Non-stop Blues in the Delta

Over a 12-day period running through Monday, October 8, Mississippi, Arkansas, and Memphis, Tennessee, is overflowing with incredible music and blues-related happenings in a landmark event called Bridging the Blues. 

“The sights and sounds of the blues have lured devout music fans to the Delta for many years,” said Mississippi Delta Tourism Association President Wesley Smith. “But until the last decade finding one’s way to the holy sites of the music involved actively digging for information about juke joint performances, gravesites or the site of the supposed ‘crossroads.’”

A new effort to help fans find their way through the Delta region of Mississippi, Arkansas and Memphis is Bridging the Blues. The project builds upon the success of Helena, Arkansas’ venerable King Biscuit Blues Festival (October 4-6) in drawing blues fans from across the region, the nation and abroad. Bridging the Blues is anchored by “the Biscuit” on one end, and at the other by the Highway 61 Blues Festival in Leland, which takes place on Saturday, September 29. 

The King Biscuit Blues Festival in Helena will feature Bobby Rush, Taj Mahal and Bonnie Raitt topping the respective bills at this year’s festival, which runs from October 4-6.

 In Clarksdale, the Rock  & Blues Museum, which houses the massive collection of Dutchman Theo Dasbach, hosts the free 2^nd Street Blues Party on October 6 and 7, and October 7, Cat Head Delta Blues and Folk Art hosts its tri-annual Cat Head Mini Blues Festival. The free event always features traditional blues, and this year the lineup will include Big George Brock and Robert “Wolfman” Belfour.

Visit Mississippi Delta for more information.

For more information about top events in Mississippi take a look at the Top Events USA selection of the annual main festivals and events in Mississippi.

For more information about top events in Arkansas take a look at the Top Events USA selection of the annual main festivals and events in Arkansas.

For more information about top events in Tennessee take a look at the Top Events USA selection of the annual main festivals and events in Tennessee.

Mount Airy Celebrates Breathtaking Fall Season

Mount Airy’s Autumn Leaves Festival from October 12 to 14 marks the 46^th anniversary of one of North Carolina’s longest running and most successful events. This festival was chosen as one of the Top Twenty Events for October 2012 by the Southeast Tourism Society.

The roster of artisans and craftspeople covers such media as jewelry, pottery, paintings and textiles. The unique arts and crafts of more than 200 craftsmen line the streets with many demonstrating their talents and skills passed down through the generations.

Then, there is “Food for the Soul”, ham biscuits, collards and cornbread, barbeque, ground steak and more served with hospitality by local civic and service organizations.  It’s a walker’s paradise with visual delights and mouthwatering treats at every stop.

The festival showcases Mount Airy’s rich musical heritage, such as Old-time, Bluegrass and Gospel performed by local musicians on the downtown stage. It’s a toe tapping, foot stomping, hand-clapping kind of weekend where old friendships are renewed and new friendships are made. The Autumn Leaves Festival is a homecoming where guests become neighbors.

The festival began as a celebration of the end of tobacco and apple harvesting season over 40 years ago. Now, it celebrate the breathtaking fall season. Through the years, hundreds of thousands of visitors (nearly 200,000 people will frequent the streets of Mount Airy over the three day period) have enjoyed the true flavor of rural America and its distinctive character, rich heritage and scenic beauty.  

Mount Airy radiates with the spectacular scenery of the entire mountainside bathed in autumn reds and luminous gold’s set against the scenic backdrop of the Blue Ridge Mountains.  

Visit the festival website www.autumnleavesfestival.com for more information.

For more information about top events in North Carolina take a look at the Top Events USA selection of the annual main festivals and events in North Carolina

Denver Beer Fest is Back, Bigger & Brewier

More beer is brewed in Denver than any other city, so it is only natural that The Mile High City honors its brewing tradition with a nine-day celebration of all things beer. 

