Muir Beach, California, Quilters’ Holiday Arts Fair

With the holiday season quickly approaching, why not make your way to the coast for your holiday shopping?

The 2013 Muir Beach Quilters’ Holiday Arts Fair is set for Saturday, December 7 from 10am to 5pm and Sunday, December 8 from 10am to 4pm at the beautiful Muir Beach Community Center located at 19 Seacape Drive, a short 15 minutes from Highway 101 in the charming seaside community of Muir Beach.

Enjoy the spectacular scenery of Muir Beach while browsing through amazing artwork and colorful crafts from over 30 local artists hailing from Marin and throughout the Bay Area. 

The Muir Beach Quilters’ Holiday Arts Fair is an event fit for the whole family. Returning this year are booths featuring Junior Artisans, as well as the seasonal creations of the Holiday Ornament Extravaganza. The ever so popular Quilters’ Gingerbread Attic is sure to be a hit for kids to try out their own creative impulses while parents can gather at the Quilters’ Class Bar on the covered deck or shop the many booths of the fair featuring a variety of textiles, ceramics, fine art, holiday knick-knacks, jewelry, home and fashion accessories, gourmet gifts, and handcrafts from the garden.

Again chef John Sabbatini and his wife Lia will be manning their Barbary Coast Bistro. Using natural & organic products while promoting local farmers, their goals include making mouths water, stomachs full and customers happy. And, of course, coffee and tea can be found at Cafe Q, an upstairs room with a vista point of its own showcasing all the wonder of the Muir Beach Quilters’ Holiday Arts Fair.

The Muir Beach Volunteer Fire Department will be on hand to sell their famous T-shirts, sweatshirts, vests and hats. Sales will benefit the Fire Department. The Muir Beach Garden Club will sell their garden art, with proceeds going toward landscaping the Community Center grounds.

For over 40 years, the Muir Beach Quilters have raised funds to help build and maintain the Muir Beach Community Center. In addition, they fund programs and activities at the Center and donate to several charitable non-profit programs in Marin and beyond though their own Vision Project.

Admission is free and shuttle service is encouraged and provided from the Muir Beach parking lot.  For further information, please call Kathy Sward at (415) 383-6762 or visit www.muirbeach.com/QuiltersFair/ 

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

Dynamic Fall In Store For Fort Worth, Texas

This November, Fort Worth, Texas, will showcase its vibrant cultural and entertainment districts throughout the month with a series of groundbreaking openings and exciting events.

Thousands of visitors are anticipated to attend the Sundance Square Plaza grand opening of the Kimbell Art Museum Renzo Piano Pavilion and  the AAA Texas 500 NASCAR Tripleheader Weekend at Texas Motor Speedway.

Nestled inside one of the most premier and walkable downtown settings in the country, the newly developed 55,000-square-foot Sundance Square Plaza is scheduled to open November 1-3, 2013. 

A compelling and inviting space in the heart of downtown Fort Worth, the plaza will feature a permanent stage for concerts and movies; stunning water features; four 36-foot tall Teflon umbrellas, the first ever to be used in the United States; three new restaurants; a high-end cigar bar; shopping and much more. Grand opening festivities will include live musical entertainment and family friendly activities.

In addition to the grand opening, the first-ever Christmas tree lighting in the plaza will occur on November 23. Over 100,000 onlookers are expected to converge to witness the lighting of the 50-foot blue spruce, which will remain lit until early January. Admission is free.

“America’s Best Small Museum”, home to Michelangelo’s first painting and the only one in North America is set to open its newest addition, the RenzoPiano Pavilion, the day before Thanksgiving (Wednesday, November 27).

For its inaugural exhibition, the $125 million Piano Pavilion will showcase masterpieces from the Kimbell’s permanent collection by masters like Michelangelo and Caravaggio. In the Kahn building, The Age of Picasso and Matisse: Modern Masters from the Art Institute of Chicago offers visitors the rare opportunity to view many of the nation’s most famous paintings outside their customary setting in Chicago. Admission to the permanent collection is always free.

America’s second-largest sports and entertainment facility is gearing up for another exciting season of racing. Designed to accommodate over 190,000 NASCAR fans, Texas Motor Speedway (TMS) will be in full swing November 1-3, 2013, for the AAA Texas 500 NASCAR Tripleheader Weekend, including the Winstar World Casino 350, O’Reilly Auto Parts Challenge and AAA Texas 500.

