5 fabulous fall fairs and festivals for families in Mt Washington Valley, NH

When it comes to fall, Mother Nature’s show isn’t the only thing to see and do in the Valley

North Conway, NH – During the fall months, Mother Nature puts on quite a show in Mt Washington Valley, drawing visitors from around the world. And while the harvest hues take center stage, it’s not the only show in town. Visitors don’t live by fall foliage alone. Plan to take in one or more of these fabulous fall events, each with a different theme, but all family (and even Fido) friendly.

MUD BOWL – The Championships of Mud Football & the Tournament of Mud Parade, September 8-10, 2017

It’s a weekend of good clean fun, played in knee deep mud in Hog Coliseum, North Conway, NH. While there’s plenty of zany fun, there’s some serious competition among the 12 teams that vie each year for the title of Mud Football Champions. “Children’s MUDDY Shows” is the theme for this year’s Championship of Mud Football. Think Scooby Muddy Do and Muds Bunny.

The event will be held September 8, 9 and 10, 2017 at Hog Coliseum located next to the North Conway Community Center. Twelve teams will compete throughout the weekend in a double elimination tournament of mud football. Money raised is donated to the North Conway Community Center, Vaughan Learning Center, Carroll County Retired Senior Volunteer Program as well as other non-profits in the Mt Washington Valley. To date nearly $1 million dollars has been raised for community non-profits from this event since it was first played locally in 1976 for community non-profits.

Join the fun Saturday on Main Street at 10:00am. for the Annual Tournament of Mud Parade, filled with skits, cheerleaders, whimsical costumes and floats. This year’s Steve Eastman Grand Marshal Award recipient will be longtime Mud Bowl public relations director and local journalist Tom Eastman, younger brother of the late Steve Eastman, who ran the parade and co-founded North Conway’s Mud Bowl.

Each $15 ticket ensures entrance into the games on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday and doubles as a raffle ticket for $500 on Saturday & Sunday. Day tickets and a family package are also available. Each ticket entitles the bearer to participate in two $500 drawings.

For more information, visit https://www.facebook.com/MudBowl.org/.

Fryeburg Fair, October 1-8, 2017

Fryeburg Fair, established in 1851, will host the 167th annual eight-day fair October 1-8, 2017 in Fryeburg, Maine. Considered to be one of the best agricultural fairs in the U.S. the Fryeburg Fair offers non-stop livestock, agriculture and farming exhibitions with over 3,000 head of cattle, horses, sheep, goats, hogs, poultry, rabbits, oxen and more. This year marks the fair’s Fryeburg Fair’s 50th Anniversary of Woodsmen’s Field on Monday, October 3, 2017. Woodsmen’s Field Day is the largest spectator woodsmen event in North America as contestants come from across the U.S. and Canada to compete in over 34 woods skills events such as log-rolling, axe throwing, standing block chop, tree felling, skidder driving and log loading.

Additional Fair highlights include horse and ox pulling, calf and pig scrambles, cooking contests, flower shows, exhibition halls of crafts, handiwork, photos, art, forest and wood products; a full museum of old farm equipment and memorabilia with live demonstrations; the “Little Red Schoolhouse” built in 1835; the milking parlor, firemen’s musters, sheepdog trials, tractor pulling, 4WD pulls and pari-mutuel harness racing on the Fair’s half-mile track. The Fair’s Specialty Foods Pavilion offers innovative food products made with local farm ingredients. The Expo Center features 9,000 square feet of commercial exhibits.

Night Shows being at 8 pm at the Grandstand each night and the annual Fireworks show is on Friday night at 9 p.m. right after the Night Show.

And it wouldn’t be a fair without food! The Fryeburg Fair is known for the best French fries made with just harvested Maine potatoes, along with an amazing assortment of food choices for everyone! Seafood, sausage, barbecue, onion rings, blooming onions, Indian pudding, crabmeat rolls, turkey legs, turkey dinners, and the list goes on and on…. blueberry & apple crisp, Indian pudding, cotton candy, candy apples, doughnuts, ice cream and still way more.

General Admission is $10 daily and includes the 8 pm Night Show. Children under 12 are always free. Tuesday is Senior Citizen’s Day (65 & over are admitted free. Info: www.fryeburgfair.org or (207) 935-3268.

