From October 15 to November 2, the agricultural field fence at Hidden Springs Drive and North Humphreys Way will hold a row of burlap figures that residents built from Town Office frames. Behind the fence are the rows of the Hidden Springs Community Farm. A short walk away are the orchard and the Schick-Ostolasa Farmstead. Nearly every event on this fall's community calendar happens on one of those pieces of ground.
None of that land is leftover space. The Community Farm sits inside the open-space conservation easement, and the Hidden Springs Town Association says it runs with a Farm Manager, a Farm Leadership Team, a site supervisor, and resident volunteers. So in Hidden Springs, October is mostly a harvest calendar for land the community set aside. The biggest change this season is at the outer edge of that open space, on Cartwright Road.
The Season Started at the Farmstead
The fall run began in September. The Davis family hosted the 4th annual Hidden Springs Apple Press on September 12. Residents picked apples in the community orchard and pressed them into cider at the historic Schick-Ostolasa Farmstead, and donations went to the Dry Creek Historical Society.
Two weeks later, on September 27, the same farmstead at 5006 W. Farm Court hosted the Dry Creek Historical Society's 17th annual Old Time Farm Day, with admission at $8 per person or $30 per family. Ada County owns the farmstead and the historical society manages it, so that admission money goes to restoring the buildings. Food vendors included Dry Creek Mercantile, Slay the Snow, and Boise Best Kettle Korn, and the Hidden Springs Library ran a butter-making activity. It was also the farmhouse's last tour day of the season.
By October, everything moves from the farmstead to the farm itself.
Harvest Weekend on the Community Farm
On the Town Association's printed 2026 calendar, "Harvest Festival at the Farm" is one line under October with no date. The two quarterly newsletters break it into two dated events on back-to-back days.
Saturday, October 10, 2 to 4 p.m. is the Community Farm Harvest Party. The farm warns that dates can change with weather and farm conditions. Questions go to the farm at [email protected] or to the Town Office.
Sunday, October 11 is the Pumpkin Picking Fall Festival, with pumpkin picking, kettle corn, and spots for fall photos. It is open only to Hidden Springs Town Association members, and the newsletter says more details are coming.
The Harvest Party closes out a growing season that ran on volunteer hours. Under the farm's "Share the Work/Share the Harvest" program, residents work the row crops, and the newsletter says the size of the harvest depends on how many volunteers turned out during the season. Volunteers get a share of the crops as they come in. Supervised U-Pick events filled in the rest of the year. The newsletter expected blackberries, sweet corn, beans, and flowers in August, the same again in September with raspberries added, and all donations going to farm improvement projects.
One more date lands on that same Saturday. Fourth-quarter sewer assessments were due October 1 and become delinquent after 5 p.m. on the 10th day of the quarter, when a 10% late fee applies. The 10th falls on a weekend this year. In that case the Town Association asks for payments dropped at its office by noon on the business day before, which this month is Friday, October 9. Staff need that time to drive the payments to Keystone's office in south Meridian.
The Scarecrow Fence Runs Through the Town Office
Scarecrows follow the harvest, and the Town Office handles every step. The frame-and-burlap pickup window was September 21 to 28. Builders who got supplies still have about a week. Here is the rest of the schedule:
- Drop-off by noon, Monday, October 12 at the Town Office, during posted office hours.
- On display October 15 through November 2 along the agricultural field fence at Hidden Springs Drive and North Humphreys Way.
- Ballots are at the Town Office or in the Scarecrow Ballot Box on the fence at Farm Court and North Humphreys Way. Each household gets one ballot.
- Ballots due by noon, November 2.
- Winners announced November 6, with prizes for first, second, and third place.
- Take yours home by end of day November 6. Anything left on the fence is removed and thrown away on November 9.
The deadline comes the Monday after harvest weekend. The display runs into early November, past the end of the farm's season. The 2026 calendar pairs the scarecrows with a Fall House Decorating Contest, but the fall newsletter gives no rules or dates for the house portion, so the Town Office is the place to ask.
Past the Fence, the Cartwright Ridge Lot Is Closed Until Spring
The farmland and orchard are the protected open space inside the village. Past them, public trails head into the foothills, and that is where this fall's one real change is. Ridge to Rivers closed the Cartwright Ridge Trailhead parking lot at 9387 N. Cartwright Road on Monday, August 31. It stays closed through spring 2027. That dirt lot is the way in to Polecat Gulch Reserve and Peggy's Trail. During construction, Ridge to Rivers points hikers to the Polecat Gulch-Collister Trailhead at the end of Collister Drive for the Polecat Loop system. Only the parking area is closed. The Polecat Gulch page lists no other trail conditions or closures.
The lot reopening in spring will look like this:
Before | After | |
|---|---|---|
Parking | 12 unpaved spots | 28 paved stalls, 2 of them accessible |
Horse trailers | No designated area | Designated trailer parking |
Restroom | None listed | Vault restroom |
The $500,000 project is paid for with a $200,000 grant from the Foundation for America's Public Lands and $300,000 from the City of Boise's 2015 Open Space and Clean Water Levy. The land belongs to the Bureau of Land Management, and Owyhee Civil, LLC holds the construction contract. Owyhee Civil also appears on the Ada County Highway District's current project list for underground work on Cartwright Road between Vista De Amor Lane and Pierce Park Lane. Flaggers are controlling lane restrictions there from September 23 through November 6. ACHD updates its closure and lane-restriction listing daily, so check ACHD's roadwork page before a Cartwright drive.
October also brings the first wet trail days. Ridge to Rivers' guidance is to turn around if a trail is wet enough to leave tracks and to check its daily conditions report before heading out. When conditions are borderline, it names Dry Creek as the better choice because of its sandier soil.
Back in the Village After a Wet Morning
Hidden Springs Drive has two indoor options close by. SpringHouse at the Merc, at 5892 W. Hidden Springs Drive, serves lunch and dinner and runs Rooted Coffee on the same site. Its posted hours have Rooted Coffee open Monday through Saturday from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. and the restaurant open Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., with the bar open until 9. Both are listed as closed Sunday, but that page dates back several years, so confirm before a weekend visit. The current menu has starters, salads, tacos, burgers, sandwiches, and desserts, plus a 2 to 5 p.m. happy hour Monday through Thursday. The restaurant's own history says a group of Hidden Springs families took over the Merc from its previous proprietor, Joan.
The Hidden Springs Branch of the Ada Community Library is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and closed Sunday. Its weekly Craft Club for ages 5 and up meets Mondays from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. The Statesman's listing shows October sessions on the 5th, 19th, and 26th.
When the Scarecrows Come Down
The calendar keeps going after the fence is cleared on November 9. The Town Association's Christmas Tree Lighting and Holiday Open House is Friday, November 20, and Jolly Holly visits with Santa follow on Saturday, December 5. Until spring 2027, a Polecat Loop hike starts from the Collister Drive end.
Hayden and I grew up with this valley's fall calendar, and we keep track of what's changing around it, from the Cartwright Ridge rebuild to when that lot reopens. If you'd like to talk about life in Hidden Springs or anything else on your mind this season, Tina Richards Real Estate is always glad to hear from you. Let's Connect.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
