October is nearly here, and with the fall air beginning to settle in, you might find yourself for a taste of the mountains this weekend.
If so, you're in luck, as a handful of communities will be holding their annual fall festivals.
Big Red Apple Festival, Saturday, Cornelia: If you like apples, this is the weekend to celebrate.
Cornelia's annual downtown festival runs 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and offers booths, entertainment, food, crafts, arts, music and family activities such as horseshoes. A hay ride will take visitors to Chenocetah Tower, where they can enjoy panoramic views of Lake Russell.
Contact Andrea Harper, Better Hometown Manager, City of Cornelia, 706-778-7875.
Foxfire/Mountaineer Heritage Festival, Saturday, Clayton: These two annual events in the Northeast Georgia mountains have been blended into one.
The Foxfire festival will feature food, crafts and music. The Mountaineer Festival includes more than 35 exhibits and demonstrations such as pottery, cornshuck dolls, crocheted and knitted items, berry basket making, woodworking, broom-making, flint knapping, blacksmithing, chair-bottoming, folk art painting, nature & wildlife photography, hand-made jewelry, stained glass and railroad history.
Field event competition will include archery, greased pole climbing, log tossing, wood splitting and sack racing. Daily raffles and live auctions will be held as well.
The festival runs 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Rabun County Civic Center. Admission is $5 per person, maximum of $20 per immediate family. All proceeds benefit Foxfire's Local Educational Programs and The Rabun County Mountaineer Festival.
Indian Summer Festival, Saturday-Sunday, Woody Gap School, Suches. The day in Suches begins with a road race and ends with live music.
The Run Above the Clouds 10-kilometer road race begins at 9 a.m. Saturday. A square dance with a live band begins at 8 p.m. Saturday.
Other events include arts and crafts, antiques, pottery, leather, produce, folk art, clogging, turkey shoot, archery demo, auction and food.
Admission is $4, parking free; all proceeds going to Woody Gap School. Contact: 706-747-2401, website.
Turning and Burning Old Time Festival, Saturday, Hewell's Pottery, Gillsville. This annual pottery festival includes demonstrations of the craft including the fire kiln process.
The festival includes other craft displays such as knitting, spinning, twine making and metal work. For the kids, a tractor show, animals and pony rides are available, along with food and other displays.
For more information, call 770-869-3469.