More than 150 beer-centric events are scheduled for the fourth annual Denver Beer Fest (#DenBeer) from October 5 to 13, including Meet the Brewer Nights, beer-paired dinners, firkin nights, brewer versus brewer competitions and the first-ever Denver Beer Fest-official Denver Beer Crawl.

Denver Beer Fest events is listed on DenverBeerFest.com, which will also have information on Denver brewery tours and the city's brewing history, as well as profiles of craft breweries around the state.  

Denver Beer Fest is designed to overlap the Great American Beer Festival (GABF), the "Super Bowl of Beer," which takes place October 11 to 13 at the Colorado Convention Center.  GABF is considered to be the most prestigious and coveted beer competition in America. It is certainly the world's largest beer celebration with a Guinness World Record for the most beers ever made available for tasting at a single event - some 2,400 different brews from 500 breweries in 2011.  

Denver Beer Fest was created to offer more beer events around GABF, and also give local breweries an opportunity to showcase their products to the 50,000 beer lovers who attend the granddaddy of beer festivals, as well as Denver locals who can't make GABF 2012.  

The area between Denver, Boulder and Fort Collins is often called the Denver Beer Triangle and is considered to be the "Napa Valley of Beer" with the largest concentration of award-winning craft breweries in the country. This area is also home to the Coors Brewery, the largest single brewing site in the world. Denver ranks first in the nation in beer production per capita, and Colorado is home to four of the top-50 brewing companies in the nation. There are more than 140 breweries statewide. Denver was selected as the No. 1 micro-brew beer city in the nation in 2011 by the readers of Travel + Leisure magazine.

Learn more about Denver on the VISITDENVER website and at TOURISMPAYSDENVER, on Twitter @iknowdenver and the VISIT DENVER Facebook page, or by phone at 800 2 DENVER.

For more information about top events in Colorado take a look at the Top Events USA selection of the annual main festivals and events in Colorado

Sleepy Hollow Country's Big Halloween Experiences

Historic Hudson Valley’s roster of four major Halloween-themed events kick off on Saturday, October 6.

Continuing for 22 selected evenings through November 11, the Great Jack O’ Lantern Blaze® is the tri-state area’s biggest all-ages Halloween extravaganza. A small team of artists come together to carve more than 5,000 jacks, many fused together in elaborate constructions such as life-size dinosaurs and eight-foot-tall working jack-o’lanterns-in-the-box, all lit up throughout the wooded walkways, orchards, and gardens of historic Van Cortlandt Manor in Croton-on-Hudson, New York.

Washington Irving’s macabre tale The Legend of Sleepy Hollow inspires Horseman’s Hollow, an 11-night interactive haunted attraction at Philipsburg Manor recommended for ages 10 and up. Stocked with professional actors and state-of-the-art special effects, Horseman’s Hollow has a high fear factor and is not for the faint of heart.

Irving’s ‘Legend,’ recommended for ages 10 and up, brings the master storyteller Jonathan Kruk into the historic, candlelit interior of Sleepy Hollow’s circa-1685 Old Dutch Church, where for 12 evenings he offers a dramatic re-telling of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow accompanied by live organ music.

Legend Celebration at Washington Irving’s Sunnyside is a daytime prelude to these evening events. Storytellers and magicians are just some of the colorful characters that perform for all ages, and visitors are encouraged to come in costume.

All events are held rain or shine. Proceeds support Historic Hudson Valley, the Tarrytown-based private, non-profit educational organization which owns and operates the historic sites that host these events.

Buy tickets online at www.hudsonvalley.org or by calling 914-366-6900 ($2 per ticket surcharge for phone orders).

For a complete list of events in New York State visit the Top Events USA selection of the annual main festivals and events in New York.

Variety of Events in Perdido Key, Florida

Can’t make it to Germany this year to celebrate Oktoberfest? Why not celebrate with Perdido Key, Florida on October 5 and 6? 

