October 26 marked Greenbelt’s annual Fall Fest at Schrom Hills Park, a Saturday afternoon full of fun and free events for kids of all ages. This year, the parking lot was filled with attendees before the festival had been open 15 minutes, with parked cars lining the sides of Hanover Parkway. By 2:30 p.m., nearly every available spot was filled, and the park had been transformed into a hotspot of autumnal activities.
The festival is organized each year by the City of Greenbelt Recreation Department but could not be made possible without the cooperation of many other organizations, according to Recreation Supervisor Anne Oudemans. “We partner with a lot of other city and non-city groups. We have community groups here that are making information available. There’s music and all sorts of activities for families,” Oudemans said.
Children were welcomed to the festival by a trunk-or-treat presented by the Greenbelt Police Department, Animal Control and Department of Public Works, decorating their vehicles and handing out candy to a line of eager costumed kids. The Greenbelt Volunteer Fire Department continued their involvement this year with a goodie-bag hand out, as well as a child-sized version of a firefighter training obstacle course, complete with a giant teddy bear to act as the “person drag” portion. Live music filled the air courtesy of the acoustic duo Hepcat Hoodie and nearby, the Greenbelt Babe Ruth baseball team provided fest concessions as a fundraiser. Long lines of people waited for a turn in the hay wagon which circled the entire park.
“The community knows that it’s a fun, free event and they come out for it,” Oudemans said. Despite the small sprinkling of rain, attendees continued to join the festivities throughout the afternoon, contributing to what Sports and Recreation Coordinator Andrew Phelan estimated to be the best turnout yet.
“This is my eighth year as the lead coordinator, but prior to being the lead coordinator, I was always here helping out,” Phelan explained. “We’ve said every year that the crowd gets bigger and bigger, and I think this year is no exception.”
