The 41st annual HinkleFEST and Benefit Auction will take place on Friday, Oct. 8, and Saturday, Oct. 9, at Hinkletown Mennonite School (HMS), 272 Wanner Road, Ephrata. Rain or shine, the auction will be held outside under the tent, and all children's activities will be outdoors as well.

On Friday, the seventh annual Chicken Chase/Family Fun Run will take place at 4 p.m. Children will run one, two or three laps, based on age, while adults will do four laps, which equals over a mile and a half. Awards will go to the top runners, along with participation prizes for all runners. Participants can preregister at http://www.hinkletownschool.org or register on race day.

Pork barbecue dinners will be available from 4 to 7 p.m. with drive-through and eat-in options available. Meals consist of roast pork sandwiches, picnic side dishes, drinks and whoopie pies. While at the school, visitors can preview the items that will go on the auction block on Saturday. Kids will have access to balloon animals and cotton candy.

Saturday's Kids FEST, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., will include a bounce house, barrel train rides, pony rides, carnival games and a petting zoo. All-day passes will give kids unlimited access to all of the activities, including face painting and craft activities. The seventh grade cupcake club will offer children the opportunity to decorate and eat their own cupcake as part of the festivities.

The auction will kick off on Saturday at 9 a.m., although coffee and baked goods will be available beginning at 8 a.m. Throughout the day, the sale will include handmade, local food products such as meats and dairy products; a ride on Garden Spot Fire & Rescue's new engine; a weekend vacation house rental at Angola by the Bay; passes to DelGrosso's Park & Laguna Splash, the Fort Pitt Museum or the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium; certificates for outdoor experiences, such as a climbing/rappelling adventure; passes for the Lake Tobias Safari Tour; local dinner options, including a Jamaican meal; family experiences such as a one-hour balloon flight or a weekend campsite at Woodcrest Retreat; and items for family fun at home, such as a grill, lawn furniture and lawn games.

The auctioneers will be Michael J. Martin and John Rutt of Martin & Rutt Auctioneers. HMS students will contribute to the auction through class projects and baskets, such as a class quilt, canned goods from the HMS garden and homemade ice cream from the middle school ice cream club.

The HinkleFEST & Benefit Auction is the school's largest community-building event supporting the mission of Christ-centered education at HMS. For more information, visit the aforementioned website or call the school at 717-354-7100.