The celebration will feature traditional German food, beer and music, plus games and activities for all ages. Early Christmas shoppers will want to check out the arts and crafts booths. Entrance to the festival is free. Those who want to sample beer can purchase a $20 wristband and will receive 10 tickets, exchange 1 ticket per sample – or trade in 3 tickets for a full beer mug sample. Additional tickets can be purchased at the gate. Oktoberfest will be at 13200 Gulf Beach Highway, the former Sacred Heart Soccer Fields near the Winn-Dixie Shopping Center. Winn Dixie will be sponsoring the kid’s area which will feature a “root beer garden” and bounce house. 

With Pensacola as their home base, the Blue Angels perform the season's final show at Naval Air Station Pensacola on November 2 and 3. The Museum of Naval Aviation at NAS Pensacola has a viewing area for visitors to watch the team soaring high, or you can catch them from your own spot on the beach at Perdido Key.

The 28th annual Frank Brown International Songwriters Festival from November 8 to 18 showcases songwriters and musicians from all over the world – the songs performed by the writers who created them. The headquarters in 2012 will be the  Flora-Bama, America's "Last Great Roadhouse." Songwriters will perform at venues along the Coast including Silverhill, Foley, Gulf Shores and Orange Beach Alabama and across the state line into Perdido Key and Pensacola Florida.

For news of other events in Perdido Key, Florida, visit www.visitperdido.com

For more information about top events in Florida take a look at the Top Events USA selection of the annual main festivals and events in Florida.

Rosanne Cash Headlines Richmond Virginia Festival

Celebrate the roots, richness and variety of American culture through music, dance traditional crafts, storytelling and food at the Richmond Folk Festival from October 12 to 14.

A free, 3-day event, the Richmond Folk Festival has become one of Virginia’s largest and most-loved events and has been voted as the best music festival in Richmond two years running. It draws visitors from all over the country to downtown Richmond’s historic riverfront. The festival got its start as the National Folk Festival held in Richmond from 2005-2007. 

In the tradition of the National, the Richmond Folk Festival features more than 20 performers and performing groups, on seven stages with continuous music and dance performances, along with a Virginia Folklife Area, featuring ongoing demonstrations, an interactive Family Area produced by the Children’s Museum of Richmond, a folk art marketplace, regional and ethnic foods, festival merchandise and more. 

Nationally-recognized singer, songwriter and author Rosanne Cash will make a special appearance at the 2012 Festival for one performance only on Saturday, October 13 at 1pm on the Altria stage. Her own thoughtful, genre-blurring approach, which encompasses country, rock, roots and pop influences, has garnered her a Grammy, twelve Grammy nominations and eleven No. 1 singles. The eldest daughter of country music icon Johnny Cash and stepdaughter of June Carter Cash of the legendary Carter Family, Rosanne’s musical and family legacy is rooted in the very beginnings of American country music.

More information is available at www.richmondfolkfestival.org.

For other news of the Historic Richmond Region visit www.VisitRichmondVA.com.

For more information about top events in Virginia take a look at the Top Events USA selection of the annual main festivals and events in Virginia. 

Thumper’s Thumping Roots, Blues ‘n BBQ in Columbia

The Boone County National Bank Roots N Blues N BBQ, a nationally recognized two-day event that takes place in the heart of downtown Columbia, Missouri, has lined up a number of Grammy award-winning artists for its 6th annual festival on September 21 and 22.

Last year the festival attracted over 50,000 people who travelled from 32 states, including Alaska. Three stages will feature performers representing the genres of blues, gospel, folk, country, bluegrass and soul.

As well as the live music, the festival includes a barbeque competition. Over 60 teams will compete in a two-day contest for over $10,000 in cash prizes and hand-painted guitar trophies.

On the Saturday of the festival, there is also the Roots N Blues N BBQ half marathon and 10k run. Participants enjoy live music along the way and barbeque and beer at the finish line.  All racers will receive a free shirt, a medal and one complimentary ticket to the festival on the day of the race.  

