The Rotary Fall Festival is a great opportunity for families to enjoy outdoor fun and learn more about the important organizations that help support the Lancaster community," said Bill Weik, treasurer of the Rotary Club of Lancaster Sunrise. "They can see firsthand the positive results from organizations working together."

The festival will be held on Sunday, Sept. 28, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Aberdeen Acres, 495 Mark Drive, Elizabethtown.

The Uptown Band will provide live music from noon to 6 p.m. A kids' area and mechanical bull riding will be offered during the festival.

"The Kids Zone is a combination of items from Big Bright Bounces in Elizabethtown - bounce house and 90-foot obstacle course," Weik shared. "There will also be pony rides for the kids."

Hachet and ax throwing will be featured from noon to 5 p.m., and members of the Millersville University equestrian club will be on-site to provide riding demonstrations at 3 p.m.

A silent auction will run from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., and the event will feature a live auction portion beginning at 4:30 p.m.

"We will have a food truck all day, and kids' and adult beverages are provided by Altana," Weik said. "Lori's Lattes will also be on-site."

This is the club's sixth fall festival, he noted, explaining that the event began during the pandemic after the club lost its two major fundraisers at the time due to the shutdown. Since people were permitted to hold outdoor gatherings, the club members pivoted and held a festival the first Saturday in October during the Preakness Stakes.

"We did well and continued it forward," he noted.

The festival will be held rain or shine, and people are encouraged to bring lawn chairs or blankets.

Along with offering a fun day for families, the fall festival is also a fundraiser for an organization supported by the Rotary Club.

"Forty thousand dollars of the proceeds will support the Lancaster County Food Hub's new Outreach Center," said Beth Mack, fall festival chair and board member of the Rotary Club of Lancaster Sunrise, directing people to learn more about the project at http://www.lancasterfoodhub.org. "Proceeds will also support student scholarships, local community grants and international projects."

Volunteers from the Wittel Farm, which is located directly behind Aberdeen Acres, will be on-site at the festival, sharing how their crops support the Lancaster County Food Hub and encouraging guests to consider volunteering.

Weik said that since the first fall festival, the club has provided more than $257,000 in support of local initiatives.

"Some of the larger items supported a hot/cold transport van for Meals on Wheels Lancaster; a van for Off The Streets Lancaster to support getting the homeless into permanent housing; equipment to fully furnish the Bench Mark Program's Women's Strength and Fitness Center; literacy projects for Manheim Township School District; and other small projects to support Girls on the Run, Anchor Lancaster, Lancaster Dollars for Higher Learning, Power Packs, KPETS, Arch Street Center, Second Grace in Mount Joy and others."

He shared that the club also supports projects outside of the local area as well as outside of the country.

"Most notable is our continued support annually to the Budapest Rotary Club - they have been instrumental in assisting with the various needs with Ukraine - as well as Amigos De Honduras, where we have been providing financial support with building schools and clean water initiatives," he said. "We have a member who goes there annually to support these efforts."

Weik encourages everyone to come out to the festival for fall fun.

"It's a great family day for family fun! If they want to be outdoors, relaxed, listen to a great band and have activities all day for kids and adults, they will want to be here," he said. "There are many live and silent auction items. For example, we have tickets to the Washington Commanders vs. Philadelphia Eagles game, several tickets to Penn State football games, vacations and more. Plus, all the proceeds support a great cause!"

Rotary Club of Lancaster Sunrise meets on Thursdays at Bent Creek Country Club, 620 Bent Creek Drive, Lititz.

"We are a breakfast club, so the morning starts bright and early at 7 a.m.," said Weik, who lives in Elizabethtown. "Our club is open to members all over the county who share the passion of Service Above Self." To learn more about the club, visit http://www.lancastersunriserotaryofpa.com.

Tickets for the fall festival may be purchased ahead of time or at the event. Readers who use the promo code ETOWN and purchase tickets ahead of time will receive a discount on their purchase. There is no admission charge for children age 17 and under. To purchase tickets, visit https://bit.ly/430ImD3.