Walker Township festival celebrates autumn

BELLEFONTE — Autumn arrived with a sunny day and idyllic weather for the third annual Walker Township Fall Festival on Sept. 22.

Children and their families enjoyed a fun-filled day of free crafts and games sponsored by the Walker Township Parks and Recreation Department. The day started with a 5K/1-mile walk sponsored by the Marion Walker Elementary School PTO. 

In addition to decorating pumpkins and creating monster bags, children celebrated Johnny Appleseed’s birthday with apples, apple cider and a Johnny Appleseed craft. Magician Richard Benninghoff entertained festivalgoers, and the young attendees enjoyed exploring vehicles from Walker Township Fire Department, Pleasant Gap EMS, the state police and Glenn O. Hawbaker Inc. 

Also during the event, Spring Township Police Department conducted car seat safety checks and tours of a police car. And, local churches, organizations and vendors were on hand to provide games, information and food.

A highlight of this year’s festival was a visit from a group of superheroes, including Superman and Captain America, from Penn State’s Alliance of Heroic Hearts organization. Children became superheroes themselves by making masks and sharing activities with their idols.