Fun at the Babylon Town Fall Festival

It's called the Babylon Town Fall Festival, though 'Fall' should be in parenthesis, as warmer weather continues as October rolls on. Whatever the name, though, it was a perfect day for the annual festival held recently at Town Hall.

"It's a great day for our residents to come out and have a nice time," said Celeste Kusmierski of the town parks department. "Everything [cost-wise] is on the town, so the hayrides, the pumpkins, all of this is free for residents to enjoy their day."

And there certainly was a lot to enjoy: rides, crafts, fried, fatty foods. All of the carnival staples were included.

Of course, this is Fall, so there's a lot more. The little league field was converted into a pumpkin patch, as folks tried to find the plumpest one they could to carve and paint as Halloween approaches.

"I'll probably take a couple home, try at least to carve something, stick a light in it outside," said Brian Bloom, a Babylon resident, as his kids scoured the field for just the right one.

It wasn't just kids and their parents enjoying the fun. Town Hall was transformed into an animal farm. Pony rides were offered. There was also the petting zoo. Goats and sheep meandered around, seeking a handful of feed, and after kids obliged their furry friends their parents were seeking hand sanitizer.

Animals of all sizes and shapes graced the petting zoo, including Wilbur the pig. However, Wilbur didn't move much. Of course, neither would you if you weighed 850 pounds. At least the picture-taking was made easier.

When it was time to take a load off, parents grabbed their kids and headed for a leisurely hayride. Samantha Noonan, of Lindenhurst, enjoyed her ride before heading to the petting zoo.

"I really like doing all of the stuff here,. It's really fun, [like] the horseback riding," Samantha said.