Pleasant View Communities' Harvest Fest and Craft Bazaar will be an opportunity for people to come together and celebrate fall, said Aubrey Smith, community engagement coordinator. "We want the residents and staff and their families, as well as the greater community, to come out for a fun day," she said.

The Harvest Fest and Craft Bazaar will be held on Saturday, Nov. 13, at Town Square and in the Town Square North building on the Pleasant View campus, 544 N. Penryn Road, Manheim. The bazaar will begin at 9 a.m., and the festival will run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

"We're going to have live music from the Knuckle Dusters, who are a bluegrass band," Smith commented. "We'll also have live chainsaw carving from Shaun Coppersmith of Copperhead Carvings. He'll also have some things he's already carved for sale."

Students from the OneLife Institute, who live on campus, will host games for children and families. "We'll have a ton of activities and lots of carnival-style games with prizes," Smith noted. Face painting will also be offered.

The auxiliary will sell food during the event as well. "They'll have pork barbecue sandwiches, chicken corn noodle soup, hot dogs and whoopie pies," Smith said. Pleasant View's on-site restaurant, Hearth and Harrow, will also be open and will serve its regular menu.

"Our thrift shop will be open during the event, and we'll have at least 18 vendors at the bazaar," she remarked. Items for sale will include jewelry, ornaments, birdhouses, dog treats, scarves and handcrafted wood items. "Our train club has a bunch of things they're going to be selling as well," Smith remarked, adding that the vendors will be a mix of residents and members of the community.

Pleasant View held its first Harvest Fest and Craft Bazaar in 2019 but was unable to hold the event last year due to the pandemic. "This will be our first big community event in the last year and a half, so we're really excited about it," Smith said.

Events will be held both indoors and outdoors. "We want people to come out and enjoy anything at their comfort level," she noted. "We'll have our firepits going and our heaters will be on on our patio, so people can warm up if they choose to sit outside and eat. The music will be going on inside, but we'll have our audio system set up so people can hear it outside as well."

She said the event will offer a day to celebrate being together as a community. "We had such a great time at our event in 2019, and we're looking forward to another fun day," she stated. "It's something fun to do before the craziness of the holidays kicks in."