Autumn.

Apples.

Crisp air.

Earthy scented air.

Sunlight filters through leaves of yellow, red, orange … falling, swirling, dancing  leaves … jumping in piles of raked leaves …. Pumpkins, gourds, and corn stalks are decorating go-tos … throw in some purple and orange lights, hang some cobwebs (or, if you’re like me there’ll be a few natural ones suspended from the ceilings – hey, it’s all part of October decór) … sounds downright homey and festive to me!

Speaking of corn, did you know there are 18 corn mazes (or as I like to say, ‘maize mazes’) in Maine? Well there are. One of the closest ones to us here in the Boothbay region is in Warren at Beth’s Farm Market. My friend Linda Dow said she and the fam were there last weekend; took them 45 minutes to find their way out – and they had a blast. So, I think me and mine will be heading there this weekend. Oh, and there’s a hayride out to the maze! If I was a betting person, I’d wager on my 7-year-old granddaughter being the one that gets us all out!

This weekend. What an amazing weekend it will be – there’s SO much going on for families! The Fall Foliage Festival at Boothbay Railway Village … vendors, artisans, craftspeople selling wares and goods you’ve just got to have – or maybe you go every year to buy, say, enough honey to get you through to next year’s festival? Or maybe you include a new polar fleece scarf or hat in the family’s Christmas stockings? And then there’s the food … lobster rolls, fish chowder (sounds like a fine meal to me right there!), hot cider, kettle corn … OK, so between the scents of the season and the scents of the chowder, cider and corn … we’re talkin’ olfactory heaven!

So, yeah, there are like 30-40-something vendors, the steam train’s running, the exhibits are open … and there’s live music! Dig it: Saturday’s lineup: Mark Barter, Boothbay Community Band, The Spaceheaters; Sunday: Ask Us About Our Tree Work Fiddlers, the Oyster Creek Fiddlers, Murky Water Band; Monday is open mic – free! To sign on to play, call the Boothbay Info Center at 633-4743. For more info in general, visit https://railwayvillage.org or www.boothbay.org

OK, then there’s the Damariscotta Pumpkinfest & Regatta (on Monday)! This is a “must do” event as well! So many events, so little time, right?! Check out the schedule at www.mainepumpkinfest.com

Saturday is a big day – the derby races, street performers, the gigantic, artistic pumpkins lining Main Street, the Pumpkin Parade, pumpkins being catapulted, dropped and what not; the regatta – ginormous pumpkin ships (several of the pirate variety – be on the lookout for Jack Sparrow … or, did he get the Black Pearl back … ) that are a delight to see and marvel over …

Back on our peninsula, cider Saturdays continue in Children’s Garden at Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens … and … coming up: Oktoberfest in Wiscasset Oct. 13 (not a Friday, dang it), the Boothbay Region Land Trust’s Halloween Story Book Trail at Oak Point Farm … and … the Great Pumpkin Hunt at CMBG featuring fall-themed games, pumpkin decorating and the hunt in the spotlight. Kids go out in search of ... no, not Linus's great pumpkin (they’d have to stay up far too late for that - and we know how that worked out for Linus and Sally ...) , but golden pumpkins! Young hunters finding these little beauties will be awarded a prize. And, if you are able, CMBG will be accepting non-perishable donations for the Boothbay Region Food Pantry – this is the harvest season - at the door.

Autumn in October … it’s just the best time of the year … ripe with fun … haunts … ghost trains … evening fires and hot toddies … and All Hallows Eve is coming …. insert maniacal laughter here ….