Fall brings fairs, festivals

What's fall without a festival?

Across Georgia and South Carolina, harvest festivals draw people to the streets in celebration of all things fall.

Most events feature arts and crafts, food and music, pie and pumpkins (in towns such as Pumpkintown, S.C., no less), but others draw inspiration from Germany's Oktoberfest or even colonial times. The bigger events also include fireworks, parades, car shows and beauty pageants.

Georgia and South Carolina boast more than enough sidewalk soirees to keep a family busy through Thanksgiving. Here's a sampling:

AUGUSTA GREEK FESTIVAL: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Oct. 11; Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church, 953 Telfair St.; (706) 724-1087

HISPANIC FESTIVAL: 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday, noon to 6 p.m. Oct. 11, Augusta Common; bands, food, arts and crafts; $2; free for ages 10 and younger and active duty military; elcervantino.org/

COLUMBUS DAY FESTIVAL: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday; Columbia County Amphitheater and Memorial Gardens, behind the Columbia County Library, 7022 Evans Town Center Blvd., Evans; arts and crafts, children's activities, entertainment, food by the Italian-American Club; free; columbiacountyga.gov

TYBEE ISLAND PIRATE FEST: Thursday-Saturday, Tybee Island, Ga.; $10, ages 12 and younger free; pirate victory parade, fireworks, entertainment, arts and crafts and food; Marshall Tucker Band Saturday night; tybeepiratefest.com

GEORGIA MOUNTAIN FALL FESTIVAL: Friday-Oct. 17, Georgia Mountain Fairgrounds, Hiawassee, Ga.; entertainment includes Crystal Gayle on Friday, Aaron Tippin on Saturday, The Isaacs, Chuckwagon Gang and Diplomats on Oct. 11, Neal McCoy and Sessions Band on Oct. 12, Marty Stuart and Gold Wing Express on Oct. 13, Patty Loveless and Tree Leaves on Oct. 14, Earl Thomas Conley and Steven Philips & Midnight Express on Oct. 15, and Georgia's Official State Fiddler's Convention on Oct. 16-17; $9, includes fair admission, parking $2; georgiamountainfairgrounds.com

SOUTH CAROLINA SWEET POTATO FESTIVAL: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, downtown Darlington, S.C.; crafts, music, car show and plenty of sweet potato pie; (843) 393-3526

DIXIE BLUEGRASS FESTIVAL AND CHILI COOK-OFF: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday; Confederate Park, Aiken; $6 general admission or $10 for admission plus chili sampling, children younger than 12 admitted free; dixiebluegrass festival.com

PUMPKIN FESTIVAL: Saturday; South Carolina Highway 135 and Oolenoy Church Road, Pumpkintown, S.C.; arts, crafts, music; free; (864) 898-0261

SOUTH CAROLINA STATE MUSEUM FALL HERITAGE FESTIVAL: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday; 301 Gervais St., Columbia.; South Carolina barbecue, bluegrass bands and cloggers, an antique tractor parade, pecan cracking; events outside the museum are free; (803) 898-4952

NORTH GEORGIA FOLK FESTIVAL: 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday, Sandy Creek Park, Athens; $10, $5 students, free for 12 and younger; folk musicians from a variety of traditions;

OKEFENOKEE FESTIVAL: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Folkston, Ga.; www.folkston.com/events

GEORGIA APPLE FESTIVAL: Ellijay, Ga., Saturday-Oct. 11, Oct. 17-18; more than 300 vendors, antique car show Saturday, parade 10 a.m. Oct. 17; georgiaapplefestival.org

SORGHUM FESTIVAL: Blairsville, Ga., 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday-Oct. 11, Oct. 17-18; free admission and parking; sorghum.blairsville.com

PRATER'S MILL COUNTRY FAIR: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 11, north of Dalton, Ga.; mountain crafts and art, mountain skill demonstrations, canoeing, pony rides; $5, no charge for 12 and younger; pratersmill.org

OKTOBERFEST: Through Nov. 1, Helen, Ga.; German bands, dancing, food and drink; 6-10:30 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 6 p.m. to midnight Friday, 1 p.m. to midnight Saturday, 1-7 p.m. Sundays; $7, free Sunday; (706) 878-1908, helencvb.com

