By Alaina Denean Deshazo | The Selma Times-Journal
October will be a much different month this year at Paul M. Grist State Park than last.

Last year, the state of Alabama shut down Paul M. Grist State Park amid budget cuts. The park was closed for almost two months before reopening under the Dallas County Commission.

This October, the park will be open and running and hopefully packed with visitors for a fall festival being planned.

“We are very excited people are going to get to come out, and if they’ve never been to the park before, they’re going to be amazed at just how beautiful all the trees are with the changing color of the leaves,” said Anita Ellison, coordinator of the event.

“This is what we’ve worked for all year.”

The festival, set to take place Saturday, Oct. 22, will feature a hayride, pony rides, games and more.

Ellison said they are also going to have a pumpkin patch and a concert.

“The facility is here for [the community] to use. At this day in time, people are either watching TV or looking at their cell phones, and if we can reach the parents or the adult community, they will bring the kids out, and that’s something that we are hoping to get out,” Ellison said.  “There’s so many people that live in this area that don’t even know it exists. We’ve done several things to get our name out there and let people know that we are here.”

Ellison is president of a group called Friends of Paul M. Grist State Park, which can be found on Facebook.

“I went into the grocery store and someone came up to me, and said, ‘We are so excited, and we’ll be there,’ so people are starting to recognize it and are already making plans to come,” Ellison said. “We are all just tickled to death.”

The festival will begin at 9 a.m. and there is a $5 admission fee for those ages 5 and up. The pumpkin patch will also cost $5.  Music will begin around 2 p.m.

There is also an opportunity for local vendors to set up a booth to participate for $10. More than 30 vendors have already signed up.

Anyone interested in becoming a vendor can contact Ellison at 419-3271.

Paul M. Grist State Park is located at 1546 Grist Road between Selma and Plantersville.