LIFESTYLE

Weekend event digest: Oktoberfest, pumpkins and all things fall

Oct 3, 2024, 6:00 PM | Updated: Oct 7, 2024, 11:13 am

Photo: Oktoberfest in Washington....

Oktoberfest in Washington. (Photo: @yimmy149 via Flickr Creative Commons)

(Photo: @yimmy149 via Flickr Creative Commons)

The weekend is here and so is spooky season! Looks like we are in for a wet start to the weekend, but that shouldn’t dampen your plans.

I want to start with an event sent to me by a listener:

It’s the 43rd annual OysterFest in Shelton. Saturday and Sunday there will be shucking competitions, plenty of seafood (and other tasty treats), mini golf, touch tanks and plenty more. There will be folks camping up on-site as well for those looking for a weekend full of oysters. I was told that Sunday is family day, children 17 and under admitted free and there will be discounted tickets for active duty military on Sunday as well. Get more details and tickets on OysterFest’s website

It’s not the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, it’s the 20th annual Great Pumpkin Beer Festival. This is going down Friday and Saturday at the Seattle Center and tickets are required. There will be 80 types of Pumpkin Beer on Tap, a costume contest, a fortune teller and lots more. Get tickets and details on Elysian Brewing’s website.

Other lifestyle news: Lost 1936 Seattle film saved by local composer takes festival circuit by storm

Oktoberfest in in Puyallup, Leavenworth

There’s another Oktoberfest this weekend, this time down at the Washington State Fairgrounds. All your favorite food and beers will be there as well as Hammerschlagen, weiner dog races and a Bier-Lympics. Oktoberfest is going on all weekend long, get tickets and details on Washington State Fair Event Center’s website.

Oktoberfest begins in Leavenworth this weekend as well. Celebrations will be going on the next three weekends. Get details on Leavenworth’s website.

A big addition to the Waterfront in Seattle is finally here! The Overlook Walk opens to the public at 4:30 p.m. Friday and to celebrate there will be food, music and more entertainment. Come see what this new bridge has to offer and experience a change to downtown Seattle. There will be firepits, so you’ll be able to keep warm while enjoying the views.

Saturday is the Fife Harvest Fest from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is free and there will be plenty of things for you to do with the kids, including bounce houses, carnival games, a tractor maze, petting zoo, hay rides and tons more. There will be free corn on the cob from the Fife City Council as well as live music and magicians. For the adults, there will be ax throwing and a mechanical bull to ride, as well as plenty of vendors to support. Get more details on the City of Fife’s website.

More fun: Senior VP of popular trading card game speaks on finding your magic community

Get into the Halloween spirit with the Halloween Pet Parade at Volunteer Park. You and your four-legged friends can show off your costumes and compete for prizes while enjoying live music, crafts, vendors and food trucks. This is going down on Sunday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and details can be found on Volunteer Park Trust’s website.

Sunday at the Seattle Center it’s CroatiaFest as the Festal program continues. This event is free to attend and will highlight areas of Croatian culture such as food, music and dancing, and you can even get help with passports, visas and other official government documents from the Croatian Consulate. Get more details on the Seattle Center’s website.

These are just some of the fun things going on this weekend as celebrations of fall begin. As always if you know of even more cool things going on in the area, let me know.

Paul Holden produces the Seattle weekend events calendar for KIRO Newsradio and a weekly story for MyNorthwest. He also appears regularly on KIRO Newsradio’s “Seattle’s Morning News.” If you know of even more cool things going on in the area, let him know at PaulH@kiroradio.com.

Lifestyle

FILE - A sign in the lobby of Amazon offices is shown on Feb. 14, 2019 in New York. (AP Photo/Mark ...

Associated Press

Amazon launches an online discount storefront to better compete with Shein and Temu

Amazon has launched a low-cost online storefront featuring electronics, apparel and other products priced at under $20, an effort to compete with discount retailers that have increasingly encroached on the e-commerce giant’s turf. In a blog post on Wednesday, the company said the new Amazon Haul storefront will mostly feature products that cost less than […]

6 hours ago

This undated photo provided by the The Strong museum, in Rochester, NY, shows the 2024 National Toy...

Associated Press

My Little Pony finally hits the Toy Hall of Fame, alongside Phase 10 and Transformers

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (AP) — My Little Pony finally made it to the winner’s circle. After years as an also-ran, the pastel-colored ponies were enshrined in the National Toy Hall of Fame on Tuesday, along with Transformers action figures and the Phase 10 card game. The honorees rose to the top in voting by a panel […]

1 day ago

FILE - Shoppers and pedestrians walk past a window display at Saks Fifth Avenue in New York, Dec. 1...

Associated Press

Saks Fifth Avenue’s holiday light display in Manhattan changing up this season

NEW YORK (AP) — Dazzling displays of synchronized lights on the facade of Saks Fifth Avenue’s flagship store in midtown Manhattan have thrilled holiday visitors for years. But the store’s holiday display will look a bit different this year, a spokesperson confirmed Monday. “In our 100th year, which also marks the anniversary of the flagship, […]

2 days ago

FILE - An emergency room sign is displayed outside Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, Feb. 24, 2021, in To...

Associated Press

Don’t Settle for a Subpar Health Savings Account

Love them or hate them, it’s hard to see health savings accounts losing traction any time soon. Used in conjunction with high-deductible healthcare plans, the accounts have been touted as a way to put downward pressure on healthcare costs. Even though HSAs are the only triple tax-advantaged vehicle in the tax code–allowing for pretax contributions, […]

2 days ago

Air Force Staff Sgt. Heather O'Brien holds her labradoodle service dog, Albus, on Thursday, Nov. 7,...

Associated Press

‘I got my life back.’ Veterans with PTSD making progress thanks to service dog program

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — After working at a crowded and dangerous internment camp in Iraq, Air Force Staff Sgt. Heather O’Brien brought home with her anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder. A bouncy labradoodle and a Kansas City-area program helped her get back on her feet. Dogs 4 Valor, operated through the Olathe, Kansas-based organization […]

3 days ago

Veteran and business owner Jackson Dalton arranges protective gear at the Black Box Safety offices,...

Associated Press

Veterans face challenges starting small businesses but there are plenty of resources to help

NEW YORK (AP) — Many veterans who’ve started small businesses tell a similar story: Their military service prepared them mentally for the task, but they were at a disadvantage when it came to the financial part. “Vetrepreneurs” – veterans that start small businesses or startups — own nearly 2 million small businesses that employ 5.5 […]

3 days ago

Weekend event digest: Oktoberfest, pumpkins and all things fall