Apple cider, pumpkins and a spooky game of minigolf are the recipe for a perfect autumn outing with the St. Charles Park District.

Autumn Hayrides return 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays from Oct. 3 through Oct. 25 at Primrose Farm in St. Charles. Gather family and friends and select a ticketed time to enjoy a 30-minute tractor-drawn wagon ride through the farm’s cornfields and orchard under the moonlight. At the end of the ride step up to the fire pit and roast your own marshmallows for a delicious smore.

Tickets are $16 each and there are group rates available, said Alison Jones, manager of farm programs and interpretive services for the St. Charles Park District. The group rate includes a private firepit experience, Jones added. The weekly hayrides are a popular event. Jones said it’s wonderful to see families, friends, neighbors and local community groups come out for an autumn evening on the farm.

The annual Autumn Market returns from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 4 in the parking lot near Swanson Pool and Pottawatomie Park. Participants can register for a sale space for $20 each and set up a table to sell small items, explained Abby Fleming, recreation supervisor of teens/tweens for the St. Charles Park District.

“Some people bring garage-sale items, some bring homemade items and there’s vendors too. It’s a cool mix,” Fleming said.

Proceeds from the seller registration support the STC Underground Teen Center. Fleming said in the past they’ve encouraged teens and young adults to participate as sellers as well.

Also on Saturday, Oct. 4 the popular Light Up the Sky returns to James O. Breen Community Park in St. Charles featuring a professional kite show. The event starts at 5:30 p.m. with a display of kites flying in the sky and as the sun sets the kites are illuminated with lights casting a glow in the night sky.

“It’s our second year for this and last year there was a great crowd,” said Taylor Krawczyk, assistant superintendent of recreation for St. Charles Park District.

The event features a DJ spinning tunes from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. and food trucks onsite will have savory treats available for purchase. Admission is free. Last year families brought along picnics to enjoy the entertainment or created one with bites from the food trucks.

Pick out the perfect pumpkin at the Primrose Farm Pumpkin Patch Creations from 3 to 4:30 p.m. Saturdays Oct. 4, 11 and 18. With each ticket purchase participants will enjoy a wagon ride to the farm’s pumpkin patch where they can select a pie pumpkin. At the farm’s education center participants can use stencils, paints, markers and more to decorate their pumpkins. While the painted pumpkins dry, visit the barnyard animals and enjoy outdoor games.

The final weekend for River view Miniature Golf will be from 4 to 9 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 10 through Sunday, Oct. 12. Staff have decorated the course with spooky, silly and family-friendly scares using lights and sounds. There will be a special reduced effects hour from 3 to 4 p.m. Friday, Oct. 10. Games are $9 per person and the last tee time is 8:15 p.m.

Leave the pumpkin mess on the farm and register for the Fa-Boo-lous Pumpkin Carving Party from 2:30 to 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 25 at Primrose Farm. Bring your pumpkin from home or purchase one onsite for additional $5. Staff will provide carving kits and some snacks and cider too. The best part is those messy pumpkin guts and carved out slices of pumpkin will be shared with the farm animals who love the sweet treat, Jones explained.

“They love the pumpkin parts and it’s very nutritious,” Jones said. “It helps keep them healthy.”