"Fall may be my new favorite season.  I have an extreme fondness for pumpkins suddenly," Logan said as they strolled hand in hand towards the town square.  Rory squeezed his hand and blushed.  They looked around the town noting how Taylor had outdone himself this year.  The whole town was a fall wonderland.  The gazebo was decorated with corn stalks and fake leaves.  Bales of hay were strategically grouped with pumpkins on and around them.  It seemed like every inch of the town was decorated.  Rory was glad she was wearing her festive lei. 

Taylor had arranged all the tables and games in an efficient design that allowed people to wander from stand to stand.  Exact to the map he had produced, food was intertwined with games.  There was an old fashioned ticket booth set up for the hay rides.  Taylor oversaw the entire event from his post in that booth.

"Rory, so good to see you at a town event.  We miss your presence at these things.  You used to take such an active role before you became a globe-trotting, hob-nobber," Taylor said as they passed.

"I haven't hob-nobbed much lately, Taylor.  I will be stationed in Hartford from here on out.  I just accepted a new position.  So you will see me at more of these events,"  Rory told him.

"Oh good. It is important to remember your roots, young lady.  We won't all be here forever you know,"  Taylor said.

"Oh please, you'll be running this town forever, Taylor,"  Miss Patty said as she walked up.  She hugged Rory and said, "Well now, who have you brought home Rory?"

"Miss Patty, you remember Logan.  I brought him to the maze a couple years ago,"  Rory said as Logan shook her hand.

"Oh yes, of course, I never forget a handsome face.  I'm so glad you could make it to our little festival, Logan," Patty said as she batted her eyes at Logan.  "We'll have an apple bob later.  I'll bet you are very good at sinking your teeth into forbidden fruit, aren't you dear?" she said inching closer to Logan and toying with a sunflower on his hat.

"Ummmm..." Logan began.

"Oh leave him alone, Patty.  Rory, so good to see ya, Sugah!"  Babette said as she squeezed Rory tightly around the waist.

"Nice hat.  How's it hanging, man?"  Maury said to Logan.

"Oh, thanks,"  Logan said tipping the brim towards Mary.  "Just taking it all in,"  Logan said.

"I dig it, man.  That's the way,"  Maury said.

"Maury!  We need to get our nuts ready!  We should be in our booth already!"  Babette yelled up at him.  "You stop by later, Sugah, I'll save you some nuts!  You know how fast our nuts go.  People just love the nuts!"

They saw Lorelai and Luke across the square and started walking towards them.   Luke immediately looked at Lorelai and said, "No.  Just no.  I don't care if Logan is wearing it.  I'm not. I'm here, that's good enough.  No hat."

Lorelai rolled her eyes and said, "Keep that up and I will make the Grinch costume for Christmas."  She looked at Logan, "Obviously you appreciate my creative talents and are secure enough to wear flowers."  Lorelai  shot Luke a narrowed eye look.  He just crossed his arms over his chest and shook his head.  She gave an exaggerated sigh, looked at Rory, and straightened some of the leaves on her lei.  "Loving it, really highlights your eyes.  Doesn't she just look spectacular, Logan?"

Logan and Rory shared a quick look and smile, then he said, "I like the look."

"Ewwww, I don't like THAT look!  And I officially do not want to know," Lorelai said.

Rory quickly ended the conversation and said, "If we are going to get through our plan, we better get started." 

"Babbette's nuts first?"  Logan asked.  When Rory nodded, he and Luke started walking in that direction.  They started laughing and talking about Taylor.

Lorelai linked her arm through Rory's as they followed the men.  "So, really? Frisky fall flora?"

A short while later, they were stuffed on nuts, lemonade, churros, and pizza.  Luke and Logan had declined the burgers.  Rory and Lorelai were just finishing fries as they all walked towards the game booths.   They hit the Kim's booth first.

"Lane!"  Rory said running up to hug her friend. "God, it has been forever!"

"I know, busy reporter lady!  We need to see each other more now that you will be in Hartford.  The calls are not enough,"  Lane said.

"Agreed.  Where are Zach and the boys?"  Rory asked.

"They are over at the pumpkin decorating booth.  Zach was going to help Kwan make a pumpkin that looked like Steven Tyler,"  Lane said.

"I 'd like to see that.  Did he have a plan for the mouth?"  Rory asked laughing.  "Hi Mrs. Kim.  How are you?"

