Children’s Festival For UNICEF

In Shelton

SHELTON — Characters from The Wizard of OZ will come to life and combine family fun with a good cause the weekend of October 28 and 29 at Pumpkin Seed Hill Farm, part of the Jones Family Farms in Shelton. The farm will celebrate its 15th Annual Kids Festival for UNICEF. Festival guests may enter the farm between 10 am and 4:30 pm.

Children  – and adults – are invited to visit the farm in costume this weekend. Horse-drawn wagon rides and face painting are some of the planned activities. Music and magic performances are scheduled in the afternoon, highlighting Magic Jackson and Frank Marlin with the Country Melody Boys. All-you-can-carry pumpkins plus a “half-pint” event for children will be featured as well.

The Pumpkin Head Presidential Polls will be open during festival hours, so visitors can cast a “pumkinseed” vote for Al Gore, George W. Bush, Ralph Nader, or Pat Buchanan. Pumpkin head likeness of the candidates will be on display. Young and old of all ages can cast one pumpkinseed vote. Participating in the polls will provide children a lesson in citizenship.

Admission to the farm is free. The Jones Family Farm will donate a portion of produce sales to UNICEF, and visitors will be asked to make a donation when participating in the children’s activities.

“Farm and individual donations have totaled about $32,000 over the past 14 years,” says Jean Crum Jones. “We again look forward to supporting the United Nations Children’s Fund, an organization dedicated to bringing health care, nutrition, sanitation, education, and a safe water supply to the world’s children.”

Pumpkinseed Hill is part of the Jones Family Farms nestled in the White Hills of Shelton. It is off Route 110, five miles north of Shelton or two miles south of the junction with Route 111 in Monroe. For more information  about the farm events, call the Jones Family Farms crop information line, 203/929-8425, or visit the Web site at www.jonesfamilyfarms.com.