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WitchFest at Gardner Village

(West Jordan, UT) – If you visit historic Gardner Village mid-September through October, you’re in for a real treat! And maybe a few tricks as well as the witches come out to play during the annual WitchFest in West Jordan, Utah.

The menace is intentional each year as crews begin working on WitchFest, Gardner Village’s 45-day celebration of everything witch, complete with witch displays and a scavenger hunt to find them, Breakfast with a Witch, Witchapalooza Music Dinner Theater, a Witches 5k Run/Walk, and the popular Witches Night Out, which is currently in its 21st year. Other events also include Wee Witches Weekend and the Cackling Cantina.

“Witches’ Night Out draws thousands of would-be witches to the Village each year,” Joe Long, CEO of Gardner Village, said. “They come wearing elaborate costumes and pointy hats, ready to shop, eat, play and have a lot of witchy fun. Witches Night Out is the original and first event that started WitchFest.”

With the ambiance and charm of an early Utah village, the brick-lined paths surrounding the historic Gardner flour mill are the perfect backdrop for the whimsical witch displays that adorn the property during WitchFest. One green-faced beauty sits on a shop roof trying to get cell phone reception on her “eye” phone. Overhead the Wicked Witch of the West furiously pedals her bike. And don’t miss the poor old witch who didn’t see what was coming while flying. She’s smashed up against the flour mill silo like a bug on a windshield.

World-renowned folk artist, Eric Dowdle, created a painting for WitchFest that has been turned into puzzles and prints that are sold nationwide and at Gardner Village in CF Home. Dowdle’s art also joins 30,000 pounds of pumpkins, 20,000 pounds of straw and 500 bunches of cornstalks that decorate the grounds during WitchFest. WitchFest received a Best of State award during 2016 as Utah's best fair, festival and event.

“Gardner Village is a unique destination that brings visitors every day throughout the year,” Long says. “Especially during WitchFest, people come from California, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado and even Oregon to be part of the fun. The Village showcases an important part of West Jordan history.”

Gardner Village features locally-owned specialty shops and event venues surrounding the historic Gardner Mill, which is listed on the National Historic Register. The old flour mill is home to Archibald’s Restaurant, Mill Plaza and CF Home. Vintage pioneer architecture, antique fixtures, red brick paths and bridges add to the atmosphere that takes you back to a simpler time and spotlight Utah's colorful history.

Gardner Village is a Utah historic site and is located at 1100 West 7800 South in West Jordan, Utah, a suburb of Salt Lake City. The Village is open year 'round, Monday through Saturday.