Weekend Outlook: So much time and so little to do. Wait a minute. Strike that. Reverse it.

You're not supposed to wear white after Labor Day, but it is permissible to jump headfirst into all things "fall" -- concerts, festivals ... and the SEMO District Fair.

It's quite a mash up of great food, tunes and activities through Sunday, so you better go to every event. And no, I am not joshing you.

Friday + The Brothers Walker = Tunes at Twilight

The second-to-last Tunes at Twilight hosted by Old Town Cape is today, featuring local touring group The Brothers Walker.

When: 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. today

Where: Ivers Square Gazebo

How much: Free

What to bring: Lawn chair

Get the blues

Cairo Heritage Foundation will be hosting its fifth annual Blues & Gospel Festival today, Saturday and Sunday in downtown Cairo, Illinois, with food, bands, choirs and giveaways.

Each year between 300 and 400 people attend the free, three-day event, vendor coordinator Marsha Cook said.

And according to Cook, this year's festival will feature 25 to 30 food-and-specialty-items vendors.

The entertainment lineup kicks off at 4 p.m. today with Low Dog, Rip Lee Pryor, Joey Odum, Lew Jetton and Oscar Snow, according to the release.

And a full entertainment lineup is scheduled for Saturday, following an 11 a.m. parade, with performances by Ivas John, Cat Daddy'O, Jason Knight, Reggie May and Kingfish.

Following the musical performances by the blues groups will be fireworks Saturday and a gospel festival 3 to 6 p.m. Sunday.

Vendors also will be set up 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. today and Saturday and 1 to 6 p.m. Sunday offering fish, barbecue, home-cooked meals, funnel cakes, Creole cooking and baked goods, hot tamales, mesh wreaths, soaps, oils and apparel.

More details can be found online at heritagebluesfest.com.

Here's to the big 1-6-3!

The SEMO District Fair returns Saturday, bringing with it a new carnival company, 30 amusement rides and more than 80 vendors.

The annual fair parade will begin 9:30 a.m. Saturday at Capaha Park in Cape Girardeau, followed by the annual SEMO Fair Pageant on Sunday.

"Summer's Last Blast" is the theme for this year's 163 SEMO District Fair, following last year's "Party with the Animals" theme, SEMO Fair board of directors member Pete Poe said.

"Last year we had 93,000 [attendees], and we would expect that we would get that number again this year," he said.

This year's carnival rides would be provided by SEMO District Fair newcomer and Arkansas-based company Miller Spectacular Shows, Poe said.

One "pretty nice ride" that borders on "extreme" and is new to Cape Girardeau, he said, is Miller's Sky Wheel, which is a double Ferris wheel.

The attraction was previously owned by Georgia-based Gold Medal Shows, according to the SEMO District Fair website, and is one of a few Sky Wheels currently traveling in the United States.

Entertainment for the week includes a demolition derby, Heartland barrel racing; a hot rod truck and tractor pull, 17th Heartland Idol, contemporary Christian artists Natalie Grant and Citizen Way, modern country artist Granger Smith and classic country group Diamond Rio.

The SEMO District Fair runs Saturday through Sept. 15 at Arena Park.

Tickets for grandstand events and all other details are available online at semofair.com.

SEMO District Fair 2018 Grandstand Entertainment Lineup

• 6 p.m. Saturday | Dual Demo Derby
• 1 p.m. Sunday | Heartland Barrel Racing
• 7 p.m. Monday | 17th Heartland Idol
• 7 p.m. Tuesday | Natalie Grant and Citizen Way
• 8 p.m. Wednesday | Diamond Rio
• 8 p.m. Thursday | Granger Smith
• 7 p.m. Sept. 14 | Hot Rod Truck & Tractor Pull
• 6 p.m. Sept. 15 | Hot Rod Truck & Tractor Pull

jhartwig@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3632