ARIZONA
Bisbee Blues Festival
Sept. 15 — The historic Warren Ballpark in Bisbee will be the site of this festival that will feature Leon J, Sean Trackman & the Copper City Rail, Bad News Blues Band, Eddie Turner and the Trouble Twins and Diunna Greenleaf. Gates will open at noon and the show will start at 1 p.m. For information, visit thebisbeebluesfestival.com.
Flagstaff Festival of Science
Sept. 21–30 — More than 70 free activities, including field trips, archaeological digs, star parties and open houses at research stations, will be included in this event designed to inspire people, and especially youth, with the wonders and joys of science. Alexandra Cousteau, an explorer who is the granddaughter of legendary underwater filmmaker Jacques Cousteau, will deliver the keynote address Sept. 21 at Northern Arizona University. For information, visit scifest.org.
Sedona Winefest
Sept. 22–23 —Wines from the Verde Valley, Prescott and the Southern Arizona region will be featured at this event at the Sedona Airport. The event will include live music and a juried art exhibition. For information, visit Sedonawinefest.com
Phoenix Old World Oktoberfest
Oct. 5–6 — Bavarian bands, beer, sausages and strudel will draw people to Margaret T. Hance Park in Phoenix for this annual celebration of German culture. There will be a polka contest and an Alphorn blowing contest. The festival will run from 4 to 9 p.m. Friday and noon to 9 p.m. Saturday. For information,visit phoenixoktoberfest.com.
CALIFORNIA
Stater Brothers Route 66 Rendezvous
Sept. 13–16 — About 1,700 vehicles from 1900 to 1975, including classic cars, hot rods, antique cars and trucks, will cruise the streets of downtown San Bernardino during this event that last year attracted more than 500,000 spectators. Thirty-five blocks of San Bernardino will be closed for the event, which will include music, carnival rides, a bicycle stunt show and a burnout contest. For information, visit route-66.org.
Monterey Jazz Festival
Sept. 21–23 — Singers Tony Bennett and Esperanza Spaulding and jazz guitarist Pat Metheny will be among the performers at this annual festival at the Monterey Fairgrounds. Besides performances in the fairgrounds arena, there will be more than 30 shows on seven stages. For information, visit montereyjazzfestival.org.
Half Moon Bay Art & Pumpkin Festival
Oct. 13–14 — Music, arts and crafts booths, pumpkin pie-eating contests and expert pumpkin carving are among the attractions that draw visitors to Main Street in Half Moon Bay for this annual festival. The event will be preceded Monday, Oct. 8, with the Safeway World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-off at Half Moon Bay. The top prize is $6 per pound for the winning pumpkin, and an additional $5,000 if the pumpkin is big enough to beat the world record of 1,818 pounds set by a pumpkin grown in Canada. The five largest pumpkins will be displayed at the festival. For information, visit miramarevents.com.
Mendocino County Beer, Wine & Mushroom Festival
Nov. 2–11 — Mushrooms flourish in Mendocino County, and that fact is celebrated during this festival with mushroom dinners, mushroom exhibits and guided walks to forage for mushrooms, including chanterelles, porcinis, morels and the rare candy cap mushroom, which only grows along the Northern California coast. The festival includes opportunities to taste wine and beer at local wineries and brewpubs. Events take place throughout the county. For details, see visitmendocino.com.
IDAHO
Sun Valley Jazz Jamboree
Oct. 17–21 — Forty bands will perform during this five-day festival that features traditional and contemporary jazz, blues, swing and other musical styles. Special events include a free community concert, a salute to marching bands and two all-star big band bashes. RV sites are available without hookups. For information, visit sunvalleyjazz.com.
NEVADA
Super Run Car Show
Sept. 20–23 — More than 1,000 vintage vehicles will be on view in Henderson during this annual event that includes a roaring engine contest and a burnout competition. Admission is free for spectators. Country music entertainer Jerrod Niemann will perform on Friday and “Route 66–the Musical,” featuring songs from the 1950s and ‘60s, will be presented on Saturday. For information, visit hendersonlive.com/special-events/super-run.
Ruby Mountain Balloon Festival
Sept. 21–23 — From 35 to 40 hot air balloons will lift off at sunrise Friday from various locations in Elko and Spring Creek to initiate this annual festival. On Friday evening there will be a balloon glow at Mountain View Park and then the balloons will soar again Saturday and Sunday mornings from the Sports Park in Spring Creek. A special event this year is the participation of Freedom Flight, which flies POW/MIA hot air balloons to call attention to the issue of servicemen who are unaccounted for. For festival information, visit rubymountainballoonfestival.com.
Nevada Day
Oct. 25–28 — The Nevada Day Parade in Carson City traditionally begins at 10 a.m. Saturday, preceded by a hot air balloon launch at 8 a.m. The parade is the major event celebrating Nevada’s admission to statehood, but there are other activities, too, spread out over four days, including music and art shows, a carnival, pancake breakfast and a world championship rock drilling contest. For information, visit nevadaday.com.