HERITAGE HARVEST: 6-8 p.m. Oct. 13; five-year anniversary celebration of the Freshwater Coast Discovery Center, 405 Main St., Edgefield, S.C.; silent auction, barbecue and entertainment from Flatland Express; $20; (803) 637-1237

COLONIAL TIMES: A DAY TO REMEMBER: Oct. 17-18, Living History Park, 299 W. Spring Grove Ave., North Augusta; featuring pottery, tomahawk throw, quilting, candle making, silversmithing, gunsmithing, blacksmithing; free; (803) 279-7560, colonialtimes.us

SOUTH CAROLINA STATE FAIR: Oct. 14-25; 1200 Rosewood Drive, Columbia; featuring TobyMac, Steven Curtis Chapman, David Cook, Montgomery Gentry; $8 at the gate, $2 for children ages 2 to 5, 2 and younger admitted free; Concert tickets must be purchased separately and range from free to $25; www.scstatefair.org

KINGSTREE PIG PICKIN': Oct. 15-17; 401 N. Longstreet St., Kingstree, S.C.; including barbecue cook-off, car show, fireworks, arts and crafts and parade at 11 a.m. Oct. 18; free; (843) 355-7484

OKTOBERFEST: 6 p.m. to midnight Oct. 16, 10 a.m. to midnight Oct. 17, noon to 5 p.m. Oct. 18; Sertoma Field, one mile from South Carolina 183 North, Walhalla, S.C.; featuring German food and music, fireworks, carnival, hot air balloon rides and sky divers; $4 adults, $3 children, free for 10 and younger; (864) 638-2727

LEE COUNTY COTTON FESTIVAL: 6 p.m. to midnight Oct. 16, 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Oct 17; Main Street, Bishopville, S.C.; including a cemetery ghost walk, carriage rides, tour of historic homes, street dance, food vendors, craft vendors, carnival rides and parade; free; (803) 484-5145

HILLARITY FESTIVAL: Oct. 16-17; downtown Chester, S.C.; live music, vendors, car show, pet contest, bicycle clinic; free; (803) 385-1556

BOSHEARS SKYFEST: Gates open at 9 a.m., opening ceremonies 1:30 p.m. Oct. 17-18, Daniel Field, Highland Avenue; $12 advance, $15 at gate; 12 and younger admitted free when accompanied by adult; $10 military, police, firemen and reserves with picture ID; boshears.com

HIGHLAND GAMES: Oct. 17-18, Stone Mountain Park, Ga.; Highland athletic events and dancing, piping and drumming, harping; stonemountainpark.com

GOLD RUSH DAYS: Oct. 17-18, Dahlonega, Ga.; more than 300 arts and craft vendors around downtown; dahlonega.org

LYNCHES RIVER FALL FRENZY: Oct. 24; 5094 County Park Road, Florence, S.C.; canoe rides, nature walks, and live music; (843) 667-0920

HARVEST FESTIVAL: Oct. 22-24; town square, Ridge Spring, S.C.; crafts, rock-climbing wall, petting zoo, bingo and parade; free; (803) 685-6120

OCT. 26-NOV. 1

COASTAL CAROLINA FAIR: Oct. 29-Nov. 7; 9850 U.S. Highway 78, Ladson, S.C.; Lady Antebellum, Tracy Byrd and others; $8 at the gate for adults, $5 for children; coastalcarolinafair.org

NOV. 2-8

BALLOONS OVER ANDERSON: Nov. 6-8; Anderson Civic Center, Anderson, S.C.; hot air balloons, remote control airplanes and skydivers; free to watch, $175 for a full balloon ride, or $10 adult and $5 children for tethered rides; (864) 221-0552

COLLARD FESTIVAL: Nov. 6-7; 131 N. Carlisle St., Gaston, S.C.; barbecue, rides, dunking booth, contests, fireworks; (803) 796-7725

NOV. 23-29

Chitlin' Strut: 4 to 10 p.m. Nov. 28; 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Nov. 29; 161 Railroad Ave., Salley; carnival rides, gospel songs, parade, hog-calling contest and plenty of chitlins; (803) 258-3485