The third weekend of October means Alabama-Tennessee game for football fans. But for festival fans, it's time for a road trip to Powell's Crossroads to Ketner's Mill Country Fair.
You'll find about 150 craft and food vendors set up around the historic mill's grounds in this beautiful outdoor setting on Saturday and Sunday. There are musicians and cloggers performing throughout each day, horse-drawn wagon rides, canoe rides and visitors can tour the mill.
Kids can watch a mule turn an old-fashioned sorghum press as it squeezes sugar from raw sugar cane or they can pet animals in the petting zoo put on by the Marion County 4-H Club. Most likely, they'll just want to skip rocks across the rippling millstream.
A trip to Ketner's should be on everyone's bucket list. It's a day of family fun with something for everyone from grandparents to toddlers.
* The sixth Bird & Barn sale begins Wednesday, Oct. 23, with a new Early Bird Night preview. Then the show opens to the public on Thursday, Oct. 24.
One of the first true barn sales in this region, Bird & Barn is held at Black Fox Farms on Varnell Road in Cleveland, Tennessee. Although there are just two dozen vendors, they have been chosen for quality merchandise. No kitschy crafts here.
Early Bird Night offers exclusive shopping hours and first dibs on merchandise, with live music and hors d'oeuvres. The $40 ticket includes admission for a return trip Oct. 24. It's a great idea for a girls night out.
A general admission to Bird & Barn is $10, or $25 for a premium ticket, which includes a Project Free 2 Fly necklace and vendor coupons worth more than $100. Tickets for either can be bought at www.projectfree2fly.com, which the sale benefits.
* Two days of fall fun are scheduled in downtown Chickamauga, Georgia, for this year's Pumpkin Festival on Friday and Saturday.
"Movie in the Streets" is a warm-up party Friday from 7 to 10 p.m. on Crittenden Avenue. Bring a folding chair or blanket for a free screening of "Hocus Pocus." You might want to arrive early enough to eat dinner downtown before the film.
Between the hours of 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. Saturday, the free Pumpkin Festival will offer food, music, crafts, games, pumpkin- carving contest, cornhole tournament, Doggone Howl-a-ween and a noon dog costume contest.
Saturday wraps up with the Monster Mash Block Party, beginning at 7 p.m. Little boys and ghouls will want to be there right at 7 o'clock to collect candy at Trunk or Treat.
Downtown streets will be closed as creatures of the night come out to dance and compete in a costume contest at 7:30. Contestants will be divided by ages: infants to age 5, ages 6-12 and ages 13 and older. Anyone wishing to participate must register at the train depot between 4 and 6 p.m.
The "Thriller" dance contest will begin at 8:30 p.m., culminating with a dance-off between the top three finalists.
Between 7 and 10 p.m., Phil's Cruise-In will be held in the street in front of Phil's Primetime Pizza. All cruise-in participants must bring candy for a trunk or treat out of their cars. Since the street in front of Phil's will be closed and other festival activities will be happening in that closed part of town, cruise-in participants will not be able to drive out before 10 p.m.
Contact Susan Pierce at spierce@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6284.
Festivals this weekend
OCT. 17-26
* North Georgia Agricultural Fair: 500 Legion Drive, Dalton, Ga., gates open weekdays at 5 p.m., 11 a.m. Saturday and 12:30 p.m. Sunday, $2-$6; agricultural fair with carnival rides, crafts, music, exhibits. 706-278-1712
OCT. 18-20
* Black Bear Festival: City Park, 1400 N. Third Ave., Chatsworth, Ga., 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday, $3 ages 7 and older. http://www.blackbearfest.net/
* Cleveland Apple Festival: Bradley County Courthouse Square, 155 N. Ocoee St., Cleveland, Tenn., 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday, 1-6 p.m. Sunday, $5 adults, $4 senior adults and children ages 4-12, $25 family pass for two adults and up to four children; craft and food vendors, music, free kids zone for ages 12 and under. http://clevelandapplefestival.org/
* Colorfest: Brow Park, Lake Street at East River Road, Mentone, Ala., 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday (all times Central), free; music, children's area, craft and food vendors. MentoneColorfest@gmail.com
* Days of Yesteryear: 17900 Highway 127, Dunlap, Tenn., 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, noon-4 p.m. Sunday (all times Central), free; food and craft vendors, kids contests, hay rides, antique tractor and engine show, classic car cruise-in noon-4 p.m. Saturday. 423-554-3276
* Georgia Apple Festival: Ellijay Lions Club Fairgrounds, 1729 S. Main St., Ellijay, Ga., 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday, $5 ages 11 and older; 300 vendors, 10 a.m. parade Saturday in downtown Ellijay. https://www.georgiaapplefestival.org/information.aspx
* Gold Rush Days: Downtown Dahlonega, Ga., 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday-Sunday, free; 300 vendors in festival sponsored by Dahlonega Jaycees. www.dahlonegajaycees.com
* Halloween Bash Craft Show: East Ridge Recreation Center, 1517 Tombras Ave., 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday, free admission, craft show with all-ages costume contest. 423-598-2538
* Harvest of Art: Rhea County Welcome Center, junction of U.S. 27 and Main Street, Dayton, Tenn., 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Friday and Saturday, free; art show and sale of new work by Dayton Arts League members, pastel portrait artist Jane Campbell on-site. 423-775-5122
* Ketner's Mill Country Fair: Ketner's Mill, between Tennessee Highways 27 and 28 near Whitwell, Tenn., 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday, 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Sunday (all times Eastern), $7 ages 13 and older; 150 craft and food vendors, music, hayrides, tours of operational 1882 mill. https://www.ketnersmill.org/
* Oktoberfest: Knights of Columbus Fairgrounds, 2892 U.S. 70, Crossville, Tenn., 11:30 a.m.-9:30 p.m. CDT Friday- Saturday, $7.50 ages 14 and older; German food, Bavarian bands, beer and dancing. crossvilleoktoberfest.com/
* Pumpkin Festival: Downtown Chickamauga, Ga., 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday, free, food and craft vendors, music, games, pumpkin-carving contest, sponsored by Chickamauga Merchants Association. https://www.facebook.com/events/chickamauga-georgia/6th-annual-pumpkin-festival/338465577046141/
* Pumpkin Palooza 7: East Washington Street, Summerville, Ga., 1:30 p.m. Saturday. Build a pumpkin racer and compete for prizes and trophies in the pumpkin derby at 1:30 p.m. The Great Pumpkin Party also includes pumpkin decorating, pumpkin pies and other food vendors, craft vendors and arrival of the TVRM passenger train. 706-859-0900, ext. 13337.
* Webb School Art and Craft Show: Webb School campus, 319 Webb Road, and downtown Bell Buckle, Tenn., 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday (all times Central), free, several hundred crafts vendors with shuttle from campus to town. https://bellbucklechamber.com/webb-school-art-craft-fair-press-release-photos/
OCT. 23-24
* Bird & Barn Sale: Black Fox Farms, 2724 Varnell Road, Cleveland, Tenn., 6-9 p.m. Wednesday, VIP night preview party, 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Thursday open to general public. Tickets $10-$40, benefits Project Free 2 Fly. projectfree2fly.com/