Spotted dogs, orange gourds, antique machines and ghastly screams—October festivals are as diverse as the turning leaves. Many center around the harvest but for those not fond of squash, there are plenty of other attractions to choose from.

What better way to enjoy an October day than soaking up the last of the daytime sun, taking in the fall colors with your neighbors and friends and perhaps enjoying the cool autumn nights’ lighthearted frights?

Drive carefully. The ghost you save could be your own.

Columbia County
On October 4 you can enjoy a traditional campfire in the north field of the Martin Van Buren National Historic Site with skits, storytelling and marshmallow roasting. The site is at 1013 Old Post Road (off Route 9H) in Kinderhook and the fun begins at 7 pm. Call 518 758 9689 or visit www.nps.gov/mava for more details.

October 4 and 5 is the 32nd Annual Old Time Days, including the North-East Regional Show of Ferguson Enthusiasts of North America, with exhibits of historic Ferguson tractors, tractor demonstrations, lumber milling, iron forging, antique tools and hand-operated domestic appliances, and tractor pull events at the Hudson Valley Old Time Power Association Show grounds on Fingar Road (off Route 9/23) in Greenport. The grounds open at 7 am.

Also on October 4 is the 3rd Annual Columbia-Greene Chili Cook-off and Riverfront Fair featuring the best from local farmer’s markets, at Catskill Point, Main Street, Catskill. The proceeds benefit Columbia County Bounty. For more information, visit www.columbiacountybounty.com/ChiliCookoff.htm.

October 11 is Dalmatian Day at the FASNY Museum of Firefighting in Hudson, with live Dalmatians for children to meet and learn about, Dalmatian-themed crafts, story time, movies, a puppet show featuring Dalmatian characters, the balloon artistry of Mr. Twisty, an animal-themed scavenger hunt through the Museum and more. The FASNY Museum of Firefighting is located at 117 Harry Howard Avenue, Hudson, and the fun takes place from 10 am to 3 pm. Call 518 822 1875 or visit www.fasnyfiremuseum.com for more information.

October 16-19 is the 9th Annual FilmColumbia, featuring the finest in new world-class and independent films at the Crandell Theater, Main Street, Chatham. Ticket information and the schedule can be found online at www.filmcolumbia.com

Delaware County
Head to the Jack-o-Lantern Jamboree on October 18 at Maple Shade Farm. The day’s events will include pumpkin carving stations onsite, carving demonstrations, children’s entertainment, a jack-o-lantern contest, and a giant pumpkin display. Special exhibits will feature the history and facts about pumpkins. These special demonstrations and activities will add to the farm’s regular offerings during the harvest season. Bring a jack-o-lantern to be part of the giant display lit at the same time in an attempt to set a local record. Visitors at the farm will be able to carve a jack-o-lantern on site, and jack-o-lanterns will be solicited from surrounding communities, schools, clubs, organizations, and businesses. The Jamboree will also feature local produce and products, crop art, animals, outdoor recreation, entertainment, crafts, and food. The farm is located at 2066 County Highway 18 in Delhi. For more information visit www.mapleshadefarmny.com or call 607 746 8866.

October 12 from 10 am to 5 pm is a Harvest Festival at Hanford Mills Museum in East Meredith. Visitors will see the mill’s gristmill and other feed processing machinery at work and celebrate ingenuity and industriousness. The Museum will also be running its stream engine, offering food cooked in the historic John Hanford Farmhouse, and a mini farmer’s market. Visit www.hanfordmills.org for more information.

Dutchess County
The Woodstock Film Festival projects outside of Ulster County lines from October 1 to 5 with screenings in Rhinebeck at at Upstate Films. Complete program information can be found at www.woodstockfilmfestival.com.

October 4 is the Hudson Valley Organic Potato and Olive Oil Festival featuring area organic farming products, baked goods and more from local vendors and fine food purveyors. You can walk through the fields and pick your own potatoes, taste new olive oils and participate in children’s activities include face painting, crafts and feeding the animals from 11 am to 6 pm. Admission is free at Ana Marie Organics, Country Fair Antiques, Route 82, Millbrook. Visit www.anamarieorganicfarm.net for more details.