"Hello Rory.  I am very well.  Who is the boy?"  Mrs. Kim asked.

"This is Rory's boyfriend, Mama.  I think you met him a few years ago,"  Lane said.

"Still the boyfriend?  Why are you not married?"  Mrs. Kim looked at Rory and said, "Women need to marry and have children."

"Yes, I have been showing her pictures of pregnant barefoot women for months now. We will work on that, Mrs. Kim,"  Lorelai said.  "Oh look, there's Sookie and Jackson.  We should go say hi.  We'll catch up with you later," she said as she hurried the group along.

As they walked to Sookie and Jackson's kiddie Pumpkin Chuckin' booth, Logan said to Luke, "It really is like that movie last night.  You just can't predict what the characters will say."

"Nope.  It's never what you think.  Ever.  It is always crazier and weirder.  I've lived here my whole life.  I swear I am the only normal one,"  Luke said.

"Hi guys!  Care to chuck a pumpkin?  Jackson saw this on some tv show and somehow managed to convince Taylor to let us do it.  He made us assume all responsibility and sign a waiver in the case of an accident," Sookie said.

"In the show, they launched the pumpkins on a catapult thing.  Man, they really got air and smashed. Taylor rejected that idea. No catapults.  But, we improvised and the kids love this.  I grew all these pumpkins myself and pre-sliced them so they explode when they fall.  Really all they have to do is roll them off the table,"  Jackson explained as Davy and Martha demonstrated.  They hopped up and down when the pumpkin rolled off the table and split in two.  Seeds and pulp went everywhere.

"So instead of dealing with hay that won't go away, we're going to smell rotting pumpkin guts that are embedded in the grass for months?"  Luke said.

" 'Hay that won't go away?' A smell in the town that makes you frown? Maybe it will summon The Great Pumpkin, Linus,"  Lorelai said.

Rory started laughing at their bickering and quickly said, "Is it hayride time?" to diffuse the situation. 

"Oooh, yeah, let's go,"  Lorelai said.

"That's like cutting the cake at a wedding, right?  Almost the end?"  Luke said.

"Oh zip it, Luke,"  Lorelai said smiling.  "Have you guys gone on a ride yet?" she asked Sookie and Jackson.

"Yeah, didn't go too well.  You see, I kind of tripped getting on and pulled four bales off the wagon," she said as she reenacted the incident.  "One of them bumped Davy into the horse's leg.  The horse made a loud snort.  That caused Martha to scream... which caused the horse to start moving while people were getting on the wagon.  There were bales and people everywhere,"  Sookie said.  "No, I don't think we'll go again.  Actually...I don't really think we're allowed."

"That's probably a good decision, in the best interest of all people and animals involved,"  Lorelai said.  "Ok, we'll see you later."

"Be really careful getting on that thing!"  Sookie yelled after them.

As they walked away, Luke nodded at Logan and said, "The only normal one in the entire town.  Always crazier and weirder.  Always."

"Ok folks, please board the wagon slowly and carefully," sniff, sniff, sniff, "We have already had an incident tonight that escalated rather quickly," aaaachooo, aaaaaaccchhooo, "Again, please board in an orderly and cautious manner,"  Taylor said rubbing his eyes.

"How are the allergies, Taylor?"  Lorelai said as she purposely sidestepped and pretended to fall.

"Lorelai, mind your step! Aaaaaachoooo!  No talking until safely seated and secure on the wagon!"  Taylor said.

The hayride took them all around town.  Rory and Lorelai pointed out different spots and things around town for Logan.  They tried to convince Kirk, who was the driver of the wagon, to let them off at their house, but he was under strict unloading regulations from Taylor.

After being returned to the festival to safely disembark the wagon at the proper unloading zone, Rory and Lorelai had ice cream cones in hand for the walk home.

"Who would have guessed pumpkin spice ice cream was so good?"  Lorelai said.

"I think the candy corn they used as sprinkles really make it,"  Rory said.

"You two never cease to amaze me with your disgusting consumption of junk," Luke said as he carried a bag containing a churro for Paul Anka.

"Depending on what's going on, we have to try to get back for round two of this!"  Logan said as they arrived at Luke and Lorelai's house.  "I did a lot with the Life and Death Brigade, but a visit to this town is right up there."