SEPTEMBER

  September 8 & 15 - Buffalo
BUFFALO STAMPEDE & BARBEQUE COOK-OFF... Enjoy the Stampede BBQ cook-off at Shelly Pate Park on Saturday, Sept 8 and the Stampede Festival on Saturday, Sept 15 at Harriman Park with kid's games, arts & crafts, food vendors, horseshoe pitching tournament, and tons of fun! (903) 322-5810. POB 207, Buffalo TX 75831.

  September 15–16, October 13–14, November 17–18 - Livingston
THIRD MONDAY TRADE DAYS... Discover a wide array of Trade Days treasures at Pedigo Park on Hwy 59 Bypass! Original handcrafted artworks, collectibles, crafts, antiques & foods. Open each Friday thru Sunday before the third Monday each month year-round. Free admission. Booths available. (No December show). www.VisitLivingstonTexas.com. Email: tradedays@livingston.net. 1-877-824-6653.

  September 29 & October 6 - DeKalb
OKTOBERFEST... Enjoy two Saturdays of events this Fall! Saturday in the Park Sept 29 includes chili cook-off, 5K, stick-horse races, eating contests, tournaments & free Deryl Dodd concert at the City Park. On Oct 6, downtown presents living history, art & quilt shows, carnival, Gaga pit, parade, magic show, variety show, live entertainment, kid's activities, 4 blocks of vendors, Jeep show & more! www.dekalbtexasoktoberfest.com.

OCTOBER

  October 5–6 - Huntsville
44th ANNUAL FAIR ON THE SQUARE... The historic downtown square features a huge arts & crafts show, all-day Saturday live entertainment, food court, classic cars, Kids Korner, popular beer garden, wine tasting, and much more, all with free admission. Also enjoy Friday night 's FREE concert & dance with Rosenwall and the John Toland Trio. www.faironthesquare.com. www.facebook.com/thefaironthesquare/. (936) 295-8113.

  October 6 - Jasper
SADDLE AND PADDLE RUN... Come to Jasper and beautiful Lake Sam Rayburn for our bike & kayak run. All racers begin and end at Martin Dies Jr. State Park on Steinhagen Lake (Dam B), and a meal is also provided to participants. Visit www.jaspercoc.org to register by Oct 1, or call (409) 384-2762 for more info.

  October 13 - Hawkins
HAWKINS OIL FESTIVAL... Downtown offers a flashback to the 50s & 60s when oil was king with "Vision 20-20: Seizing Our Future While Building on Our Past". Pancake breakfast, parade, musical entertainment, wide variety of awesome vendors, children's inflatables and great food. Have some good ol' East Texas fun in Downtown Hawkins! For more information:  www.hawkinschamber.org or (903) 769-4482.

  October 18–21 - Tyler
TEXAS ROSE FESTIVAL... Come celebrate the Rose at the 85th Annual Texas Rose Festival. Ceremonial events include the Queen's Coronation, rose show, Queen's Tea & Rose Parade. In addition, there will be a crafts fair, horticulture workshops, art show & much more! 1-800-235-5712, www.VisitTyler.com, or www.texasrosefestival.com.

  October 19–20 - Woodville
30th ANNUAL HARVEST FESTIVAL... Experience an old-time East Texas folklife celebration at Heritage Village Museum's outdoor complex of historic buildings. Bluegrass music, Civil War reenactment, buggy & wagon exhibit, ethnic dance performances, blacksmithing, pioneer crafts, quilting, folk artists, food, spinning & much more. www.heritage-village.org. (409) 283-2272.

  October 20 - Jasper
FALL BUTTERFLY FESTIVAL... Come to the Butterfly Capital of Texas on the third Saturday in October to celebrate Jasper's Fall Butterfly Fest. Featuring a wide variety of food, arts & crafts, entertainment for kids, live music & much more. Don't miss visiting beautiful downtown Jasper. Held on Jasper County Courthouse's lawn & sponsored by Jasper-Lake Sam Rayburn Area Chamber of Commerce. For booth space, call (409) 384-2762.

  October 25–28 - Groves
GROVES PECAN FESTIVAL... Queen's pageant, treasure hunt, carnival, musical entertainment, cooking contest, pecan toss, pie-eating competition, sports, craft & food booths and a parade. (800) 876-3631 or (409) 962-3631.

  October 27 - Ben Wheeler
FALL FERAL HOG FEST... Enjoy a wild hog cook-off, parade, live music, Feral Hog Queen pageant, vendors, and more at Moore's Store. For more details, visit www.benwheelertx.com, call (903) 833-1060, or follow us on Facebook.

October 27 - Sulphur Springs
49th WORLD CHAMPION HOPKINS COUNTY STEW CONTEST... Nestled under centuries-old live oaks, 160 two-man cooking teams build a fire, hang a cast iron stewpot and cook Hopkins County chicken or beef stew. $6/person buys all-you-can-eat stew, as long as it lasts. Serving begins at 10:30am. The winning stew is announced after 12:30. Come see if you can pick the winner! Buford City Park, 733 Connally St. (903) 885-6515.

NOVEMBER

November 17 - Crockett
37th ANNUAL CHRISTMAS IN CROCKETT... Enjoy the Christmas feeling on the Saturday before Thanksgiving with over 200 arts & crafts booths, along with food vendors, entertainment, kid's activities, class car show, quilt show and more. 10am-5pm. For additional info, contact Crockett Chamber of Commerce: (936) 544-2359.

November 24 - Kirbyville
31st ANNUAL CHRISTMAS IN THE PARK... Come to beautifully-forested East Texas the Saturday after Thanksgiving to enjoy Kirbyville's hometown festival with food & craft booths, photos with Santa, small train ride, entertainment, games, and more at Magnolia Park. (409) 423-3319.  v