Also on October 4 is the annual Apple Festival at Rhinebeck Reformed Church from 10 am to 3 pm. Lunch is available from 11 am to 2 pm. You’ll also find a fresh apple pie sale, and other home baked good, crafts and gently used items for sale. The church is at 6368 Mill Street/Route 9 in Rhinebeck.

October 4 and 5 is Crafts at Rhinebeck with 250 high-end, juried artists selling their wares. The event will also include horse-drawn carriage rides, a farmers’ market, wine tasting and specialty foods. There’s also a petting zoo, hay rides and pumpkins: the fall show is produced with the family in mind. It’s an indoor show, pets are not permitted. Hours are Saturday from 10 am to 6 pm and Sunday from 10 am to 5 pm. Admission is $7, under 12 free at the Dutchess County Fairgrounds, Route 9, Rhinebeck. Visit www.craftsatrhinebeck.com for more details.

October 10 and 11 is the Future Farmers of America Annual Fall Festival, presented by the Pine Plains Chapter of the National FFA Organization. Activities start on Friday with a lawn and garden tractor pull at 4 pm, followed by a Roast Beef Dinner from 5 to 7 pm. Saturday begins with a parade through Pine Plains at 9:30 am. Tractor pulls also begin 9:30 am. Horse pulls are at 11 am. All other activities open after the parade and include livestock and dairy judging, exhibits, food booths and a pet show. Admission and parking are free. There will be a fee for dinner. The festival will be held at Stissing Mountain Jr./Sr. High School, 2829 Church Street, Pine Plains

October 11 is a Pig Roast and Craft Fair at McEnroe Organic Farm Market from 11 am to 4 pm. Admission is free at 5409 Route 22 in Millerton. Click on www.mcenroeorganicfarm.com for more details.

October 18 is the second annual Fall Fest at St. James Episcopal Church featuring a flea market and white elephant tables, entertainment and church tours. There’s also a children’s area with games and face painting. Enjoy the fun from 10 am to 4 pm, with free admission. Head to 4526 Albany Post Road in Hyde Park.

October 18 and 19 is the New York State Sheep and Wool Family Festival at the Dutchess County Fairgrounds on Route 9 in Rhinebeck, featuring more than 200 wool artists, demonstrations, animal shows, kids’ activities and games, a haunted house, food & wine tastings, crafts, fiber & many vendors. Sunday is the Punkin’ Chunkin’ competition. Parking is free. Hours are Saturday from 9 am to 6 pm and Sunday from 10 am to 5 pm. Admission is $10, or $15 for a two-day pass. Children age 11 and under are free. Visit www.sheepandwool.com for more details.

Take your pick on October 19: the Gathering of Old Cars at Staatsburgh State Historic Site or the Pumpkin Festival at Riverfront Park in Beacon. The 22nd annual classic car show, cosponsored by the Red Hook Car Club, features antique automobiles, car capers, and a costume show set amidst autumn vistas on the Hudson River. Refreshments will be available. The show runs from 11 am to 4 pm and is free at Old Post Road in Staatsburg. Visit www.staatsburgh.org for more information. The Pumpkin Festival will feature live music, crafts, food vendors, a farmer’s market and community activists as well as sails and tours on the “Woody Guthrie” and “Sloop Clearwater.” The event is sponsored by the Beacon Sloop Club and runs from noon to 5 pm. Admission is free. Visit www.beaconsloopclub.org for more information.


Greene County
The Columbia-Greene Chili Cookoff on October 4 will include boat rides on the Hudson River. Join in the fun and visit both Catskill and Hudson between the hours of 10 am and 3 pm. Contact Heart of Catskill Association/Catskill Chamber of Commerce for an application if you would like to enter. Call 518 9430989 or visit www.catskillny.org.

October 4 and 5 is Oktoberfest I at Hunter Mountain. Oktoberfest II is October 11 and 12. Both feature Austrian and German-American bands, Schuhplattler dancers, vendors, puppet shows, jugglers, magicians, a horse petting zoo, food and drink, free arts and crafts and free pumpkins for the kids. The skyride will be open, weather permitting. Call 800 486 8376 or visit www.huntermtn.com for the performance schedule and more details.

