2013 Fall Festival Fun

Once the temperature begins to cool, the leaves start to change and the harvest season begins, New England gets ready for a busy autumn full of festivals.

Oct. 4-14 – A large fair with a history going back nearly two centuries (the Essex Agricultural Association, which runs the fair, formed in 1818), Topsfield will feature entertainment from Cher Lloyd, Coco Jones, and Bobby Vinton. Weekday tickets $11; weekend, holiday and Oct. 11 $15; $22 for 11 rides, $5.50 food vouchers, $10 parking. 207 Boston St., Topsfield, 978-887-5000, www.topsfieldfair.org

Wellfleet Oyster Fest, Wellfleet

Oct. 19-20 – For two days, the town of Wellfleet devotes their streets to a festival for locals and visitors to enjoy arts and crafts, live music, children’s activities and a 5K road race. Food is also a prominant feature of this appropiately named event. Lectures, cooking demonstrations and local cusine are offered to attendees. The crowning moment of the festival culminates in an oyster shucking contest. Participants are given 24 oysters to shuck as fast and as accurately as they can. Points are lost for any broken shells or other appearance mishaps. The winner, usually finished in two to three minutes, earns $1,000 and a place at the national oyster shucking championship. Main Street, $5 for a one-day ticket, $8 for a two-day pass, children under 12, free. www.wellfleetoysterfest.org

Oct. 19 – Downtown Keene, N.H., will host this festival dedicated to the pumpkin. It will include the Great Pumpkin Mile Race, as well as a “pumpkin promenade’’ in which artitically carved pumpkins will be on display in downtown windows and storefronts. Oh, and you can’t miss the pumpkin tower, featuring hundreds of lit jack-o’-lanterns – this year, there’s even a world record at stake. Free admission. Downtown Keene, N.H., www.pumpkinfestival.org

Oct. 12-13 – The unusual 2013 North American Wife Carrying Championship, pictured, is just one of the events taking place in October at Sunday River. Others include the 30th Annual Blue Mountain Arts and Crafts Fair, pre-season ski equipment sales, chainsaw woodcarving demonstrations, and an outdoor concert by Grateful Dead cover band, Dead Sessions. Admissions vary, check site. 15 South Ridge Road, Newry, Maine, 207-824-3000,www.sundayriver.com

Oct. 12-13 – German and Austrian show bands, Bavarian dancers, and more celebrating Oktoberfest tradition will be present at this festival, which sees 30,000 attendees over two days in downtown Newport. Tickets $20 advace/$25 at gate for Saturday, $17 advance/$20 at gate for Sunday, weekend pass $30 advance/$40 at gate, kids under 12 free. Newport Yachting Center, 4 Commercial Wharf, Newport, R.I., 401-846-1600, www.newportwaterfrontevents.com

Oct. 12-13 – This Connecticut festival, in its ninth year, is a garlic lover’s paradise. Cooking and growing demonstrations, free samples, produce stands filled with garlic – believe it or not, there’s even garlic ice cream. Admission $7 adults, $6 seniors, $1 children under 12, 304 Route 61 (Main St. North), Bethlehem, Conn., 203-266-7810, www.garlicfestct.com

Oct. 12 – The Strawbery Banke Museum in Portsmouth, N.H., will host a “traditional New England country fair’’ with crafts, livestock demonstrations, and more fall activities and exhibits. Foodies rejoice: the festival is taking place in conjunction with the Prescott Park Chili Cook-Off once again this year. Admission $15 for adults, $6 for children under 12, free for Strawbery Banke Museum and Prescott Park Arts Festival members. 14 Hancock St., Portsmouth, N.H., 603 433 1100, www.strawberybanke.org

Oct. 19-20 – While Wachusett Mountain knows how to entertain during the snowy winters, its fall AppleFest is a celebration of the season and all it has to offer. Attendees can browse craft and farmers market booths, take a SkyRide to the mountain summit, attend the Oktoberfest celebration and watch a chainsaw carving demonstration. Kids can enjoy pony rides, clowns, magicians, jugglers and hay rides. There will also be a New England Apple Pie contest, a giant pumpkin weigh-off, hiking and a road race. 99 Mountain Road, 978-464-2300, adults $9, 6-12 $4, SkyRides priced separately, www.wachusett.com

Saturdays and Sundays in September and October – Applecrest Farm has invited guests to share in the harvest with them for nearly four decades, opening their grounds to the public on fall weekends. Pick your own fruit and pumpkins, or enjoy a horse-drawn hayride. There will be events taking place throughout the fall including antique car and tractor shows. Check website for details. Parking and admission free, 133 Exeter Road, Hampton Falls, N.H., 603-926-3721, www.applecrest.com