Summer isn’t technically over until September 23, but tell that to the rain, the leaves and the pumpkin-spice everything. So we say let the fall festivities begin!
Here are a few of our favorites happening this month and into the beginning of October.
Classic (and more unique!) fall events
First, the unique. Go to the south end of Green Lake on Sept. 19 for the Luminata Lantern Parade, which celebrates the autumnal equinox with music and a procession of colorfully costumed and illuminated participants.
The Fremont Oktoberfest is a fall institution. Sept. 20 is the all-ages-welcome day, with kids’ activities like zucchini races and pumpkin carving. The beer garden is of course still available for parents (although nobody younger than age 21 is allowed inside, even babies). There’s also a Street Scramble that morning to add to the fun.
The Scarecrow Mini Fest at Magnuson Park on Sept. 26 has all kinds of classic fall fun: live music, games, a ride-on tractor corral, gardening activities and a scavenger hunt. If you want to make a scarecrow to take home, bring $15 and some old clothes and a pillowcase.
Take a day trip out to bucolic Bainbridge Island for the Sept. 27 Harvest Fair, full of food, freshly pressed cider, tractor and horse-drawn hay rides, a beer and wine garden, gardening info, and for the kids, pony rides, face painting, and a “land slide” that you’ve just gotta see. Tip: be a walk-on ferry passenger and ride the free shuttle to the fair to avoid the inevitable Sunday evening ferry backup.
Fall hard for nature
Families with kids ages 8 and older can look, listen and learn about bats at Seward Park during the Sept. 16 Bat Trek. And for the age 10 and up crowd, you’ll want to check out the Owls on the Move event on Sept. 19, also at Seward Park. Young owls are preparing to strike out on their own (spoiler alert: their parents quit feeding them) and you’ll get the chance to search for them on a guided evening walk.
All ages can enjoy a Family Wetland Walk at Magnuson Park on Sept. 19, with a focus on dragonflies and damselflies. Just leave all non-service dogs at home, please.
What’s nature up to after hours? Find out during a night hike. You can do one on Sept. 18 at the Mercer Slough Environmental Education Center in Bellevue, or on Sept. 26 at the Washington Park Arboretum in Seattle.
Celebrate salmon
Spawning season is just getting started. Each weekend through Nov. 15, you can stop by the Issaquah Salmon Hatchery to see the salmon do their thing, and talk with trained docents during a tour of the facility at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.
You can also chat with naturalists and see salmon at four spots along the Renton-area Cedar River, every weekend in October through the 25th.
The Issaquah Salmon Days Festival takes place Oct. 3-4. In addition to checking out salmon spawning in the nearby creek, you enjoy a parade, entertainment, carnival, and a huge array of food and craft vendor booths.
Agricultural adventures
The Washington State Fair, going on through Sept. 27, is an excellent place to see incredible displays of agricultural abundance, including giant pumpkins, artistically arranged fruits, vegetables and flowers, and all kinds of farm animals. You can also go on rides, play games, take in some entertainment, and eat fried things on sticks.
Pumpkin patches are just starting to get going. (We’ll have a roundup of patches and corn mazes up soon.) If you just can’t wait, Dr. Maze’s Farm in Redmond is offering a Corn/Sunflower Maze Early Bird Saturday on Sept. 19. In addition to the mazes, you can visit with farm animals, play games, and go on a hayride.
Photo: Teresa Stanton/Flickr A sunflower maze is a sweet twist on the usual fall corn maze. |
Everyone loves Carkeek Park for its cool playground, hiking trails, sandy beach, and the excitement of passing trains. But it’s also home to a lovely old apple orchard, which will be celebrated on Sept. 19 during Festival of Fruit. Bring a homemade pie for the contest, tour the orchard and nearby garden areas, listen to music, and take part in crafts and cider pressing.
Go back in time with a festival from the past
There’s something about the harvest season that makes us nostalgic for a bygone era. Kids and adults can experience a bit of what life was like for homesteaders back in the day during the Pioneer Days Festival at the Job Carr Museum in Tacoma, Pioneer Day at the Stillaguamish Museum in Arlington, and the Duvall Heritage Festival.
Each weekend through Sept. 27 at Tacoma’s Fort Nisqually Living History Museum, you can see a different artist in residence demonstrate a traditional craft (and maybe even try it yourself) during their Crafts of the Past program.
If you want to go even further back in time – like to the 14th century – Camlann in Carnation is your destination. Check out their Michelmasse Festival on Sept. 26-27 and see a medieval village come to life with demonstrations, food and entertainment.
