Cutchogue - The brisk autumn air and the riot of color that characterizes a golden October on the North Fork was in evidence this week as the bounty of the harvest season made its way to the area's farm stands. Along with the last blast of fresh cut flowers is the impressive display of Halloween pumpkins, striped gourds, Indian corn and spirited decorations marking the turn of the calendar.

The area is filled with people frequenting farm stands, picking pumpkins, and buying gourds and cornhusks to festoon their homes in a free-wheeling fall festival.

A sign of the times at Schmitt's Family Farm on the Main Road in Laurel where local produce competes with the ghosts and goblins at this time of year as patrons flock to walk the haunted corn maze.

That staple of elementary school life also remains alive and well at this time of year as school teachers partake in the time-honor ritual of the field trip. Excursions to the apple farm, the pumpkin field and the cider mill all provide an opportunity to learn about the area's remaining agricultural based businesses while everyone gets a chance to go for a ride and take a walk in a wind swept farm field on a bright, sunny autumn day.

A small band of students from the Quogue School visited Wickham's Farm Stand on the Main Road in Cutchogue this week where they roamed the pumpkin patch while other farm stand patrons stocked up on homemade apple cider and cider donuts made on the premises.

Fruit from the area's apple trees competed with the pumpkins for the harvest bounty, while the last of the tomatoes attract a good deal of attention along with cauliflower and brussel sprouts. The United Cutchogue Methodist Church, just east of Wickham's fruit farm, is preparing for its annual Election Night Scallop Dinner, two sure signs of the season, along with the pumpkins that herald autumn and Halloween. The popular event is always a sell-out, so if you want to go, get your tickets now.

Further down the road at the Scott Family Farm the roses were still blooming along the split rail fence while sheep grazed in the fields beyond. An impressive display of pumpkins rested on the stand once used to sell produce now that the Scott's have moved their operation to the small barn behind the outdoor stand.

Wickham's has joined the trend along with other farm stands that have expanded their offerings to include local cider, donuts, breads, cakes and pies as well as farm fresh produce such as broccoli, brussel sprouts and cauliflower. Pumpkins and gourds are both edible and decorative.

The Scott's move to a more permanent structure near their former open air stand reflects the growing trend among farm stands on the North Fork where operations have become increasingly sophisticated in recent years.

While the small road side stand still survives along with the amateur card table growers who sell their surplus garden crops on the roadside in front of their homes, the big business farm stands have also established themselves.

Pumpkins picked from the fields behind the stand await early morning shoppers.

These stands now feature a dazzling array of local vegetables, along with fresh flowers, homemade jams, pies, breads and cookies. Many also make their own cider. The embellishment and expansion of these farm stands have given old time farm families a new lease on life by providing them with a local retail outlet for their produce. The Wickham Family Farm Stand reflects an 11th generation farm family that diversified from vegetables to fruits more than two decades ago when they decided to grow apples. The farm now makes its own cider and cider donuts.

The Gatz Family Farm on Sound Avenue in Aquebogue also expanded recently to a large barn size building stepping up from an open air stand where the retail operation flourished for years. The stand features local produce and boasts the world's best cheesecake, actually made in Westhampton. It is available by the slice at the stand where you can also buy the entire cheesecake frozen. It is a slow defrost in your refrigerator, but once at room temperature, the cheese cake will bring back the memory of the fall afternoon when you stopped for a bag of potatoes and ended up eating a slice of cheesecake.

Many of the stands now boast commercial scale refrigerators and sell fresh mozzarella, goat cheese and cold cider. Hot mulled cider is also a popular offering. It tastes great with cider donuts or zucchini bread. The Schmitt's Farm also features another popular fall activity offering patrons the opportunity to walk in their cornfields known this time of year as "The Haunted Maze."

The Reeves Farm Stand is among the largest and most colorful on the North Fork where a Popeye statue stands in salute to the fresh local spinach available on the stand along with an impressive array of gourds, pumpkins, mums and vegetables.

If you are on the Main Road in Laurel, Schmitt's Farm Stand is worth a stop. The Halloween decorations will impress and perhaps even haunt you. Great effort has gone into the ghouls and goblins displays in the garden shed alongside the stand.

The Cutchogue United Methodist Church readies for its annual Election Day Scallop Diner. The popular event is always a sellout.

Many other Haunted Corn Mazes are also open and doing brisk business on Saturday afternoons as well as some weekdays. In recent years, farmers have also extended their season by offering scary nighttime hayrides during the last week of October as Halloween approaches. You can also pick your own pumpkins at many farm stands while some still offer an all you can carry plan to customers with big arms and strong backs.

It's time to take a ride, hit a few farm stands on the North Fork, and buy a pumpkin if you haven't already bought a barrel full to decorate your front lawn.

The trick or treaters are on their way. Costumes are not optional on the North Fork, the festive nature of autumn in this part of the world requires full participation.

Discover your own fall festival on the North Fork. It's easy to drive around and the traffic is not terrible. You can't get lost because all the roads end either at the sound or the bay on this nine-mile wide peninsula. The local directions are easy to follow. If you hit the water, turn around and head back to the Main Road. You won't get lost.

The harvest season is at its best at Reeves Farm Stand where a dazzling array of produce and local baked goods is available along with an impressive gift shop featuring Halloween and Thanksgiving decorations and centerpieces.