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Six must try Mt Washington Valley, NH fall family-filled festivals in Sept-Oct, 2018



Good News from Mt Washington Valley, NH – September 18, 2018

Contact:  Marti Mayne, 207-846-6331, PR@mtwashingtonvalley.org

SEVEN MUST-TRY FALL FAMILY-FILLED FESTIVALS & FUN ADVENTURE IN NEW HAMPSHIRE’S WHITE MOUNTAINS

North Conway, NH – During the fall months, Mother Nature’s show is the talk of the town around  Mt Washington Valley. The leaf-peeping in our corner of the White Mountains is renowned for its beauty. Yet, while the harvest hues take center stage, it’s not the only show in town.  Plan your fall New Hampshire getaway around one or more of these fabulous autumn events and you’ll be treated to not only a colorful escape but plenty of family fun too. 

Corn Maize at Sherman Farms, Weekends, Sept 22 – Nov 4: Rated among the best corn maizes in New England by Yankee Magazine and WMUR viewers, don’t miss this twelve acres of farm-related fun awaiting you at The Maize at Sherman Farm. Explore an intricate labyrinth of corn designed to stump even those with the best sense of direction. Inside the maize, take your hand at playing Farm Scene Investigation, Barnyard Bing-oh! and Cornundrums (corny riddles to solve). Answer questions along the way; the correct answer is your passport, sending you off in the right direction. There are three phases in the Maize, one for every ability level.  Open weekends only, Sept 22 – November 4, 10am – 5:00pm plus Columbus Day, Oct 8th. Info and rates: http://shermanfarmnh.com/corn-maize/.

Fryeburg Fair, Sept 30-Oct 7:  Fryeburg Fair, established in 1851, will host the 168th annual eight-day fair at the Fryeburg, Maine Fairgrounds – Maine’s blue ribbon fair.  Considered one of the best agricultural fairs in the U.S.,  the Fryeburg Fair offers non-stop livestock, agriculture and farming exhibitions with over 3,000 head of cattle, horses, sheep, goats, hogs, poultry, rabbits, oxen and more. This year marks the fair’s Fryeburg Fair's 51st Anniversary of Woodsmen’s Field on Monday, October 1, 2018.  Woodsmen's Field Day is the largest spectator woodsmen event in North America as contestants come from across the U.S. and Canada to compete in over 34 woods skills events such as log-rolling, axe throwing, standing block chop, tree felling, skidder driving and log loading. 

Additional fair highlights include horse and ox pulling, calf and pig scrambles, cooking contests, flower shows, exhibition halls of crafts, handiwork, photos, art, forest and wood products; a full museum of old farm equipment and memorabilia with live demonstrations; the "Little Red Schoolhouse" built in 1835; the milking parlor, firemen's musters, sheepdog trials, tractor pulling, 4WD pulls and pari-mutuel harness racing on the Fair's half-mile track.  The Fair’s Specialty Foods Pavilion offers innovative food products made with local farm ingredients.  The Expo Center features 9,000 square feet of commercial exhibits. Night Shows begin at 8 pm at the Grandstand each night

And it wouldn’t be a fair without carnival rides and food! The Fryeburg Fair is known for the best French fries made with just harvested Maine potatoes, along with an amazing assortment of food choices for everyone!  Seafood, sausage, barbecue, onion rings, blooming onions, Indian pudding, crabmeat rolls, turkey legs, turkey dinners, and the list goes on and on…. blueberry & apple crisp, Indian pudding, cotton candy, candy apples, doughnuts, ice cream and still way more. General Admission is $12 daily and includes the 8 pm Night Show.  Children under 12 are always free.  Tuesday is Senior Citizen’s Day (65 & over are admitted free). Info:  www.fryeburgfair.org .

Return of the Pumpkin People & All Things Pumpkin Festival, October 1-31: Now in its 34rd year, the Return of the Pumpkin People is a self-guided tour of more than 60 different locations hosting Pumpkin People displays throughout October. Look for creatively themed and designed Pumpkin People doing all kinds of things from flying across yards to deep sea diving, then vote for your favorite. More than 12 stores at Settlers Green will participate with pumpkin people displays. Maps and Peoples Choice Award ballots can be requested by calling 603-383-9356, or by emailing to info@jacksonnh.com. In addition, maps and ballots are located at  participating businesses located throughout the Conway and Jackson Area of New Hampshire. Then, October 14-31, 2018, visit Jackson for the All Things Pumpkin Festival including open houses, pumpkin tasting tours on horse drawn sleighs, and the "New England & Jackson Invitational Pumpkin Carving Competition in Jackson Park held on October 19, 2018 when you can check out the amazing carved pumpkin sculptures created here. Info: http://www.jacksonnh.com.

