Celebrate the season by heading to the Elizabethtown Fairgrounds for the 14th annual GEARS Fall Festival. The family-friendly event will be held on Saturday, Oct. 19, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 900 E. High St., Elizabethtown.

"The GEARS Fall Festival is an annual tradition that allows us to serve the community while bringing together groups of all ages to enjoy fall-themed activities and create memories with their friends and families," said Karrie Norman, GEARS program coordinator. "It also gives the local schools an opportunity to be creative and work together to provide a service to their community."

Activities will include pumpkin golf, pumpkin painting, a haunted barn with age-appropriate levels of scariness, hayrides, barrel train rides, a new jumbo Hungry Hungry Hippos game and more. The Elizabethtown Senior Center will sponsor bingo.

"Students of the E-town Middle School Student Council will be hosting many free carnival games and activities," Norman shared. "E-town College students will be hosting several tables of activities and games as part of their 'Jumping Into the Streets' day of community volunteer service." Members of the Elizabethtown College wrestling team will run the haunted barn.

A variety of craft vendors will be on-site, and the festival will feature food trucks, including Philly Cheesesteak Co. on the Roll, Mocha Motion Coffee, MAD BBQ LLC and the Candy Unicornium.

While the main goal of the festival is to provide a fun family outing, it serves an additional purpose, Norman shared. "Partnerships (with community groups) allow GEARS to highlight the talents of the younger generations and promote the value of serving your community," she explained. "They play a huge part in the success of the event in offering so many free activities and interacting with guests."

Norman emphasized that the festival also relies on sponsors, which help GEARS hold the event year after year. The major sponsors of the event are Members 1st Federal Credit Union, RE/MAX Pinnacle Greg Grogan/Kate Storm Team and Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health.

Norman encourages people to come out to the festival, which promises to be an entertaining event.

"Students have been working hard to prepare activities for all to enjoy, so stop by and share in the excitement of fall," she said. "While many of the activities are free of charge, some activities will require a small fee. These activities can be purchased individually, or a wristband may be purchased for (a set price) at the event."

The Fall Festival will be held rain or shine. For more information, visit http://www.GetintoGEARS.org/fall-festival.