OREGON
Mount Angel Oktoberfest
Sept. 13–16 — The village of Mount Angel, 40 miles south of Portland, attracts 350,000 people each year with its Oktoberfest that includes 50 food chalets and free entertainment on the village bandstand from noon until closing each day. There is a Bavarian Biergarten, a family Weingarten and an interactive family Alpinegarten. There are also special programs for children, a car show Saturday and Sunday and street dances Friday and Saturday nights. For information, visit Oktoberfest.org.
Covered Bridge Festival
Oct. 6–7 — Bohemia Park in Cottage Grove will be the site of this festival that provides an opportunity to tour the area’s covered bridges, including the newly rebuilt Chambers Railroad Bridge, the only covered railroad bridge west of the Mississippi River. Activities will include a running and walking relay past historic bridges and Dorena Lake, and a pumpkin-chucking contest. For information, visit ocbfestival.com.
Medford Jazz Festival
Oct. 12–14 — The Lena Prima Band, featuring the daughter of the late bandleader Louis Prima, will be among the 14 bands performing at this festival at four jazz and dance venues in Medford. Other bands will include Cornet Chop Suey, High Sierra Jazz Band, the Oregon Coast Lab Band and Gator Beat. For information, visit medfordjazz.org.
Fall Kite Festival
Oct. 13-14 — This annual festival, which began in Lincoln City in 1979, will continue this year on the beach at D-River Wayside in the center of the city from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. For information, visit Oregoncoast.org.
UTAH
Escalante Canyons Art Festival
Sept. 28–29 — Artists will have nearly a week to create works and then show them in a Plein Air Competition during this festival in Escalante. There will be an arts and crafts show and sale at the Festival Plaza and the Escalante Exhibit Hall in addition to the plein air exhibit at the Escalante Community Center. The festival will include musical entertainment throughout the day Friday and Saturday at the Festival Plaza. The festival also will offer talks on topics ranging from dinosaurs to pioneer women. For information, visit escalantecanyonsartfestival.org.
Cowboy Poetry Gathering & Buckaroo Fair
Oct. 31–Nov. 4 — Heber City hosts this event, which features western music, poetry and art, starting with a cowboy steak dinner and show. Concert performers during the week will include Michael Martin Murphey with the BYU Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra, Suzy Bogguss, Chris Isaacs and the Bar J Wranglers. The Buckaroo Fair will include a fine art display, a mountain man trader camp, and saddles and other western gear. Events will be at various venues, including the Heber Valley Railroad, where performers will entertain on train rides. For information, visit hebercitycowboypoetry.com.
Moab Folk Festival
Nov. 2–4 — Twelve singer-songwriters will perform in concerts at Moab’s Star Hall, Grand County High School Auditorium and the Moab Ball Field during this 10th annual event. The festival includes workshops for musicians and songwriters. For information, visit moabfolkfestival.com.
WASHINGTON
Great Prosser Balloon Rally
Sept. 28–30 — Hot air balloons will take flight at sunrise, weather permitting, in Prosser. Spectators are advised to arrive at Prosser Airport at about 6:15 a.m. to watch the pilots prepare for launch. There is no admission charge to watch the launch, nor to attend the Night Glow Saturday at dusk at Art Fiker Stadium, where balloons will be anchored and illuminated. For information, visit prosserballoonrally.org.
Leavenworth Oktoberfest
Oct. 5-6, 12-13, 19-20 — Bavarian dancing, polka music and beer imported from Germany will be among the attractions at four venues in Leavenworth, located in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains. There will be arts and crafts vendors, activities for children and a variety of German food. Oktoberfest will run from 6 p.m. to midnight Friday and noon to midnight Saturday. Tickets are $10 on Friday, $20 on Saturday, and free for children under 12. For information, visit leavenworthoktoberfest.com.
Dungeness Crab & Seafood Festival
Oct. 12–14 — Dungeness crab, coleslaw and sweet corn will be served at the festival that will open in Port Angeles with a preview Friday night and continue from 11 a.m. to 8:30 pm. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. The festival, which includes music, beer, wine and food from nine restaurants, will be held at the Port Angeles City Pier and the Red Lion Hotel overlooking the Strait of Juan de Fuca. For information, visit crabfestival.org.
Cranberrian Fair
Oct. 13–14 — The Columbia Pacific Heritage Museum in Ilwaco will host vendors offering pottery, wooden bowls, paintings, cranberry vine baskets, homemade peach/cranberry pies and more during this event from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Fairgoers also will see craft demonstrations and gain admission to the museum’s exhibits. The Cranberry Trolley will take visitors from the museum to the Pacific Coast Cranberry Research Foundation and Cranberry Museum in Long Beach. For information, visitcolumbiapacificheritagemuseum.org.
Nikki is a writer and editor for Do It Yourself RV, RV LIFE, and Camper Report. She is based on the Oregon Coast and has traveled all over the Pacific Northwest.
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