West Milford gearing up for the Autumn Lights Festival on Saturday

WEST MILFORD—The Greenwood Lake Airport is planning a big Autumn Lights Festival day with their popular Young Eagles Program. Free plane rides and ground school, plus certificates of participation is a favorite for kids under 18 years old. The DARE officer will be on hand and a township fire truck will be available for close inspection. Also on site will be civic groups, vendors, entertainment, food and beverages. A static air display of antique planes and a helicopter will round out the offerings at the airport. There’s plenty of parking available, too. At the Town Hall complex, festival tent sponsor, Chilton Memorial Hospital, will be on hand to introduce their Paramedic Service Vehicle to the citizens of West Milford. They will be joined by the West Milford Health Department which will have information available on medical services available through the township and will offer some basic health screenings. There’s much more to see and do at this location: free horse rides, dance troupe performances and karate school demonstrations, dance team routines and musical entertainment, food vendors and fun foods like cotton candy, popcorn, and candy apples, craft vendors, and the West Milford Artists Association show and sale, balloons and face painting and activities for children. New this year, “A Taste of West Milford” will be a gathering of the area’s fine restaurants and caterers who will offer samplings from their menus. The Presbyterian Church will be hosting a chicken barbecue. In the same area, hear the sounds of “Music at the Mission,” view the latest hot cars from area car dealerships, browse the craft and vendor booths, and visit with civic groups and businesses from the local area. There will be a Classic Car Show at Bearfort Shopping Village where 50 vendors will be ready to help with holiday shopping. There is a pizza restaurant and a bagel shop on the premises and there will be live musical entertainment. Evergreen Farms on Union Valley Road is once again opening its pumpkin patch for the festival. It offers a free round of mini-golf and hayrides around the wooded property. Pinecliff Lake is pleased to present Oktoberfest with a Biergarten, German-style food, music, and fun for the kids at the playground. Adults can relax on the deck overlooking beautiful Pinecliff Lake. Right next door you’ll find carnival attractions, live music, rides, vendors, and food at the parking lot by the dam across from Belcher’s Run. Valley View Pub will have specials from their extensive menu and live music as well. President Abraham Lincoln, accompanied by his wife Mrs. Mary Todd Lincoln, will be appearing in person at the West Milford Museum from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tours of the Long Pond Ironworks will be going on throughout the day. Free goodie bags with money saving coupons and handy map guides can be picked up at the town hall and throughout the festival loop which runs from the Presbyterian Church on Union Valley Road down past Town Hall to Pinecliff Lake, Bearfort Shopping Village, Evergreen Farms and around the corner to Greenwood Lake Turnpike and back up Marshall Hill Road to Airport Road and the airport. There will be plenty of parking at Evergreen Farms, the airport and ironworks.