Fall

Take in fall colors at Will County forest preserves with special hiking days or family programs celebrating the season.

DeKalb County is teeming with the colors of autumn. Get out and enjoy the show before we have to hunker down for another long winter.

The City of Joliet released guidelines for disposal of leaves and other seasonal yard waste.

A look at some of this season's autumnal splendor by Northwest Herald photojournalist Gregory Shaver.

The Forest Preserve District of Will County’s Take It Outside Challenge challenges participants to complete nature-themed missions to earn points and win prizes. Two Take It Outside Meetups are scheduled for Oct. 23 and Nov. 17.

People partake in apple-picking traditions Thursday at Royal Oak Farm Apple Orchard in Harvard. The orchard features 34 different varieties of apples from 22,000 trees over 160 acres and four different orchard. Depending on the weather, Royal Oaks Farm expects apple picking season to last into November. The orchard, which also has an apple maze, was recently named the second best orchard in the county by the readers of Newsweek.

From school fundraisers to large regional events, fall is the time for craft fairs in all sizes across Will County. Here are some upcoming shows.

Hidden Lakes Trout Farm in Bolingbrook will be hosting a Trout Season Celebration beginning at 6 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 19.

Pre-movie activities at the Harry Potter Movie Event at the ROXY Lockport include Sorting Hat house placement, Olivander’s Pop-up Shoppe and magic classes in herbology, divination and wand mechanics.

It didn’t exactly feel like autumn, but that didn’t matter to the thousands of visitors to Oregon’s Autumn on Parade on Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 5-6. The popular fall event included a craft market, car and tractor show, Olde English Fair at Stronghold Camp & Retreat Center and a large parade.

Fall Frolic, running Oct. 6- Dec. 24, will take people of all ages on an adventure across Will County forest preserves.

At the Cathedral Area Preservation Association in Joliet, guests may sample beers from local breweries along with food offerings at five locations.

Check out these exciting family-friendly Oktoberfest celebrations happening during October in northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin.

Wear your favorite costume and search for spooktacular natural and super-natural items in the forest at the Spooky Scavenger Hunt at Four River Education Center in Channahon.

Get into the spirit of fall by participating in the Spooky Scavenger Hunt at our Rivers Environmental Education Center in Channahon.

The Oswego Cemetery Walk is Thursday, Oct. 3.

It's never too late to plant a tree and other woody plant as long as the hole is pre-dug, according to Nancy Kuhajda, Illinois Extension horticulture educator serving Grundy, Kankakee, and Will Counties.

People brave the rain to take in the 75th Annual Grundy County Corn Festival on Saturday morning, Sept. 28, 2024.

USDA reported 7% of corn was harvested across Illinois compared to 5% at the same time in 2023.

This year’s Grundy County Corn Festival, which for 75 years has been the event to usher in autumn, continues this weekend in Morris.

The Mad About Plaid event will take place Friday, Oct. 4, 2024, in downtown Rock Falls and at the RB&W District Park at 201 E. Second St. The Lumberjack Show and Beard Contest will be Saturday, Oct. 5, at Selmi’s Family Farm, 1206 Dixon Ave., Rock Falls.

Oregon is ramping up to play host to thousands of additional people as residents and visitors alike celebrate the 53rd annual Autumn on Parade.

This year’s Grundy County Corn Festival is again taking place over five days, beginning on Wednesday, Sept. 25, and running through Sunday, Sept. 29.

Farmers encourage impatient drivers to consider the size of the equipment and the importance of slowing down when approaching during harvest season.

Is the current summer-like September an anomaly? No – but Northern Illinois may see more of them.

Activities include wagon rides, games, a pumpkin train, kids games, craft fair, pumpkin bowling, inflatable axe throwing for teens, live music, dancing, apple cider doughnuts and much more.

The Joliet Pride Network will hold its Joliet PrideFest event on Saturday at the Billie Limacher Bicentennial Park and Theatre in Joliet. The family friendly event will feature live music, food, and activities for children and teens.

More than 100 booths and activities will be offered on six city blocks, including crafters, pumpkin painting, street performers, games, donut eating contests, a petting zoo, face painting, flower pot decorating and pumpkin bowling.

July was one of the five wettest ever recorded in Illinois, but August and the first half of September have seen barely any rainfall.

The Will County Center for Community Concerns has announced eligibility requirements and application rules for funding through the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program.

Fall offers its own unique festivals and community celebrations throughout the northern Will County area. Check here for a listing of special events in September and October.

Joliet area residents enjoy the warm days as temperatures hit the high 80s in these last days of summer before fall officially begins Sept. 22.

This year’s “World’s Largest Corn Maze” at Spring Grove's Richardson Farm is an homage to agricultural icon John Deere.

Metra will offer special service on the Heritage Corridor Line on six Saturdays this fall, so residents can explore the communities along the route that begins in Joliet and ends in Chicago at Union Station.

On Tuesday, Candy and Corn in Minooka sold out of caramel apples. Dan's Homemade Candies in Joliet also had high demand on its first day of caramel apple season.

The Joliet American Legion Band, along with Joliet Township High School Orchestra & Central Band, will perform Thursday at the 2024 season finale of "Concerts on the Hill."

Fall offers its own full season of festivals and community celebrations throughout Will County. Check here for listing of special events coming up August through October.

The Fall Festival, sponsored by Grant Township and the Village of Fox Lake, will take place from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Oct. 6 at the Grant Township Center, 26725 W. Molidor Road.

The event is hosted by the St. Charles Business Alliance, and applications can be submitted through their website.

Take a nature walk at Hammel Woods in Shorewood or a Group Hike along Centennial Trail – Schneider’s Passage in Romeoville this weekend. Register by Thursday.

When your pumpkins start to lose their luster, don’t drop them into the trash or dump them in nature, smash them at the Forest Preserve District of Will County's Plum Creek Nature Center.

November brings a wide variety of programs to Forest Preserve District of Will County sites. Everything from seasonal scavenger hunts to composting.

The wheelchair launch is located west of Interstate 55, near Channahon at the Forest Preserve District of Will County’s Lake Chaminwood Preserve

The trees are at their peak colors as the fall season continues in DeKalb County.

Check out some of the beautiful fall foliage around the Illinois Valley.

It’s that time of year again, and as trees turn vibrant colors and leaves cover your lawn and sidewalk, the city of DeKalb announced annual loose-leaf collection will begin Oct. 30.

Dress in costume for a spooky moonlight hike or take a golden fall walk on Sweetest Day with in the Will County forest preserves.

McHenry has changed its leaf collection schedule this year, Woodstock has a short window for leaf collection, and Crystal Lake asks residents to bag. But arborists and naturalists asks residents to just leave the leafs where they fall.

Illinois is one of the top pumpkin producing states in the country and local pumpkin farms are doing their part to keep those stats up and a whole lot more.

The Fall Festival put on by Grant Township and the Village of Fox Lake took place from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Oct. 1 at the Grant Township Community Center in Ingleside.