This fall, the Dallas Arboretum is holding special events and galleries to celebrate Autumn. From Sept. 23 through Nov. 22, there will be many different fall themed events.

For its 12th year, they will have the Nationally acclaimed Pumpkin Village. Along hay bales and cornstalks, houses made of pumpkins have been set up along with works of art made of pumpkins, gourds and squash. This year, the theme is the Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Scenes from the movie have been made from pumpkin, squash and gourds to create Munchkinland, Emerald City and Auntie Em’s house. Characters from the movie like the Tin Man and the Cowardly Lion are set up throughout the Village. There is a Hay Bale Maze that mimics the Wicked Witch’s castle. This maze is called the Tom Thumb Pumpkin Patch, and it offers pumpkins for sale as well as family activities.  

“I used to watch the Wizard of Oz all the time with my family growing up; my sister was in the Wizard of Oz play at her high school,” senior Kaj Baker said. “It was a tradition for my family to go and get pumpkins every year and I would always try to find the smallest one, and we would always carve the pumpkins when we got home. There’s a lot of good memories from there.”

Costumes are only allowed for visitors 12 years of age and under. For those 13 years old and older, costumes are strictly prohibited, along with masks or face paint to create a more family friendly environment.

On Thursdays from Sept. 7 through Oct. 26, concerts are held outside, accompanied by food trucks. To find out more information, visit the Cool Thursdays Concerts page at dallasarboretum.org. Bands include Rob Holbert, Hello Shannon and Becky Middleton.

Within the park, there is a daily Oktoberfest Garden that provides sausage and beer. Other notable activities include Zumba in the park, live music, mommy and me classes, ammeter photography exhibits and historical tours.

For Columbus Day Weekend, Oct. 6 through Oct 9., there are a lot of great activities lined up. Festivities include face painting, petting zoo, a performance from Randy Vradenburg, Tomas Sclar y Flamenco Nuevo- a Flamenco/Latin Jazz ensemble, a concert by Eddie Coker, a costume contest that is The Wonderful Wizard of Oz themed, a pumpkin carving demonstration, ghoul’s night out and gourd demonstrations.