From RiverRocks to Rocktoberfest, festivals on tap today through weekend

photo Oompah bands will entertain during Rocktoberfest, scheduled each Saturday and Sunday in October at Rock City. Bands will perform at 10 a.m., noon, 2 and 4 p.m. each day, and polka dance lessons will be offered at 11:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m.

Cultural heritage celebrations highlight this weekend's festival lineup. Choose from a Civil War sesquicentennial in LaFayette, Ga., to a showcase of traditional Appalachian crafts in Brasstown, N.C., to a salute to Chattanooga's ethnic diversity at Chattanooga Market.

These are the weekend's highlights:

• The population of Brasstown, N.C., (closing in on 1,400 residents) will double this weekend, Oct. 4-5, when the John C. Campbell Folk School hosts its big Fall Festival. It just makes sense that a school that teaches classes in fine art and crafts is going to feature topnotch talent at its show. So this show draws visitors from across the Southeast to view the work of 200 exhibitors plus 40 more artists demonstrating traditional and contemporary arts. Folk, gospel and bluegrass music will fill the air from two stages that change acts every 40 minutes.

To get there, take the Cleveland Bypass off I-75 North (Exit 20) and follow Highway 64 East through Ocoee, continuing on Highway 64 East. When you reach Murphy, N.C., turn right at Tri-County Community College and follow signs to the Folk School.

• Marsh House Heritage Day on Saturday, Oct. 4, in LaFayette, Ga., is being held in conjunction with the 150th anniversary of the Civil War skirmish in LaFayette on Oct. 12, 1864. The battle was one of the last of the war to take place in Northwest Georgia. Admission to the 1836 Marsh House is discounted to $1 for a tour led by a costumed guide.

Food and crafts vendor booths will be spread across the grounds of the historic home, and local performers will entertain on a nearby stage. A trip to the Marsh House will be of interest to any Civil War buff for its role in history as the site where Confederate Gen. Braxton Bragg planned the Battle of Chickamauga.

WHAT TO CHECK OUT THIS WEEKENDOCT. 2-26• RiverRocks: Three weeks of rock climbing, trail running, kayaking, rowing, swimming, off-road biking, paddling and cycling in the mountains and on the waterways of the Tennessee Valley. River Rocks opens tonight at 7:30 with an outdoor movie in Renaissance Park. "I Believe I Can Fly" is the story of two friends who are pioneers in highlining. Friday at noon, the festival continues with a vendors fair in Coolidge Park before sporting events begin Saturday at 7:30 a.m. with the Rock/Creek Stump Jump 50K at Signal Mountain Middle School. For more information, schedule and entry fees, check riverrockschattanooga.com.OCT. 3-5• Arts and Crafts Fall Festival: L&N Depot, Highway 411, Etowah, Tenn., 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, noon-5 p.m. Sunday, free. 423-263-2228.• Autumn Children's Festival: Tennessee Riverpark, Amnicola Highway, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday, 1-5 p.m. Sunday, free admission, charge for children's games 50 cents to $3, benefits Ronald McDonald House Charities of Chattanooga. rmhchattanooga.com.• Craft/Bake Sale: Cloud Springs Baptist Church, 210 Cloud Springs Road, Fort Oglethorpe, Ga., 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday, free. 706-866-0164.• CultureFest: Chattanooga Market, First Tennessee Pavilion, 1829 Reggie White Blvd., 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday, free. chattanoogamarket.com• Fall Festival: John C. Campbell Folk School, Highway 64, Brasstown, N.C., seven miles east of Murphy, N.C., 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday-Sunday, $5 adults, $3 ages 12-17. folkschool.org.• Gatlinburg Fine Arts Festival: Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts campus, 556 Parkway, Gatlinburg, Tenn., 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Friday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday, free. www.gfaf.net.• Great Pumpkin Festival: Allardt, Tenn. Weigh-off awards $2,000 in prizes to winning pumpkin, watermelon and green squash, 10 a.m.-1 p.m. CDT at city hall; Pumpkin Run at 7:30 a.m.; costume contest for kids 12 and under; music, arts and crafts; auto and motorcycle show; parade at 3 p.m.; fireworks at 7 p.m. allardtpumpkinfestival.com.• Marsh House Heritage Day: Marsh House, 308 N. Main St., LaFayette, Ga., 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, $1 admission to historic house for tour led by costumed guide. 706-764-2081.• Punkin Festival: Kids Park, 150 Depot St., Soddy-Daisy, 10 a.m.-dark Saturday, arts, crafts, food, music, inflatables; opens with Great Punkin Chase 5K ($25) and 1-mile fun walk ($18) to benefit Ronald McDonald House (register at www.active.com). 423-332-2189, 423-718-1735.• Quilt Show: Mount Olive Church of God, 3533 Harrison Pike, Cleveland, Tenn., 8 a.m.-7 p.m. Friday, 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, $3 includes chance at drawing for quilt. 423-472-7567.• Rocktoberfest: Rock City Gardens, 1400 Patten Road, Lookout Mountain, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays during October, included in gate admission of $22.95 adults, $12.95 children. 706-820-2531.• Rugby Appalachian Heritage Day: Historic Rugby, Tenn., Highway 52, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, free, living history demonstrations, crafters, children's activities on Saturday, commemoration of founding of Rugby colony on Sunday. 888-757-5310.

• The largest showcase of this city's international communities takes place Sunday, Oct. 5, during the CultureFest at Chattanooga Market.

The food, music, dance and art of area ethnic groups will be featured in a Parade of Nations, muticultural fashion show, performance contest and art exhibition.

"We view CultureFest as an excellent opportunity to promote global awareness and competency in our community and to learn what makes each of our cultures distinctive," says Gladys Pineda-Loher, director of Chattanooga's International Community Outreach Office.

• A trip to Rock City during October is a great way to view fall foliage, and having a beer garden nearby sure adds to the fun. Rock City's square has been transformed with harvest foliage to celebrate the season as well as all things German during its ninth Rocktoberfest, each Saturday and Sunday this month. Enjoy a German meal with specialty beer on tap in the beer garden, then work dinner off dancing to the oompah bands at the Polka Stage.

• It's all about kids at the Tennessee Riverpark on Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 4-5, when the 25th Autumn Children's Festival will be underway. Sponsored by the Chattanooga chapter of the Tennessee Society of Certified Financial Planners, this carnival is a fundraiser for Ronald McDonald House Charities of Greater Chattanooga.

Visitors will park in one of the Riverpark's fields and ride a shuttle to the festival site, where a large circle of tents and booths will be set up offering all kinds of carnival games, pumpkin painting, arts and crafts, face painting, petting zoo, pony rides, inflatables and other activities.

Admission to the festival area is free, but parents will need to buy tickets for their kids at the booths. Activities are priced from 50 cents to $3.

New to the festival this weekend will be a giant sandbox, complete with toys for kids to play in the sand, says Victoria Tropiano, public relations spokeswoman for Ronald McDonald House Charities of Greater Chattanooga. Even Ronald McDonald himself is coming to this carnival. The clown with the big red shoes will present a magic show Saturday at noon.

Contact Susan Pierce at spierce@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6284.

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