Arboretum debuts Peanuts kids in pumpkin village

The Dallas Arboretum has hosted its themed pumpkin patch display — where more than 100,000 gourds of the squash variety are turned into a colorful vegetable village — for 14 years, and each year organizers pick a theme, whether Peter Pan or The Wizard of Oz. But while a theme based on the Peanuts characters and the Great Pumpkin would have been a natural fit, it never happened due to licensing rights for Charlie Brown and Co.

Well, that drought has ended finally, with Linus, Snoopy, Peppermint Patty and friends welcoming families of all ages to wander through their grove of dazzling pumpkins. But you have to act quickly — this year the village, which usually runs through Thanksgiving or so, ends precisely on Oct. 31, and like the Great Pumpkin himself, when Halloween ends, so do the Peanuts kids.

— Arnold Wayne Jones

Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden. 8525 Garland Road. Through Oct. 31. DallasArboretum.org.