Goodbye, summer!

It's time to hop on board for fall with autumn hay rides and fun around the campfire at Trailside Nature & Science Center in Mountainside.

Tickets for these outings must be purchased in advance, and seating for the hay rides is limited. Rides begin at 6:30 p.m. on the Friday evenings of Sept. 21; Oct. 5, 12, 19; and at 3:30 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 14.

Tickets can be purchased every day:

• from noon to 5:00 p.m. at Trailside Nature & Science Center, 452 New Providence Road, Mountainside;
• weekdays between 8:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. at the Union County Administration Building, Department of Parks & Community Renewal, 2nd Floor, 10 Elizabethtown Plaza at Rahway Avenue in Elizabeth; or
• at the Union County Services Building, 300 North Avenue East, in Westfield, from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday; 12:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Thursday; and 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Friday.

No tickets will be sold at the hay rides. The cost is $5 for Union County residents and $10 for out-of-county participants.

These events are sponsored by the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders.

For further information, call Trailside Nature and Science Center at 908-789-3670; or the Union County Department of Parks & Community Renewal at 908-527-4900; or visit the Union County website at www.ucnj.org.