October 9-11th, 2015

Apple Days Festival at Old Sturbridge Village
Sturbridge, MA     Click for details
Saturday, Sunday, Monday, October 10th -12th, 2015

Fall Foliage Festival 
Waterville Valley, NH     Click for details
Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, October 10th -12th, 2015

Wild Bill's Halloween Festival
Middletown, CT     Click for details
Saturday and Sunday, October 10 & 11th, 2015

Annual Pumpkin Festival at Cedar Circle Farm
East Thetford VT     Click for details
Sunday, October 11th, 2015

Massachusetts Cheese Festival
Boston, MA     Click for details
Sunday, October 11th, 2015

New England Cornhole Championship
Newry, ME     Click for details
Sunday, October 11th, 2015

Newburyport's Fall Harvest Festival
Newburyport, MA     Click for details
Sunday and Monday,  October 11 & 12th, 2015

An Evening With David Sedaris
Providence, RI     Click for details
Monday, October 12, 2015


Heading out for some fall fun this weekend? 
Need help mapping out where to go? New England Fall Events’ state page maps are handy for scrolling and spotting farms near home or near your road-trip destination.
Find Orchard and fall attraction maps for Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont.

Remember, always call ahead before heading out to PYO as some farms will adjust their hours for weather or they close to allow more time for fruit to ripen.