Come March 2014, fans will get an up-close-and-personal view from any seat in the house as TMS recently announced the reveal of the world's largest highest-definition video board. It is cheduled to be in place before the NASCAR Sprint Cup race in April.

Join the City of Cowboys and Culture in celebrating these momentous occasions and visit www.FortWorth.com for more details. 

Take a look at the Top Events USA selection of the annual main festivals and events in Texas for information about other top events in Texas.

Welcome to Vermont’s Top 10 Winter Events

Each year, a panel of independent judges selects Vermont’s blue ribbon activities by season. Chosen for their creativity, diversity, and appeal, this year’s Vermont Chamber Top Ten Winter Events feature time-honored traditions as well as contemporary experiences. 

Make sure you make Vermont’s legendary events part of your winter festivities. Here are some in the early part of winter.

Manchester Merriment in Dorset, Arlington and Manchester from November 30. 2013 to January 1, 2014 is a six-week-long holiday celebration where the entire region decks its halls. Tour inns and B&Bs adorned for the holidays, taste wine at restaurants, shop, and celebrate with children’s contests, storytelling, and art. Get decked out with a pooch for the Posh Pup Parade, march to a different drummer in a lighted holiday tractor parade, take a spin in an old-fashioned horse and wagon, or jump on the Elf Express. 

Warm up to the holidays in Weston on December 7 from 10am to 5pm with traditional activities for all ages at Christmas in Weston. A portion of the event’s proceeds go to a non-profit dedicated to supplying firewood to neighbors. A community reading of Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, the Nordic Harmoni choir, and caroling are featured. Museum tours, a visit with Santa, horsedrawn wagon rides, puppet and magic shows, a scavenger hunt, and quilt show round out a busy day in this beautiful village.

The holidays are a festive time for village shopping; bargains, unique gifts, traditional crafts, and in-store refreshments abound. But the Country Christmas Open House & Holiday Paint-in in Mad River Valley (Waitsfield, Warren, Fayston, and Moretown) on December 7 and 8 from 10am to 6pm brings surprises too; imagine an unexpected artist in-store breathing life into browsing. The Valley Art Foundation places artists on display, allowing shoppers to connect with local crafters, peruse their creations, and purchase art on site. The weekend culminates with an art show in a pop-up gallery. 

The town of Woodstock is the focus of Wassail Weekend (December 13 - 15), defined by twinkling lights and jingling sleigh bells, holiday stories, Yule logs, carols on The Green, luminaries, Santa’s Workshop, and house tours around the village green. Enjoy a spicy, warming Wassail beverage while shopping; experience the holidays in 19th century Vermont at Billings Farm & Museum. 

And chill out with ice carving demonstrations and competitions, or jump into ski races, snow golf and snow volleyball, as a spectator or a challenger at Stowe Winter Carnival in Stowe from January 18 to February 2, 2014. Young smiles abound at the zany Kids Carnival Kaos; the evening brings Carnival “meltdown” parties for adults. More than 15 competitive sporting events dominate the snowscape as Stowe comes together to ride, glide, and putt the winter away. Free to the public; participant entry fee for sporting events. 

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

Bringing Charles Dickens to life for 35 years

Now in its 35^th year, the one-of-a-kind Great Dickens Christmas Fair & Victorian Holiday Party kicks off on November 23 at San Francisco’s historic Cow Palace, 2600 Geneva Ave. for five weekends.

The Fair runs Saturdays and Sundays (including the Friday after Thanksgiving!) through December 22, from 10am to 7pm.

A beloved Bay Area tradition and one of the most elaborate, inventive and authentically-Victorian Christmas events anywhere in the world, the Great Dickens Christmas Fair & Victorian Holiday Party showcases over three acres of exhibition halls transformed into a brilliant facsimile of Victorian London circa 1865. 

An ever-changing recreated slice of Charles Dickens’ London, warmly lit and lovingly decorated, with winding lanes, shops, pubs, tearooms, lecture halls, a grand Music Hall and the London dockside will be brought to life by more than 750 authentically-dressed actors.

Wander your way through 19^th Century London alleyways, follow upper-crusty Petticoat Lane down to Nickleby Road, and discover Mad Sal’s Dockside Alehouse, a raucous re-creation of a Victorian working class dance hall. In between, eat and drink a delicious array of British pub fare, enjoy an entire sit-down family dinner, and view shops filled to the brim with unique crafts, toys and arts.

