Harvest festivals are in full swing at Salem farms, with fields of pumpkins, twisty corn mazes and enough apple cider to go around.
Families flocked to Fordyce Farm and E.Z. Orchards on Friday to enjoy the festivities.
At Fordyce Farm’s Fall Fest, children climbed, jumped and burrowed through the hay fort, and enjoyed the playground and indoor hay maze. Others spent the afternoon picking apples in the orchard and pumpkins from the pumpkin patch.
While donuts and cider were whipped up inside the E.Z. Orchards Farm Market, the annual HarvestFest was well under way outside. The festival has rows of pumpkins, sunflowers and a corn maze, as well as hayrides and play equipment.
Other fall festivities were hosted over the weekend, and will continue through the end of the month. Read Salem Reporter’s 2025 guide to local harvest festivals here.
Damien Fordyce, 5, considers jumping off the end of the tractor at Fordyce Farm. Ultimately, he decided against it. (HAILEY COOK/Salem Reporter)Fresh red apples suspend from a full tree in the Fordyce Farm apple orchards. (HAILEY COOK/Salem Reporter)Shae and Makiah Raines exit the Fordyce Farm pumpkin patch after picking out large pumpkins with their children Archie, 6 months, and Otto, 1 1/2, who hitched a ride in a wheelbarrow. (HAILEY COOK/Salem Reporter)Juan Carreon, 5, jumps off the hay fort at Fordyce Farm onto a plush pile of hay – a stunt he assured did not hurt. (HAILEY COOK/Salem Reporter)White, orange and beige pumpkins sit in the sun at E.Z. Orchards during their annual HarvestFest. (HAILEY COOK/Salem Reporter)Natali Morgan, 2, carefully selects an apple to add to her mom’s bag while exploring the Fordyce Farm apple orchards Friday afternoon. (HAILEY COOK/Salem Reporter)Rows of sunflowers line the pumpkin patch at E.Z. Orchards during their annual HarvestFest. (HAILEY COOK/Salem Reporter)A tractor driver exits the hayride at E.Z. Orchards after a Friday afternoon drive around the property. (HAILEY COOK/Salem Reporter)Weston Scott, 5, learns how to drive the play tractor at Fordyce Farm. (HAILEY COOK/Salem Reporter)An assortment of squashes are ripe for fall at Fordyce Farm. (HAILEY COOK/Salem Reporter)The corn maze at Fordyce Farm is open to adventurers during their Fall Fest. (HAILEY COOK/Salem Reporter)Isaiah Wright, 10, and Isaiah Patterson, 10, play a game of football on the hay fort at Fordyce Farm. (HAILEY COOK/Salem Reporter)Pumpkins of all varieties are ready for fall at Fordyce Farm. (HAILEY COOK/Salem Reporter)The Fordyce Farm corn maze is open to explorers on Friday afternoon. A sign on the left warns of the monsters that stalk the maze on Friday and Saturday nights. (HAILEY COOK/Salem Reporter)Maple Morgan, 4, analyzes the blemishes at the base of an apple she picked in the Fordyce Farm apple orchard. (HAILEY COOK/Salem Reporter)
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Hailey Cook covers healthcare for Salem Reporter, from the city’s only hospital to local outlooks on health insurance coverage. She joined the newsroom in 2025, following the completion of an internship through the University of Oregon’s Charles Snowden Program for Excellence in Journalism. She also works as a photojournalist, capturing community events, government meetings and other gatherings.
