Staff Report

ROCKFORD — Klehm Arboretum & Botanic Garden’s annual free fall community event, Autumn at the Arboretum, will return as a weeklong series of free, on-site and virtual activities from Saturday, Oct. 9 to Friday, Oct. 15.

The event runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., daily.

Food and drinks will be available for purchase on Saturday, October 9th, including baked goods and coffee drinks from Caffeine Emergency and fresh popped kettle corn from the Kiwanis Club of Rockford.

The Rockford Public Library’s Mobile Library will also be offering book checkouts and fall activities in Klehm’s parking lot from 11:30 a.m to 12-15 p.m, Saturday, Oct. 9.

Returning as week-long activities for this year’s Autumn at the Arboretum will be the popular kid’s straw maze, the virtual pet costume contest, a variety of fall-themed decorative displays, and several interactive self-guided activities highlighting trees and plants with fall ornamental interest.

Activities also include an educational smartphone tour and a family oriented smartphone scavenger hunt.

In addition to onsite self-guided activities, two free educational webinars will take place the week of Autumn at the Arboretum: “The Unexpected Pawpaw Popularity” by Neal Peterson at 6 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 12, and “Landscaping for Winter” by Carrie Hennessy at 6 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 13.