Fall Festival at Settlers Green, September 29: Back for another year, the ever-popular Fall Festival event is back again  at Settlers Green. Join in the fun "on the green" by Timberland and Kay Jewelers!  What’s in store? (pun intended!). Free, family-friendly activities including face painting, pumpkin painting (with $2 purchased pumpkin*) and horse-drawn hay rides along with Pumpkin Carving demonstration by local artist William Janelle. There will be free apples and cider while supplies last and A.C.T.S., a nonprofit service dog organization, will be on-site with their service dogs at the Gazebo.  Then explore the free hay maize, sponsored by Sherman Farm. In addition, this day marks the start of  the Settlers Green Pumpkin People Challenge event. You’ll be treated to more than a dozen Pumpkin People displays at Settlers Green, all in conjunction with the Jackson Area Chamber of Commerce's Return of the Pumpkin People! *Pumpkin painting is free; must purchase a pumpkin, available at the event, for $2. There are 150 pumpkins available, while supplies last.  Info: http://www.settlersgreen.com/events.

Attitash Oktoberfest, October 6-7, 2017:  Now in its 21st year, each year, more and more family-friendly events are added to the Attitash Oktoberfest line-up.  Not only will both adults and kids be treated to fabulous Bavarian food and traditional Bavarian music from the world renowned King Ludwig's Band, there’s plenty of activities and features here for the kids.  Each day a Kinderplatz area supervised by Mt Washington  Valley Children's Museum and sponsored by Midas North Conway will include  Bouncy Obstacle Courses ,  Corn Hole/ Big Checkers/ Big Jenga/ Slackline and  Airbrush Tattoos.  In addition, right alongside the grown-ups, there’ll be a kids stein hoisting competition on Sunday, October 7th and the kids may just love taking part in the Schnitzel tossing competition too.  What makes this event special is that it’s one of the few family-friendly Oktoberfests, recently featured in the Travel Channel’s round up of best family-friendly Oktoberfests!  Of course, there’s also the  authentic German fare as well as a Biergarten featuring 20 different local and regional breweries serving a host of seasonal beers and ciders for those 21+ guests.  And to top it all off, there’s a full schedule of events that parents and adults will love too, including the annual stein hoisting and keg toss events! For info and schedule of events.  https://www.attitash.com/event/oktoberfest/. 

King Pine Brew Ha-Ha, October 6:  And speaking of beer, head to King Pine Ski Area on October 6th for a celebration of fall brews and family fun too.  This event celebrates regional craft beer, live music, food, games and fun for the whole family. Event admission is free! A limited number of commemorative mugs will be available for purchase as well as drink tokens good for 6 oz. beer “samples” from a wide variety of brewers from throughout the greater New Hampshire and New England region. Local favorites "The Lifter's" will be back to rock the Brew Ha Ha with foot stomping music. This four-piece band of musicians will perform favorite blues and classic rock cover favorites. In addition, for the kids,  look forward to Corn Toss Decks, Face Painting, Giant Board Game Madness - Battleship, Connect Four, Jenga, Disc Golf Baskets and Field Games. Plus, new this year, in addition to King Pine’s array of  festival-style food and sweets to pair with your favorite brew, food truck Smoking Guns BBQ will be on hand too. Info: https://www.purityspring.com/brew-ha-ha-festival. * Note: you must be 21 to taste beer.

Pumpkin Patch Express, Oct 19-21 & 26-28: All Aboard the Conway Scenic Railroad for the “Pumpkin Express” in Conway, where passengers are invited to get off the train and participate in activities there.  Each child can pick out his or her own pumpkin and enjoy a few games, such as “Corn Cob Toss.”  Two departures from the North Conway vintage train station daily:  11:30 and 1:30, plus 3:00 trains on both Saturdays. Info: https://www.conwayscenic.com/blog/pumpkin-patch-express/.

And we haven’t even mentioned the amazing Halloween events in the Valley yet!  Stay tuned.  For more information, a full calendar of events and entertainment and plenty of trip planning resources, visit www.mtwashingtovalley.org or call 800-DO-SEE-NH (800-367-3364).  For more information about planning your New Hampshire vacation, go to www.VisitNH.gov.

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Plenty of high-res photos available.  Please contact Marti Mayne at 207-846-6331 or PR@mtwashingtonvalley.org.