Pam Anderson of Compacity takes children on a train ride at the third annual Fall Festival hosted by Elijah’s Retreat in Jacksonville on Saturday.

JACKSONVILLE – It was a beautiful day in the Piney Woods of Jacksonville for a fun-filled fall festival.

For the third year, Elijah’s Retreat provided tons of activities for the whole family on Saturday with bandit hayrides, pony rides, balloon animals, face painting, barrel train, yard battle, goat scramble, petting zoo, putt-putt golf, bounce houses, race cars, and more for its annual Fall Festival.

Elijah’s Retreat was founded by Jeff and Kathie Moore in 2009 after their grandson, Elijah, was diagnosed with autism. They created the retreat as a safe place for families facing autism to go and enjoy time together.

In January 2018, Cheryl Torres began as director. Torres, who has a background in foster care and adoption, knows from years of experience the importance of nurturing attachments between children and families.

Torres said the festival was a way to allow them to assist families who are touched by autism by making stays affordable.

“The festival is a critical fundraiser for Elijah’s Retreat to keep the cost at a minimum for families facing autism,” she said. “It’s also a way to spread awareness about autism and provides kids facing autism a chance to relax and calm down.”

Libbi Smith, of Dallas, said she and her family visited the ranch in September and were excited to come back for the festival.

“I was looking for some place quite and tranquil for me and my family to stay. I did some research and found Elijah’s Retreat. We stayed two nights in September and absolutely fell in love with the place,” Smith said. “The kids didn’t want to leave so when we found out about the festival we knew we would be making the trip.”

The retreat focuses on outdoor adventures and interaction with therapeutic animals.

“We strive to create a beautiful, peaceful setting for families to disconnect from schedules and simply see the world through their child’s eyes as they explore nature and animals with new excitement. We provide comfortable cabins and numerous opportunities for families to relax, reconnect and create lasting memories,” Torres said. “We are a 50-acre Dude Ranch where the entire family can come together and explore nature the way they want.”

Torres also stated that the retreat has to turn away more reservations then they can accept and is in the process of expanding.

“We served over 240 families facing autism but unfortunately had to turn away 414 families, that is almost double. We knew we needed more space and availability so we are in the process of building a fourth cabin,” Torres said.

At $45 a night and a $30 reservation fee, the retreat provides a two-bedroom cabin with full kitchen, washer and dryer, bonfire pit, grill, hammocks and amenities for families that struggle to get away due to traveling with an autistic child and expenses.

All of the activities at the retreat are included in the cost of the cabin rental. Free Wi-Fi is available in the Welcome Center and Activity Barn.

The event, sponsored by Baker Insurance, also included a sensory friendly zone, vendor booths along with food and beverage booths and a raffle for first, second and third place with prize money totaling $1,750.

For more information regarding Elijah’s Retreat, booking cabins and volunteer opportunities, visit www.elijahsretreat.com or call 713-294-0690.