Festivals this weekend
OCT. 1-29› Rocktoberfest: Rock City, 1400 Patten Road, Lookout Mountain, 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays, $22.95 adults, $12.95 ages 3-12; celebration of German music and food, with polka lessons, specialty beer and costumed characters. www.seerockcitycom/rocktoberfest.OCT. 5-22› Gatlinburg Craftsmen’s Fair: Convention Center, 234 Historic Nature Trail, traffic light No. 8 on Gatlinburg Parkway, Gatlinburg, Tenn., 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday, $7 ages 13 and older. www.craftsmenfair.com.OCT. 6-8› Autumn Children’s Festival: Tennessee Riverpark, 4301 Amnicola Highway, Chattanooga, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday, 1-5 p.m. Sunday, free admission, tickets for activities 50 cents to $3; children’s carnival to benefit Ronald McDonald House Charities of Greater Chattanooga. 423-778-4300.› Barnfest: The Barn Nursery, 1801 E. 24th Street Place, Chattanooga, 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday, free; hay rides, pumpkin toss, pumpkin painting, music, barbecue plates for sale. www.facebook.com/TheBarnNursery.› Bluff Park Art Show: Bluff Park Community Center, 517 Cloudland Drive, Hoover, Ala., 9 a.m.-5 p.m. CDT Saturday, free; 150 artists. www.bluffparkartassociation.org.› Boaz Harvest Festival: Downtown Boaz, Ala., Alabama Highway 168, 8 a.m.-6 p.m. CDT Friday-Saturday, free; 53rd year for street fair with 400 vendors, children’s area, contests and classic car show. http://alabama.travel/upcoming-events/boaz-harvest-festival.› Craft and Bake Sale: Cloud Springs Baptist Church gym, 210 Cloud Springs Road, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday, free admission, benefits Golden Agers group of church. 706-866-0164.› Fall Festival: Apison Seventh-day Adventist Church, 11421 Bates Road, Apison, Tenn., 3-6 p.m. Sunday, free but nonperishable food items and cleaning supplies requested to benefit Heaven’s Bounty food bank in Apison, community festival with games, hay rides, crafts, apple cider press, pumpkin decorating, maze. 423-236-4926.› Family Fall Festival: Knights of Columbus property, 7615 Lee Highway, noon-10 p.m. Saturday, free; kids’ activities, music, big-screen football, food and drink sold, raffles. 423-309-5133.› Folk School Festival: John C. Campbell Folk School, 4590 Brasstown Road, Brasstown, N.C., 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, $5 adults, $3 ages 12-17; 250 crafts booths, 40 demonstrating craftsmen, music. www.folkschool.org.› Great Pumpkin Festival: City Hall, Allardt, Tenn., 7 a.m.-7 p.m. CDT Saturday, free, pumpkin weigh-off 10 a.m.-1 p.m., 3 p.m parade, 7 p.m. fireworks finale. www.allardtpumpkinfestial.com› Heritage Day: Marsh House, 308 N. Main St., LaFayette, Ga., 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, free; parade, barbecue plates, tours of mansion, music, vendors, kids’ activities. 706-996-7970.› National Storytelling Festival: Downtown Jonesborough, Tenn., 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Sunday, variety of single event or package prices; 45th annual storytelling event with folk, cultural, ghost and humorous storytelling. www.storytellingcenter.net.› Oktoberfest in Ooltewah: Cambridge Square, 9453 Bradmore Lane, Ooltewah, noon-5 p.m. Saturday, free; German music and 50 vendors selling German food and beer and other products. www.facebook.com/OktoberfestinOoltewah.› Sum-Nelly Arts and Crafts Festival: Dowdy Park, 170 Veterans Memorial Drive, Summerville Ga., 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, free, 100 vendors. 706-859-0910.
This weekend's lineup of festivals offers something for the young and the young at heart. There are children's festivals, heritage festivals, Oktoberfests and arts and crafts shows. Following are some highlights.
* It's all about kids at the Autumn Children's Festival on Saturday and Sunday, where everything - carnival games, art activities, petting zoo and inflatables - is geared to children.
The festival is held at the Tennessee Riverpark. It's free to get inside the festival site, but tickets are sold to play the games. All proceeds benefit Ronald McDonald House Charities of Chattanooga.
Victoria Winchester, RMHC communications manager, says there will be more than 40 games set up and that a crowd favorite, the hayride, is returning.
Pumpkin painting is part of the fun at Barnfest at The Barn Nursery.* Heritage Day in LaFayette, Ga., should be of particular interest to history buffs. In addition to a festival at nearby Joe Stock Park, the historic, 1836 Marsh House will be open to tours. Heritage Day is set for Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Event coordinator Stephanie Wardlaw says there will be a parade, children's games, house tours, traditional crafts, barbecue plates and entertainment all day with bands on the big stage. New this year: petting zoo, crafts vendors and a rock-climbing wall.
* Barnfest will appeal to gardeners young and old on Saturday and Sunday at The Barn Nursery. Activities there will include free hayrides, pumpkin toss, pumpkin painting, pansy planting and music.
* Two events will be held simultaneously in Summerville, Ga., on Saturday.
Steam Into Summerville Railroad Days begins six weeks of festivities in Dowdy Park and Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum train excursions to Summerville. The highlight of Steam Into Summerville Railroad Days will be the double steam engine arrivals on Oct. 28-29.
The Sum-Nelly Arts and Crafts Festival is Saturday in Summerville from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Enjoy the changing fall colors during Rocktoberfest at Rock City Gardens this month. (Photo by Rock City Gardens)More than 100 vendors will be set up in Dowdy Park ranging from quilters and crafters to food vendors.
* Most visitors to Rock City's Rocktoberfest come for the German-themed food and music - but the spectacular views of fall's changing foliage are equally worth a drive up Lookout Mountain.
Each Saturday and Sunday in October from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., there will be German music by The Wurstbrats and the Musik Meisters, polka lessons for guests, Birds of Prey shows at 11 a.m., 1, 3 and 4:30 p.m. and pumpkin painting.
Stop by the pavilion for German food such as bratwursts and beer cheese soup, or try a Rueben and slice of German chocolate cake in the Big Rock Grill from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Café 7 is also featuring a German dish, wienerschnitzel, and is open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Set out on a guided heritage tour at 9 a.m., noon or 3 p.m. to learn about Rock City's founder. Frieda Utermoehlen Carter, and her love of German folklore and fairy tales. You might even run into Ik the Troll King or Rocky the Elf along the way.
- Compiled by staff writer Susan Pierce
Visitors to Summerville, Ga., for Railroad Days can watch the turning of a train engine from the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum each Saturday beginning Oct. 7 through Nov. 11. Steam engine passenger trains also arrive at Summerville's historic depot on Sundays, Oct. 22 and 29 and Nov. 12.