October 4 and 5 is the Pumpkin Festival at East Durham Market days from 10 am to 3 pm daily. Live music, crafters, the biggest pumpkin contest and more will be found at the Michael J Quill Irish Cultural and Sports Center, Route 145 in East Durham.

October 5 is the Heritage Craft Fair at the Bronck Museum in Coxsackie, an exhibit and sale of traditional American crafts on the grounds of a 340-year old Dutch Farm. Admission is free. There will be live music and wagon rides too from noon to 5 pm. Call 518 731 6490 or visit www.gchistory.org for more information. The museum is located off Route 9W.

The 14th Annual Autumn Affair in Windham is October 11 and 12 featuring arts and crafts, food and entertainment, from 10 am to 4 pm. Call 518 734 3852 or visit www.windhamchamber.org for more information.

On October 12 the Catskill Mountain Ginseng & Medicinal Festival at Historic Catskill Point, Main Street, Catskill invites you to enjoy the Hudson River and to learn about the beneficial uses of ginseng and other medicinal herbs. There will also be vendors and entertainment. The keynote speaker is Ed Fletcher, chief executive officer of Strategic Sources Inc. ,who will be speaking on the challenges facing the herbal industry. Admission is $5 Hours are 10 am to 4 pm. Call 518 943 0989 for more details.

October 18 is the third annual Mountaintop Pumpkin Festival at Bear Creek Restaurant and Recreational Park on Route 214 in Hunter. Visitors will find dozens of quality craft and gift vendors, hay rides and pumpkin painting. Rain date is October 19. Click on www.mentgroup.com/events.htm for a list of vendors and more details.

October 18 is also Guinness Festival Weekend at Gavin’s Irish Country Inn, 188 Golden Hill Road, East Durham, featuring food, drink, music and barbecue rain or shine. Tickets are $8. Call 518 634 2582 or click www.gavins.com for more details.

Otsego County
October 4 is Oneonta’s Centennial Celebration. A grand-scale parade will run from Neahwa Park to Main Street and down Grand Street. the parade. There will be music, history displays, local not-for-profit exhibits, floats, horses, balloons, firetrucks and more. Call 607 434 6755 or visit www.mainstreetoneonta.com for the complete run down.

A Fall Festival and Craft Show will be held on October 5 at Old Middlefield Schoolhouse on County Route 35 in Cooperstown. You’ll find local crafts, seasonal products, live music, food, a hay maze, ghost stories, children’s activities and special events from 10 am to 4 pm. Call 607 547 9515 or visit www.middlefieldmuseum.org for more information.

Cooperstown’s Halloween parade down Main Street on October 31 ends at the firehouse where refreshments will be served. The parade is organized by the Cooperstown Chamber of Commerce. Get more details by calling 607 547 9983 or visiting www.cooperstownchamber.org

Oneonta’s Halloween parade, kicking off at 7 pm on October 31, also runs down Main Street.

Schoharie County
The second-annual Esperance Elks October Fest and Craft Fair on October 4 features authentic German wurst, potato salad and beer, with crafters and family fun including hay rides, face painting, pumpkin painting and more. This outside event with tents is free and held rain or shine.

October 25 is the Halloween Event with a costume parade, movies and entertainment at the visitors center of the New York Power Authority on Route 30 in North Blenheim. Call 800 724 0309 or visit www.nypa.gov for more information.

Also on October 25 is the Schoharie Pumpkin Festival, presented by the Schoharie Promotional Association. Call 518 295 7019 for more information.

Games and ghost stories will mark Halloween at the 1743 Palatine House, located on Spring Street in Schoharie beginning at dusk. The site is operated by Schoharie Colonial Heritage Association at Depot Lane. Call 518 295 7585 for more information.

Sullivan County
For a giant pumpkin party and children’s parade, head to the Grahamsville fairgrounds on Route 55 on October 4. The parade kicks off at 9 am. Live music, a pumpkin party, pony and hay rides, a petting zoo, hay maze, games, contests, a book sale and more set the mood from 10 am to 5 pm. Admission is free, and the event will be held rain or shine.

