Harvest is always a festive time in Southern Oregon. Farmers are hard at work bringing in their crops while families venture out to enjoy the last of the warm weather before the rainy season begins. It’s a time for celebration and abundance as evidenced by the many wonderful fall events that occur across the valley. One of the most enjoyable, and definitely one of the silliest of these events, is the annual Harvest Festival with Pumpkin Chuckin’ at LongSword Vineyard. Guests of the event can enjoy hurling pumpkins into the back of LongSword Vineyard’s property using a 15 foot-tall trebuchet, which, if you’re not familiar, is a medieval machine designed to launch rocks at castle walls. In addition to the trebuchet, this year’s festivities will also include pumpkin slingshots, pumpkin painting, live music, local food trucks, and of course, LongSword wine to enjoy. And it’s all for a good cause. Proceeds from the pumpkin portion of the event are donated to SUTA (Siskiyou Upland Trail Association), the organization responsible for maintaining area hiking trails as well as creating additional trails for the community to enjoy. The event has become so popular that LongSword decided to make it a two-day affair this year. Guests can attend noon-5:00pm either Saturday October 12 and enjoy Peruvian Point food truck and Jeff Kloetzel Music or Sunday October 13, which will feature All Smoked Out BBQ food truck and Stay Tuned live music. More information about the event can be found on LongSword’s facebook page.