The BCNB Roots N Blues N BBQ festival sponsors music education through the program, Blues in the Schools.  The Roots N Blues N BBQ Foundation provides resources and energy to promote all aspects of roots and blues music and positively impact society at large. Through hands-on experience, elementary school students learn about the unique history, culture and tolerance that blues music promotes. Students also create original songs, which are performed at the festival. This week-long program has been offered to 19 schools in the Columbia area.

Since 2007, Thumper Entertainment has been the driving force behind bringing people together through music. Its goal is to cultivate a union of people among different backgrounds through the power of live music.

The stage schedule of the artists and other details can be found at Roots N Blues N BBQ. 

For more information about top events in Missouri take a look at the Top Events USA selection of the annual main festivals and events in Missouri.

Victorian Christmas in Thomasville, Georgia

An enchanting and magical holiday season awaits you in December during the 26th annual Victorian Christmas in beautiful and historic downtown Thomasville, Georgia.

Journey into the past as this turn-of-the-century downtown ushers you into the spirit of Christmas long ago.

From 6pm to 10pm on Thursday and Friday December 13 and 14 inhale the tantalizing aromas drifting from street vendors offering scrumptious seasonal delicacies. Carriage rides with jingle bells, twinkling lights and elegant strollers in their Victorian finery set the stage for a truly unforgettable experience. Carolers sing traditional favorites while colorful characters capture your imagination with street theater.

Event favorites include a Victorian Museum, Live Musical Entertainment, Carriage Rides, Live Nativity, Victorian Craft Village and a Winter Wonderland for children.

Come and meet the shopkeepers and see for yourself why Thomasville’s award-winning downtown has become a distinguished shopping destination.

From November 16 to 18 the Plantation Wildlife Arts Festival which features 65 of the best sporting and wildlife artists in one location .... Thomasville.

Visit www.thomasvillega.com/festivals for more details or call the Thomasville Visitors Center at 229-228-7977 or toll free 866-577-3600.

For more information about top events in Georgia take a look at the Top Events USA selection of the annual main festivals and events in Georgia.

Pipes Summon Highlands to Hartford, Connecticut

Set your GPS to Hartford, Connecticut  on September 29. Follow the skirl of the pied pipers to the 11th annual "Pipes in the Valley" Celtic Music Festival on the banks of the scenic Connecticut River at Mortensen Riverfront Plaza, downtown Hartford.

The spirit of the Highlands await you, along with top traditional and Celtic rock bands on two stages, bag pipe bands, Highland athletic games with the caber toss, step dancing, birds of prey, interactive kids activities including crafts, puppetry and storytelling, Celtic food and vendors, micro brews and so much more.  Some 20,000 people are attracted to this event from Maine to N. Carolina, so "Haste Ye Back!" 

The fun begins at 11am, with the massed pipe bands parading over the Founders Bridge at noon, and doesn't stop til 10.30pm when "Celtica" closes the show with an unforgettable performance of bagrock, fire and brimstone.  

Earlier the Celtic fever is built up with the thunderous tribal pipes and drums of  Scotland's "Albannach!"  Check out the entire music  schedule on www.pipesinthevalley.com including Ontario, Canada's all-sister band, Searson; Northampton's Dicey Riley; and three Irish bands all hailing from Connecticut, The Mighty Ploughboys, The Jolly Beggars and The Rising.

This year "Pipes in the Valley" is participating in the inaugural Hartford area cultural festival of Envisionfest Hartford also taking place in downtown venues with a variety of free entertainment from Bushnell Park to the Riverfront.

For additional info, go to www.pipesinthevalley.com or email TPA.Nicki@gmail.com or call 860.874.1075

For more information about top events in Connecticut take a look at the Top Events USA selection of the annual main festivals and events in Connecticut. 

Seattle Fall Tradition is Fremont Oktoberfest

Fremont Oktoberfest is Seattle’s fall tradition. Voted as one of the top places to toast Oktoberfest, this three-day festival features a Tasting Garden, two stages with live music, Sunday Dogtoberfest activities and an Oktoberfest Village with a Kids Area and 5K Run.

