Lantern-Lit Trail is a hit at Rhodes Fall Festival
T-R PHOTOS BY LANA BRADSTREAM Rhodes Engagement Committee members Tiffany Wade, Madelyn Pitzen, Chris Buck, Vanessa Davison, Mike Overman and Jenn Overman worked on the Lantern Lit Trail, a new addition to the annual Rhodes Fall Festival. On Saturday night, adventurous walkers strolled down the trail lit with tea lights and decorated with carved jack-o-lanterns.
The lantern-lit trail was a hit at the annual Rhodes Fall Festival held over the weekend.
T-R PHOTOS BY LANA BRADSTREAM Rhodes Engagement Committee members Tiffany Wade, Madelyn Pitzen, Chris Buck, Vanessa Davison, Mike Overman and Jenn Overman worked on the Lantern Lit Trail, a new addition to the annual Rhodes Fall Festival. On Saturday night, adventurous walkers strolled down the trail lit with tea lights and decorated with carved jack-o-lanterns.
The lantern-lit trail was a hit at the annual Rhodes Fall Festival held over the weekend.
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RHODES – Carved jack-o-lanterns and tea lights lined the Heart of Iowa Nature Trail on Saturday night, giving walkers a relaxed, but atmospheric journey.
Designed by the Rhodes Engagement Committee, the Lantern-Lit Trail was one of Treasurer Chris Buck's favorite features of the Rhodes Fall Festival.
"This was my thing I wanted to do the most," he said. "I used to live in Indianapolis, and they did something similar to this. It was cool, but it wasn't amazing. I thought this was the kind of thing that you could really build on and make really cool, make people say, 'I'm going to Rhodes for this.'"
Roughly 25 to 30 people volunteered for the trail, including carving more than 200 pumpkins, donated by Clover Bloom Farms, and placing them strategically at certain points.
"There are different intricacies, some really detailed," he said. "We had more than 20 people who volunteered to help carve, and the committee spent the day on Friday putting them out here."
Buck added they did not have difficulty finding enough volunteers to help, which helps show how great the community is.
This was the first year for the Lantern-Lit Trail. Buck and President Madelyn Pitzen said the turnout was good, with 70 people walking on Friday and more than 200 on Saturday.
"It's incredible," Buck said. "We had people come from Zearing, from Ames, from Marshalltown who said they wanted to come try this because it sounded cool. Just the response makes it infectious, and it's been rewarding. Who doesn't like to carve pumpkins?"
Pitzen said she heard of people who were repeat walkers. Buck reported others told him it was the best fall activity they had ever done.
He said the trail was roughly a quarter-of-a-mile, but they tried to add some depth by placing lanterns in strategic points on hills and grouping them together.
"We have some lights changing color, and you'll see eyes out of nowhere," Buck said. "Some people went through three times and said they saw new things, which is awesome. I think that is part of it."
The trail was not meant to bring the scare to Rhodes. Rather, it was intended to be a festive, seasonal light show.
Walkers could enjoy some hot chocolate and s'mores at one of the waiting bonfires.
"Those are complimentary with admission," Pitzen said. "We put up warming fires, which was a great change from yesterday. It looks more inviting."
Buck and Pitzen said they will bring the Lantern-Lit Trail back in 2027. Next year, the goal is to include 400 pumpkins. Pitzen said they are considering including a competition.
"We've talked about doing that for next year," she said. "This year, the carvers did it out of the goodness of their heart. Next year, we might turn it into a raffle – an entry for every pumpkin you bring. That way, maybe some of us won't have to be crazy and carve 30 pumpkins."
Someone told us this was so cool, it will put Rhodes on the map if we continue to grow it," Buck said. "That is part of my goal – to help rural communities grow, particularly the one I love the most – Rhodes. I think finding opportunities to bring people here, showcasing what we're all about and having events which draw them here will make them leave with a warm feeling about Rhodes as a community and they see the prospect of living here or starting a business here. Community events like this show it's a great place to live and visit."
Contact Lana Bradstream at 641-753-6611 ext. 210 or lbradstream@timesrepublican.com.