Fairgoers of all ages will meet the characters of Charles Dickens’ London who combine their talents to create a fully immersive Victorian holiday experience. From Queen Victoria herself all the way down to Tiny Tim, the Dickens Fair brings to life a mixture of fictional and historic characters. Mingle with roving chimney sweeps, musicians, carolers, London bobbies, magicians, and saucy sailors. Gala parades, including the daily Toy Parade and the Father Christmas Parade, wind through the crowds, adding to the festivity.

  

The Yuletide season is also a time for youngsters to delight in special activities, games and gifts – and at the Great Dickens Christmas Fair, holiday entertainment opportunities abound for both the young and the young at heart. 

The Great Dickens Christmas Fair is directed and produced each year by the Patterson family, creators and producers for more than three decades of the world’s original Renaissance Faires at Black Point Forest in Marin County and in Southern California. 

For details of tickets and more information call (800) 510-1558 ext. 114 or visit www.dickensfair.com where print-at-home discount tickets are available.

Take a look at the Top Events USA selection of the annual main festivals and events in California for more information about top events in California.

Wine Road's Wine & Food Affair

This November over 100 of the Santa Rosa area’s most loved wineries will open their doors for the popular 15^th Annual Wine & Food Affair. Wine country chefs, caterers & winery culinary teams will prepare unique recipes to compliment a highlighted wine at each winery.

During the weekend’s festivities (November 2 and 3) guests will visit an impressive list of wineries spanning the Alexander, Dry Creek and Russian River Valleys, taste the food & wine offerings, try other wines from the wineries, and take home the event cookbook Tasting Along the Wine Road with all of the participating recipes for the weekend (included in the ticket price).

The event is open from 11am to 4pm each day. This event does sell out and there are no ticket sales at the doors of the wineries for this event.  Prices are $70 Weekend; $50 Sunday only; $30 Designated Driver – for tickets and more information please visit www.wineroad.com.

Each year thousands of food & wine lovers travel to Northern Sonoma County to attend the highly revered Wine & Food Affair. This premier event produced by Wine Road is a rare opportunity to experience up-close and in-person what vintners are producing and how they personally recommend complementing their wine with food. Each participating winery prepares a unique recipe to go along with their wine.

Visitors can see a Google map of all of the 2013 participants, create their own printable event map & itinerary for the weekend and find winery locations & the special recipe each will prepare & serve for the event to plan which to visit.

Wine Road, an association of wineries and lodgings in the Alexander, Dry Creek, and Russian River Valleys, presents three events each year: Winter WINEland in January; Barrel Tasting in March; and A Wine & Food Affair in November. You can read more about the events and create online interactive maps of the region here. 

Click on VisitSantaRosa.com for more information or call (707) 577-8674.

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

Festive Fall Show in Great Smoky Mountains

Not only do the Smoky Mountains explode with beautiful color in the fall, the small North Carolina town of Bryson City itself puts on a festive fall show, too.

Colorful fall flowers and scarecrows hang out on the streets mixing with the beautiful fall foliage changes. You can go for a hayride, visit a pumpkin patch and a corn maze, hear ghost stories and legends, sample some award-winning chili, fish some trophy waters, sample local produce at the Friday Farmers Market, watch artisans create one-of-a-kind arts and crafts, and more.

Festivals dot the calendar every weekend with several harvest festivals ending with the Great Pumpkin Pursuit race down the Nantahala River.

Music fills the crisp, mountain air in October – free concerts on Saturdays at the train depot, old-time music jam at the Oconaluftee Visitor Center, and The Inspirations Gospel "Singing in the Smokies”.

There's fun for the whole family on the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad's Pumpkin Patch Express and Leaf-Looker Train Rides; and you can travel by train to Dillsboro, NC for the WNC Pottery Festival, a unique combination vendor sale and "clay olympics" with lots of entertainment.

To learn more, take a look at Bryson City’s Fall Events.

The most often-asked question from people planning an autumn trip to the Great Smoky Mountains is: "When will the color peak?" The truth is, with the wide variety of trees, elevations and microclimates in the Smokies, the leaf season can last up to six weeks. Depending upon the timing of the first frost, the peak of fall color should arrive during the second week of October in the higher elevations, and during the third week of October in the mid-elevations.