This year the 16^th annual Fremont Oktoberfest takes place on the first official days of autumn, September 21 to 23, in the heart of Seattle’s Fremont neighborhood.

Fremont Oktoberfest hosts a 21+ Tasting Garden where guests can sample over 80 microbrews, German beers and wine. The Buxom Beer Garden, located inside the Tasting Garden, serves up microbrews in a macro glass – ½- and 1-liter souvenir steins. Various lounges and music stages provide guests with non-stop entertainment including the infamous Texas Chainsaw Pumpkin Carving Contest, Dog Modeling Contest, and Buxom Royalty Contest.

The Oktoberfest Village features its own by-the-glass beer garden, traditional German food booths, a free entertainment stage and a Kids’ area with Zucchini 500 races, pumpkin carving and Oktoberfest themed arts and crafts. The Oktoberfest Village is free and open to all ages.

The weekend also includes a Brew HA-HA of a run, the Fremont Oktoberfest 5K, complete with a beer belly division and appropriately ending at the Village Beer Garden. For those looking for a unique adventure, the Fremont Oktoberfest Street Scramble sends guests on a scavenger hunt to find the hidden treasures of the Fremont neighborhood.

Tickets are on sale at fremontoktoberfest.com and include admission, a 5oz commemorative tasting mug and five tasting tokens. 5oz beer tastes are one token each and additional tokens are available for purchase.

Fremont Oktoberfest is a benefit for the Fremont Chamber of Commerce funding local schools, art groups, community events and promoting Fremont as the “Center of the Universe." More information about the Fremont Chamber of Commerce can be found at www.fremontseattle.com. 

For more information about top events in Washington State take a look at the Top Events USA selection of the annual main festivals and events in Washington

Guttenberg, Iowa Celebrates German Heritage

With its rich German heritage, it’s cool to be Deutsch every day in Guttenberg .... but especially so on the 4^th weekend of September every year.

This year the Guttenberg Germanfest, now in its 22nd year, will be held on September 21 and 22, concluding with a German church service on Sunday September 23.   

In the 1840s, German immigrants settled in Guttenberg among the scenic bluffs of the Mississippi River Valley in Northeast Iowa.  Many of its limestone buildings reflect this heritage and over 70 buildings are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.  Walking tours are available.

The celebration begins late Friday afternoon with the Craft Fair and Open-Air Market setting up and hog roast serving at 5:30pm in the festival tent. Then, enjoy the live music by the national touring band, “Jim Busta’s Polka Band” from 6–9:30pm. 

Saturday’s events include arts/craft vendors, contests, games, music, food, 5K run/walk, biergarten (including the same beers served at the Oktober Fest in Munich), a brat-eating contest, kids’ games and activities and Lock & Dam #10 Open House. The Germanfest 5K walk/run is sponsored by The Guttenberg Hospital. Enter your dachshund in the crowd-pleasing Wiener Dog Dash.

Featured entertainment includes the Guttenberg German Band, Lyle Beaver, UNI German Dancers, The Silbertaler Trio, Dubuque Cloggers, Clayton Ridge State Champion Drill Team, Guttenberg Karate Club, Topp Flight and much more. 

The high energy 70s-80s rock cover band, “Stranded in Iowa” with lead singer, Adam Beck, will take the stage at 7pm with the opening band, The Lovehandles at 5pm.

Another favorite returns as a storybook character comes to life with Princess Heidi and her Opa and Oma (Grandpa and Grandma) circulating throughout the day.

View a replica of the Guttenberg Bible at the Guttenberg Public Library.

There is a free shuttle service to and from the festival area.

Click on www.germanfestinguttenberg.com for details or contact the Guttenberg Welcome Center, toll free 877-252-2323 or email at germanfest@hotmail.com  

For more information about top events in Iowa take a look at the Top Events USA selection of the annual main festivals and events in Iowa.