Sever’s Fall Festival, Twin Cities Harvest Festival begin this weekend as autumn approaches

Multiple fall festivals will get underway this weekend, including Sever’s Fall Festival in Shakopee.

The festival takes place from 10 a.m. until 7 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays, starting this weekend through the end of October.

Organizers put the finishing touches on everything Friday, and new features this year include a 50-foot-long slide.

The famous corn pits will be filled with 10,000 bushels of corn, and there will also be live entertainment, the state’s largest corn maze, more than two dozen local vendors and artisans and more at the event, which is still going strong after 26 years.

“We think that having a Fall Festival in a corn maze is a great way for family farms to diversify into another type of business,” said Nicola Peterson, the organizer of Sever’s Fall Festival. “And while many may think that it’s competition for us, it’s really about community building and keeping those family farms in the family. So we welcome it. We love it!”

Tickets for the event cost between $15 and $19 before tax, and kids ages 3 and under are free.

Saturday will also be the opening day of the Twin Cities Harvest Festival.

The attraction in Brooklyn Park will have a petting zoo, corn pit, food trucks, rides, games and a corn maze designed with the Minnesota United soccer logo.

The festival is held every weekend through Oct. 21.

Tickets for the Harvest Festival are $12, however, kids who are under 3 feet tall can get in for free.

In addition, Excelsior’s Apple Days starts Friday at 2 p.m.

Events such as crafts, food, drinks, music and an apple pie contest will be held alongside Lake Minnetonka on Water Street.

The event is free to attend.