Also on October 4, Spring House Commons hosts a Pumpkin Festival from 10 am to 4 pm with free admission. There will be horse and buggy rides, a bake off, live music, costume contests, a pie eating contest, sack races, arts, food and more, at Route 97, Barryville.

October 5 is a Cajun Festival from 11 am to 4 pm at the Harvest Festival at Bethel Woods, located at the corner of Hurd Road and West Shore Road in Bethel. The event will feature Cajun zydeco dance lessons and a mask parade with beads, along with mask making, food tasting, and life performers along with a book signing by Sharon Philips. Call 845 583 2000 for more information.

For German food, a special Oktoberfest beer, a live band and dancing under a brand new pavilion, head to Mountain View Resort on October 11 for Oktoberfest. Call 845 856 1105 for more details. The resort is at 369 High Road in Glen Spey.

Also on October 11 is A Day to See Clay, a pottery festival on Main Street in Jeffersonville. Call 845 482 4976 for more information.

The Harvest Festival at Bethel Woods continues on October 12 with the 6th annual “Chili Day in October” event, a friendly competition between area emergency responders. Performers will include 1967, The Shots & The Bergen County Firefighters Pipe Band. There will be a book signing by Patrick Thomas.

October 25 is the annual Halloween Dance from 8 pm to midnight at the Delaware Community Center in Callicoon. The annual benefit features a live band and prizes for best costumes. Bring your own refreshments! Call 845 887 5155.

The Delaware Youth Center sponsors a children’s costume parade down Main Street on October 25. Lineup begins behind the Delaware Free Library. Games and treats will be available at the youth center following the parade. All are welcome to participate.

On October 31 Jeffersonville hosts a Halloween parade and party downtown. The lineup is at 6 pm on Center Street, and the parade marches to the firehouse for costume judging and refreshments.

Ulster County
The Woodstock Film Festival projects in Ulster County from October 1 to 5 with screenings in Woodstock and Rosendale. Complete program information can be found at www.woodstockfilmfestival.com.

October 4 is the second annual Heart of the Hudson Valley Bounty Festival a day-long restaurant competition, farmers’ market and “Green Expo” with family activities, wine tasting and more at Cluett-Shantz Memorial Park, Milton from 10 am to 4 pm. Call 845 616 7824 or visit www.hvbountyfestival.com for more details. The rain date is October 5.

October 4 and 5 is a Harvest Festival at Weed Orchards, 43 Mt. Zion Road, Marlboro with hay rides, music, food and more. Call 845 236 2684 or visit www.weedorchards.com for details.

Saugerties’ 43rd annual Mum Festival is on October 5 with thousands of mums in bloom, live entertainment, an art show, crafts and refreshments. The colorful display is in Seamon Park from noon to 5 pm. Call 845 246 2919 for details.

Also on October 5 is the Lark in the Park with a family high ropes course. The event is free, head to Catskill Outback, Route 28, Big Indian from 11 am to 3 pm. Call 845 254 5469 or visit www.pinehillcommunitycenter.org for additional information.

October 11 and 12 is Benmarl Winery’s annual Harvest Festival with music, food, vendors, hay rides, grape stomping and more in Marlboro. Call 845 236 4265 or visit www.benmarl.com for details.

October 12 is the Italian Festival on the Kingston Rondout waterfront beginning at noon. Call 845 331 7517 for details.

October 18 and 19 is the Wiltwyck Quilters Biennial Show beginning at 10 am each day at SUNY Ulster/Ulster County Community College in Stone Ridge. Visit www.wiltwyckquiltersguild.org for more details. Special exhibits include the Keepsake Challenge Traveling Exhibit, Hello, Dolly: Dolls of Stage and Screen art doll exhibit, judged and display quilts and wearables. There will also be demonstrations, door prizes, guild boutique raffle of quilts, baskets and other prizes, quilting vendors,and a food concession. Admission is $6. Parking is free. Buses are welcome.

October 26 is the Halloween Parade and Costume Judging at the Middle School in Highland beginning at 5:30 pm.

If we’ve missed the events near your pumpkin patch, please e-mail festsandfairs@yahoo.com.