Return of the Pumpkin People & All Things Pumpkin Festival, October 1-31

Now in its 33rd year, the Return of the Pumpkin People is a self-guided tour of more than 80 different locations hosting Pumpkin People displays throughout October. Look for creatively themed and designed Pumpkin People doing all kinds of things from flying across yards to deep sea diving, then vote for your favorite. More than 12 stores at Settlers Green will participate with pumpkin people displays. Maps and People Choice Award Ballots will be available by September 1st, 2017 from the Jackson Chamber of Commerce and participating businesses located throughout the Conway and Jackson Area of New Hampshire.

Then, October 15-31, visit Jackson for the All Things Pumpkin Festival including open houses, pumpkin tasting tours on horse drawn sleighs, and the “New England & Jackson Invitational Pumpkin Carving Competition in Jackson Park. Check out the amazing carved pumpkin sculptures here.

Info: http://www.jacksonnh.com.

Fall Festival & (NEW!) Dancing in the Streets at Settlers Green, September 30 & October 10-15

Settlers Green, North Conway’s largest outlet center, is abuzz with activity as the final touches are finished for the new expansion, Settlers Green Streetside. Fall fun starts on September 30th with the annual Settlers Green Fall Festival, featuring Horse-drawn wagon rides, pumpkin painting plenty of Pumpkin People, and more to celebrate the start of fall in North Conway! Then, get ready for some Dancing in the Street as Settlers Green celebrates the Grand Opening of its new Streetside mall with a full line-up of musical themed events, community celebrations, shopping specials, art unveilings, giveaways and more. Saturday, October 8 – Sunday, October 9, enjoy the two-day Busker Festival. As a warm-up to the main event, take in busker performances at Settlers Green Outlet Village, Settlers Green Streetside and Settlers Crossing. Each day another shopping, live entertainment, or art-filled event or entertainment will occur. Info: http://www.settlersgreen.com/events.

Attitash Oktoberfest, October 7-8, 2017

This year, Attitash Mountain Resort will celebrate the 20th Annual Oktoberfest on Columbus Day weekend, October 8 and 9 at the Bear Peak base area. The two-day event will feature traditional Bavarian music from the world-renowned King Ludwig’s Band, authentic German fare plus a Biergarten featuring 20 different local and regional breweries serving a host of seasonal beers and ciders. To celebrate the 20th anniversary, a special day of children’s fun has been added to the line-up on Sunday, October 8th.

For the adults, a staple of the Attitash Oktoberfest is the Samuel Adams Stein Hoist Competition. A competition of strength and concentration, participants over 21 years of age will attempt to hold a full beer stein with a straight arm parallel to the ground for as long as possible. Whoever can last the longest will win an overnight stay in Boston and a tour of the Samuel Adams Brewery. Rounding out the adult activities are the keg toss competition, corn hole boards, and slacklining, plus two days of beer, brats and more.

This family-oriented Oktoberfest at Attitash will also feature a wide variety of activities for kids and adults alike. Within the festival grounds children have their own Kinderplatz tent complete with arts & crafts, face painting and other mini-games organized by the Mount Washington Valley Children’s Museum. Outside, youngsters will also find a giant inflatable obstacle course. Sunday’s schedule features a family fest featuring family focused events like an Apple Slingshot, a kid’s schnitzel toss (like an egg toss only using “schnitzel” aka hot dogs), and all those under 21 are free!! All this in addition to the wonderful food, music and drink that goes throughout the two-day Oktoberfest.

Tickets for 21+ are $15 in advance and $20 at the door. Tickets for those Under 21 are $7 in advance, $10 at door, Free on Sunday. Children six and under are free both days. Tickets can be purchased online at www.attitash.com. Info: https://www.attitash.com/event/oktoberfest/.

And we didn’t even get to the Halloween events in the Valley yet! Stay tuned. For more information, a full calendar of events and entertainment and plenty of trip planning resources, visit www.mtwashingtovalley.org or call 800-DO-SEE-NH (800-367-3364). For more information about planning your New Hampshire vacation, go to www.VisitNH.gov.

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