The 2021 edition of Shady Brook Farm FallFest, its annual Halloween celebration, required some rethinking. Last year’s COVID-19 restrictions eliminated much of its prior up-close-and-personal scares. So, the Fleming family, owners of the property, opted this year for attractions that are more distant but also more family friendly. Jenn Frederick of FOX 29 Philadelphia peeked into the dark for the details.

On September 24, Yardley’s Shady Brook Farms debuted Eerie Illuminations, a wagon ride through lit Halloween displays.

Patriarch Paul Fleming outlined its genesis: “What we’ve tried to do is combine our [Christmas] light show with our great FallFest.”

The result is a 25–30-minute trip through lit scenes designed to produce a few tremors instead of out-and-out terrors.

“It’s family friendly,” Fleming describes. “Spooky, not scary.”

The experience uses no live actors (there are, however, a few animated figures). Fleming therefore pegs the ideal age for children viewers at 3-13.

The massive set pieces, including a detailed wooden pirate ship, were hand-built in a construction project that started last January. As with its December drive-through, the scenes are set to music.

Eerie Illuminations — and the other Shady Brook Farm FallFest programs — runs through November 9.

More information is available at FOX 29 Philadelphia.

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