On the road to fall festivals

As evening temperatures drop and the seasons change, orange-and-red accented country roads beckon drivers who might want to get out and go nowhere in particular. But for those who want a weekend destination and perhaps a taste of apple butter, the first two weekends in October are full of regional opportunities.

Fall festivals in the area are almost as ubiquitous as fallen leaves this time of year.

"It's just a fun time of the year," said Rick Jones, a Bollinger County Fall Harvest Festival volunteer.

Thousands will enjoy apple cider, crafts and music at the fall harvest festival in Frohna, Mo. The Oct. 9 event is "a celebration of fall and harvest time," said Sarah Swinney, curator of the Saxon Lutheran Memorial at Frohna. The festival is also a fund raiser for the memorial.

Many of the activities at the festival recall the history of Frohna and many towns in Perry County, where German immigrants from the state of Saxony settled in 1839 and established seven colonies that became the foundation for the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod.

Saxon Lutheran Memorial, a 30-acre property on which a homestead built by one of the original settlers still stands, is meant to be "a memorial to all the Saxon Germans who came over," Swinney said. "It's a memorial to their dedication, perseverance and faith in God."

During the festival, the memorial is full of demonstrators, some in period costume, making apple butter, baking bread, pressing cider and doing woodworking in the memorial's new woodworking shop.

"It's like walking into a history book," Swinney said of the experience.

Octoberfest welcomes fall

In Cape Girardeau County, the Black Forest Octoberfest is coming.

The 1870s town replica of Black Forest Village north of Cape Girardeau holds its annual Octoberfest Oct. 9 and 10, featuring crafts, food and bluegrass music. There will also be pumpkins for sale, fresh kettle corn and a giant straw bale maze.

In Southern Illinois, Union County holds its annual Union County Colorfest Oct. 9 and 10. The colorfest offers an array of activities throughout the weekend, mostly in Anna, Ill., including tours of historic homes, Pumpkin Town USA, horse-drawn surrey rides and the annual colorfest biathlon on Saturday.

A fall festival like colorfest is a good way to bring in visitors and promote the county, said Carol Hoffman of the Southernmost Illinois Tourism Bureau.

This year, a children's festival will also be held from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 9 at the Anna City Park to raise money for the Children's Medical Resource Network. The festival will feature food, health screenings, story time, a picture booth, face painting and a first-time Wiener Dog Derby.

More long-standing is Pumpkin Town USA, which has been put together by the Clyde L. Choate Mental Health and Development Center in Anna for nine years.

During colorfest weekend, the grounds of the center will be full of decorations exploring this year's theme of classic television shows incorporating 250 pumpkins, 300 bales of straw and 150 mums.

Cobden, Ill., gets involved in colorfest with an arts and crafts that will be held from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 9 and 10 in a space next to village hall off old Highway 51.

Charleston, Mo., is entering the fall festival frenzy with the Show-Me Days Fall Festival on Saturday and Sunday. The event is being held by the Charleston Merchants Group, a subcommittee of the Charleston Chamber of Commerce.

The festival will feature an antique show, a classic car show, a motorcycle show, a fashion show and a prayer breakfast. In addition, downtown Charleston will be full of artisans selling their works.

In Marble Hill, Mo., Bollinger County is holding a fall harvest festival Friday and Saturday with activities that would be at home in any small-town fair. Activities include an antique tractor pull, a barbecue cook-off, a parade and a pie-eating contest.

"We'll have about 3,000 people out there," volunteer Rick Jones said. And not just people from Bollinger County, although those making the trip from a distance might consider themselves more fortunate.

"It's a beautiful drive for people who want to visit," Jones said.

kalfisi@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 182

Upcoming fall events

What: Show-Me Days Fall Festival

When: 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and 12 to 4 p.m. Sunday

Where: Downtown Charleston, Mo.

Info: (573) 683-6509

What: Bollinger County Fall Harvest Festival

When: 6 to 10 p.m. Saturday and 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday

Where: Marble Hill town ballfield

Info: (573) 934-2688 or (573) 238-2606

What: Black Forest Village's Octoberfest

When: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 9 and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Oct. 10

Where: Black Forest Village, 2728 County Road 638, about four miles north of Cape Girardeau

Info: (573) 335-0899

What: Union County Colorfest

When: Oct. 9 and 10

Where: Various locations within Union County, Illinois

Info: (800) 248-4373

What: Saxon Lutheran Memorial Fall Festival

When: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Oct 9

Where: Saxon Lutheran Memorial in Frohna, Mo.

Info: (573) 824-5404