Happy October, friends.<\/p>\n
How\u2019s \u201cfalse fall\u201d treating you? If you pulled your sweaters out thinking summer was done and dusted, you\u2019re not alone. Soon enough, it\u2019ll start to feel like autumn (real autumn).<\/p>\n
As the clock ticks on, we\u2019re losing roughly 2\u00bd minutes of sunlight each day, The Inquirer\u2019s weather whisperer Tony Wood reports<\/a>. One sure way to combat the negative effects of shorter days? \u201cGet outside and move your body daily<\/a>,\u201d an expert told Wood.<\/p>\n You don\u2019t have to tell me twice.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s today\u2019s itinerary:<\/p>\n \u26c5 Your weekend weather outlook: A mix of sun and showers<\/a>. Friday will be warm, but temps will cool off Saturday and Sunday.<\/p>\n \u2014 Paola P\u00e9rez (outdoorsy@inquirer.com<\/a>)<\/p>\n If someone forwarded you this email, sign up for free here<\/a>.<\/p>\n In Philly and the surrounding region, we have a variety of fall festivals and markets to embrace the season in good company.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s a preview of some lively events to look forward to:<\/p>\n \ud83c\udffa Mt. Airy Arts Fest (Oct. 3<\/a>) at Allens Lane Park will have stations for painting, printmaking, and ceramics to make art with your own hands, along with live performances and food to enjoy.<\/p>\n \ud83e\uddc0 Manayunk Fall Festival (Oct. 17<\/a>) lets you mac-and-cheese-crawl your way through local vendors. Plus, just one neighborhood over, enjoy free pumpkin decorating and more fun for all ages at East FallsFest<\/a>.<\/p>\n \ud83c\udf41 Cherry Hill Harvest Festival (Oct. 18<\/a>) at Croft Farm will host a beer garden, free pumpkins, and a petting zoo.<\/p>\n See our full roundup<\/a>.<\/p>\n News worth knowing<\/p>\n \ud83c\udf33 Your outdoorsy experience<\/p>\n My colleague Sam Stewart recently spent a couple of days in the Poconos and was excited to share this with us:<\/p>\n These pics are from the Little Falls Trail in Promised Land State Park! It was SO beautiful, lots of water along the trail (including a waterfall!), and it was a super easy, 1.5-mile loop. It was my first fall hike of the year, the weather was incredible and the sun was shining \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n Such a spectacular sight! I\u2019m already planning my own trip up there. Thanks, Sam.<\/p>\n How about you, dear reader? What\u2019s happening in your neck of the woods? Email me with your favorite adventures<\/a> or special outdoor memories (and pictures, if you have them). You may see it featured here.<\/p>\n \ud83c\udfa4 Here\u2019s rural reporter Jason Nark.<\/p>\n Pennsylvania is home to tens of thousands of farms, and Airbnb wants you to stay on them.<\/p>\n The short-term rental giant is partnering with the American Farmland Trust and recruiting Keystone State farmers \u2014 and even offering grants \u2014 to host guests and tap into the growing agritourism industry. The average farm stay listing on Airbnb, the company said, can make an extra $9,600 per year.<\/p>\n Valerie and Jeff Fellenbaum said they\u2019re making much more than that at Pleasant Pines Stables, their horse farm dating to the early 19th century in Lancaster County.<\/p>\n \u201cOnce we started, we never looked back,\u201d Valerie Fellenbaum said. \u201cI would say, from March to about the end of October, we\u2019re anywhere from 85% to 90% booked.\u201d \u2014 Jason Nark<\/p>\n Discover how farms in Pennsylvania and beyond are looking to agritourism to stay profitable and find alternate sources of revenue<\/a>.<\/p>\n Paola\u2019s picks<\/p>\n \ud83d\udea3 An activity: Find a good spot to watch sailboats hit the Delaware for the annual Philadelphia Regatta Cup<\/a>.<\/p>\n \ud83d\udc5f A shoutout: Look out for these runners<\/a> at the Delco 10 Miler.<\/p>\n \ud83d\udc15 A fun pup-ortunity: Join \u201cThe Dogist\u201d for a walk along the Schuylkill Banks and up the Rocky steps on Sunday<\/a>. <\/p>\n \ud83d\udca1 A fall fact: According to Merriam-Webster<\/a>, the term \u201cautumn\u201d entered English in the 1300s, and \u201cfall\u201d became the shortened version of \u201cthe fall of the leaves\u201d in the 1600s.<\/p>\n \ud83c\udfb5 A song: \u201cFall in Philadelphia<\/a>\u201d by Daryl Hall & John Oates.<\/p>\n An unassuming view<\/p>\n I believe this is a Virginia creeper plant, also known as woodbine. It also bears some resemblance to poison ivy<\/a>. Avoid its berries, though \u2014 while wildlife can feed on them, they are toxic to humans.<\/p>\n \ud83d\udc40 Can you spot a spotted lanternfly among the leaves? By my count, I think there are at least two.<\/p>\n Speaking of the invasive species, my colleague Nick Vadala reported this week about a man tricking at least 80 Pennsylvanians into paying for fake trainings and permits to contain the invasive species<\/a>. Be wary of scams like that, folks.<\/p>\n \ud83d\udc4b\ud83c\udffd Our next adventure awaits!<\/p>\n