This weekend at Valley View Farms in Timonium:

Using Collected Material for Bonsai, Saturday, 9:00 a.m. Many wonderful projects begin with material found in the wild or in the neighbor’s yard. Martha will show everyone what to look for. She will also discuss how to get your bonsai ready for the winter ahead.

The Great Pumpkin Seed Contest, Saturday, noon. Before Valley View cuts open the Great Pumpkin, turn in your guess: how many seeds inside the giant orange orb. The first person to correctly guess wins a $300 gift card from Valley View Farms. WBAL’s chief meteorologist Tom Tasselmeyer is our official seed counter.

Department 56 event, Saturday and Sunday, all day. See the Lighted Christmas Village and meet John Hessler, Valley View's own Dept. 56 master village builder, Saturday at noon. He will demonstrate how to build and put the special finishing touches on your display that make it truly unique.

On Sunday, from 1-4 p.m., Dept. 56 head designer Scott Enter will be on hand to sign Dept. 56 items purchased at Valley View Farms this weekend. And Dept. 56 representative Cathy Kramer will be here to answer questions and share her knowledge.

Special guest Ken Schwarz, founder of the second oldest collector’s club (Chesapeake 56) and author of "Dicken’s Village, the First Ten Years" will be available on both Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. to answer any of your Dept. 56 questions.

The purchase of any Dept. 56 item this weekend enters you in an hourly drawing (1-4pm) for valuable signed retired pieces. Must be present to win.

Saturday, 7 a.m., a special half-price sale of last year's display pieces and retired pieces. Special holiday value sets of Dickens Village, Snow Village, Christmas in the City, North Pole and New England Village.

Holiday lighting tips: Sunday, 1 to 4 p.m., Valley View Farms lighting expert Don Hagewiesch will be on hand to discuss indoor and outdoor lighting techniques. He will show you how to turn your home and landscape into your very own winter wonderland.

Photo courtesy of Dept. 56