No matter when you visit the Smokies in the fall, you should be able to find beautiful leaf color.

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

A Festive Autumn in Massachusetts

For New Englanders and visitors alike, the changing colours of the leaves to vibrant oranges, reds and browns in the fall are the highlight of the year. Celebrate this visually striking season at festivals throughout Massachusetts and take advantage of falling rates at select hotels and resorts.

The cranberry is Massachusetts' number one agricultural crop and two of the more juicy events are The Milestone Cranberry Bog and the Nantucket Foundation’s 11th Annual Cranberry Festival, Nantucket on October 12 and the Cranberry Harvest Celebration, Wareham on October 12 and 13.

One of the oldest oyster guidelines instructs one to eat only oysters during the months that include the letter “r”. As October fits the bill, what better month to celebrate the Wellfleet Oysterfest at Wellfleet, Cape Cod on October 19 and 20? Once you are full on these little bivalves, visit the booths of more than 75 artisans, enjoy live music and kids activities like face painting and moonbounces. Continue onto an oyster reef tour, a nature walk or act as a spectator at the Annual Oyster Shuck-off Competition. Then it’s back to more oysters at the 12 raw bars at the festival. 

The Paradise City Arts Festival, Northampton on October 12 and 13 showcases the works of some of America’s most prominent craftsmen and artists. It is also home to one of the largest digital image libraries of contemporary craft in the world. At this year’s festival, 275 competitively juried artists from 24 states exhibit original works in ceramics, painting, decorative fiber, art glass and more. Cavernous barns transformed into elegant exhibition halls to host this festival. Admission: $13. 

Visit the studios of 21 artists open throughout the weekend of October 12 to 14 during the Cape Ann Artists Open Studio. Cape Ann Artisans are part of a vibrant community, located along the scenic North Shore of Massachusetts that includes three important cultural districts. For the past two years Gloucester has been named one of the country’s top ten art destinations by American Style Magazine. 

For activities and travel ideas visit www.massvacation.ca. 

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

Fall Festivals in Virginia

Virginia's fall festivals aren't just about pumpkins and pretty leaves. Music and food seem to be everywhere. Just follow your ears and taste buds and you'll find a festival that is alive with fun and cool things to do as local farms and Main Street communities transform into family playgrounds for fall festivals.

Here are some of the October fall festivals in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley:

Monterey - Oct. 11-13 - Hands & Harvest Festival - The event features an arts and crafts show & farmers' market. The Little Switzerland Cloggers perform Saturday afternoon. Southernmost Maple Products & Fair Lawn Farm invites visitors to their sugar camp for apple butter and cider making. Word of Faith Outreach Ministry hosts a BBQ Chicken Dinner to benefit those in need. Ginseng Mountain Store holds an "Open House" with door prize & discounts throughtout the store & lamb, beef & marinade tasting on the front porch.

Syria - Oct. 5-6, 12-13, 19-20 - Graves' Mountain Apple Harvest Festival - Enjoy fun-filled days complete with Graves famous Food, live Bluegrass Music, Hay Maze and Hay Moutain, Apple Picking and more!

McGaheysville - Oct. 12 - Massanutten Fall Festival - Over 60 arts vendors, live music, chairlift rides to the top of the Peak, kids activities, wine sampling, beer garden, food, petting farm, and more!

New Castle - Oct. 12 - Craig County Fall Festival - Don't miss the 31st Annual Craig County Fall Festival, to include street fair, antique car show, live entertainment and horse rides. 

Harrisonburg - Oct. 19 - Children's Harvest Festival at the Arboretum - Children's Harvest Festival at the Arboretum with educational tours, dancing, crafts, live music, horse drawn wagon rides and more.

For fall festivals in other regions of Virginia click on www.virginia.org/fall/ or visit these areas:

Blue Ridge Highlands

Chesapeake Bay

Central Virginia

Coastal Virginia - Eastern Shore

Coastal Virginia - Hampton Roads

Northern Virginia

Heart of Appalachia 

Southern Virginia

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. 

Celebrating Rice in the Arkansas Delta

Rice is important in Arkansas, especially in the Arkansas Delta (writes Kim Williams). The Natural State is at the top of the six rice-producing states, growing 48% of the rice in the United States. Nearly 1.4 million acres of rice is grown in Arkansas each year, with the majority being raised in the Arkansas Delta. It’s easy to understand why rice is important to The Natural State.

