Feels like fall: A roundup of festivals in October

__Beggs Family Farm Fall Harvest Festival Days__

Through Oct. 31, Beggs Family Farm will be open throughout the week for its annual Fall Harvest Festival Days.

A number of activities will be available for children and adults alike, including a corn maze, pig races, gemstone mining, a rope maze, wagon rides and pumpkin picking, among others.

Hours vary throughout the week and can be found at beggsfamilyfarm.com.

Admission to the farm is $11, and children younger than 2 get in free.

__Uptown Jackson Oktoberfest__

From 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 10, come to uptown Jackson at the intersection of Main and High Streets for the third annual Oktoberfest, sponsored by the Uptown Jackson Revitalization Organization.

With authentic German food, beer and fun events for the whole family, this event is sure to please. Live music will be provided by Clockwork, the Red Goat Band and Pat Schwent with her German Bierfass Band.

The second annual firetruck parade and firefighters' games will begin at 11 a.m. Smokey Bear and Sparky the Fire Dog will be there to help teach children fire and emergency safety. There also will be a children's obstacle course, smokehouse, Missouri State Highway Patrol seat belt simulator and air evacuation.

A new event will be added this year: the Super Farmer Games. Entry for the games is $5 per contestant, and games will consist of a hay bale toss, water carry, tire change, calf roping, stick horse rodeo and agriculture trivia.

There also will be a Cruisin' Uptown Car Show, a doughnut-eating contest, face painting, chalk art, pumpkin painting, a costumed pet parade and more.

There is no entrance fee, and the event is open to all ages. Armbands will be given to those old enough who wish to drink alcohol.

__Historic Downtown Sikeston's Cotton Festival & Antique Tractor Show__

Starting at 10 a.m. on Oct. 10 at the American Legion Park in Sikeston, Missouri, Historic Downtown Sikeston will present its annual Cotton Festival & Antique Tractor Show.

This festival provides the unique experience of picking cotton for children of all ages. Community arts and crafts will be on display, and antique tractors will be available for public viewing.

Three different live music acts will perform at the festival, and there will be food vendors and an open farmers market.

There is no entrance fee for the event.

__Sikeston Jaycee and Woods Quick Chek Oktoberfest__

Sikeston Jaycee and Woods Quick Chek will host Oktoberfest from 3 p.m. to midnight on Oct. 10 at the Sikeston Jaycee Bootheel Rodeo Grounds.

Live music will be provided by The Big Idea, Ukes of Hazzard and Samuel L. Smith and Friends. A kids zone will be open with pumpkin and face painting. Craft beer will be available for sampling from 3 to 6 p.m., and a home brew competition will take place with judging scheduled for 2 p.m.

Tickets for the event are $5 when pre-purchased at the rodeo ticket office, or $8 at the gate. Children 10 and younger get in free.

__Dexter Fall Fest__

Visit Stoddard Street in historic downtown Dexter, Missouri, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Oct. 10 for the annual Fall Fest.

With more than 50 vendors annually, Fall Fest offers all kinds of crafts, food and information about businesses in the area at booths along Stoddard Street.

Three different musical groups will perform from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. during the festival. Children will be able to participate in a number of crafts, including pumpkin decorating.

A pie-eating contest is scheduled for noon, and the Fall Fest Beauty Pageant will be at 1 p.m.

There is no entrance fee for the event.

__35th Annual Saxon Lutheran Memorial Fall Festival__

Join the community of Frohna, Missouri, for the 35th annual Saxon Lutheran Memorial Fall Festival from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Oct. 10. Started in 1980 to commemorate the 1839 immigration of Saxon Germans to the United States, the festival is a tribute to and celebration of the history of Perry County.

The day's events will contain all kinds of demonstrations and activities, including blacksmithing, apple butter cooking, candle dipping, basket weaving, crosscut sawing, woodworking and rope making, among others.

Horse and buggy rides will be available, and there will be booths with unique vendors selling their homemade crafts and goods. There will be 30 door prizes given away, and all of the area buildings will be open and available for self-guided tours. The traditional Schnitzelbank song and skit also will be presented.

There is no entrance fee for the event.

__Old Appleton Fall Festival__

This family-friendly event on Oct. 10 includes live music, food, a craft fair with more than 20 vendors and lots more. The event is free to the public, and activities will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

__French Colonial Zombie Festival__

Dress up and get spooky for the French Colonial Zombie Festival from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 17, at the Bolduc House Museum in Ste. Genevieve, Missouri.

Festivalgoers will be asked to help assist in the historic preservation of the Bolduc House by helping apply new bousillage -- a mixture of clay and grass -- to the walls.

Other festival activities will include the planting of garlic, making "bloody some-mores," playing zombies versus humans games, hunting for a loup garou (werewolf) and singing zombie karaoke.

Admission for the event is $8 for adults, $5 for children ages 5 to 18 and free for children younger than 5 years old. Attendees dressed as zombies will receive half-price admission.

__Rural Heritage Days__

Ste. Genevieve's classic Rural Heritage Days will be from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 24, at the Creole House Property and the Ste. Genevieve, Missouri, Historic District.

Spend a day with family discovering and reliving the 1850s in historic Ste. Genevieve.

A number of rustic activities will be offered for family members of all ages, including plowing, tilling and early farming demonstrations; wood carving; leather working; blacksmithing and more. There also will be a variety of games for the children, along with booths selling old-fashioned treats.

There is no required entrance fee, but a donation of $2 is encouraged.