So important, in fact, that the lovely grain has at least two festivals that honor the crop.

The town of Weiner hosts the 37th annual Arkansas Rice Festival on October 11-12. The festival celebrates not only the Arkansas rice industry but the harvesting season as well. You’ll find a plethora of fun events, contests, and displays. Activities include a duck calling contest, live music, a weiner dog race and show, karaoke contests, a parade, a rice tasting luncheon, carnival rides, a car show, a mini-tractor pull and more. Check out all the events by clicking here . For all the details on the festival itself, log on to www.ArkansasRiceFestival.com.

On October 26, Hazen hosts the 37th annual Grand Prairie Rice Festival. The event kicks-off at 10 a.m. There are special events and attractions just for kids, such as the Little Farmer contest. Other activities include live music, food booths, a variety of vendors, an antique tractor parade, arts and crafts, and a magic show. Phone 870-255-3042 for more information.

To learn more about rice in The Natural State, check out the Arkansas Rice Federation’s website.

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.

Set Your Calendar for October Events in Alabama

The Cullman Oktoberfest in Alabama isn’t just an excuse to throw a party, it’s a community celebration of the town’s rich German heritage. Since 1982, Cullman has held this yearly shindig in honor of the German settlers who founded the town. This year, Oktoberfest will run October 5 to 12 and includes numerous free attractions as well as special events with cost of admission. View all Cullman events here. 

Among the many other events in Alabama in October are:

The Moundville Native American Festival Located at the University of Alabama's Moundville Archaeological Park, performers, artists, craftspeople and tradition bearers entertain and educate visitors about the rich culture and heritage that makes Native Americans of the Southeast so unique. View all Moundville events here.

The National Shrimp Festival (October 10 to 13) on Gulf Shores’ public beach area is held each year during the second full weekend in October, featuring more than 300 vendors that offer fine art, arts and crafts, a retail marketplace, children's activity village, 10K/5K run, live entertainment and, of course, shrimp! View all Gulf Shores events here.

Presented by Triumph Dealers of North America, the Barber Vintage Festival in Birmingham includes road racing, motocross, cross country events, an air show, a swap meet with more than 250 vendors, a fan zone and more. View all Birmingham events here.

On the third weekend of October each year the Kentuck Festival of Arts is one of the nation's best-respected and most-loved arts gatherings. This year Kentuck Festival of Arts will be October 19-20 at Kentuck Park in Northport, Alabama. View all Northport events here.

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

Deadwood, South Dakota October Events

Rodeos, festivals, events, parties and world-class concert events – there’s always something happening in Deadwood, South Dakota ..... and Deadwood in October is no different.

Celebrate  Oktoberfest “Deadwood style” on October 4 to 6  with live German music, free food, dancing and the now famous Weiner Dog Races and Parade. 

Festivities start at noon on Friday with the Oktober Polka Fest at Deadwood Gulch Gaming Resort, followed by registration for the 2nd annual Tour de Oktoberfest (a chance to play games at various Deadwood locations and win prizes), brat giveaway and beer tasting at Oyster Bay, and an Oktober Polka Fest .... and much more on Saturday and Sunday.

The City of Deadwood and Deadwood Mountain Grand will host the 2nd annual multi-day Wild West Songwriters Festival from October 10 to 13 featuring seminars, live performances and other activities with some of the most famous singers and songwriters in America today. It’s a weekend of stories, sounds and speakers. In addition to the performances by world-class artists and songwriters, ticket-holders will be able to attend a variety of panels to hone their songwriting craft and broaden their knowledge of the music business.

On October 25 and 26 be in Deadwood for Deadweird – it’s spooky, it’s creepy but most of all, it’s hilarious. It’s the largest costume contest in the Black Hills where over 500 people enter to win terrific prizes including over $8,000 in cash. Go a day early and enjoy the annual Costume Crawl throughout Deadwood’s Main Street. 

Also take in some of the spirited tours October 17-19 and 24-26: Spirited Tours offer a view of some of Deadwood’s darker stories told in the beautifully-restored Adams House Victorian mansion.  These spooky Halloween tours are offered at 6:00, 7:00, 8:00 and 9:00 p.m. on October 17 – 19 and 24 – 26. Call 605.578.3724 for reservations and price.

Visit www.deadwood.org for more details of events in Deadwood.

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