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Tags: Fall Festivals / Fall Travel / Halloween Travel / Delaware Travel / → All Tags

Pay Your Last Respects To Your Pumpkin During 'Punkin Chunkin'

Halloween is a great time for pumpkins as they are the stars of the show. However, after their big day, things go down hill pretty quickly. One of the worst places for a pumpkin, as it's where the globe is forced to meet its fate, is at the annual Punkin Chunkin events in Delaware. Here, teams compete to launch pumpkins as far as possible. These aren’t just simple slingshots, but are pretty complicated pieces of machinery and engineering. There are air-powered cannons, medieval trebuchets, and trusty catapults. Kids are even welcome to participate, just make sure that Mom and Dad don’t do all the work.

The air cannons are the coolest and probably most dangerous. The current world record was set at last year’s festival as a pumpkin was chucked 4483.51 feet. The other pumpkin launches do pretty well too, and you won’t be disappointed as the orange orbs are launched well over 2,000 feet into an open field. If you can’t make it to this year festival, don’t worry; you’ll be able to watch a replay of the day’s events on Thanksgiving night on the Science Channel.

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BYOT (Bring Your Own Tarantula) To California Town's Tarantula Fest

While cities usher in October with Oktoberfest and Halloween-related festivals, small-town Coarsegold, California, marks it with a celebration of the tarantula. This place has so much tarantula love that a massive spider sculpture sits atop the city’s Historic Village and killing one is a major faux paux. The 11th annual Coarsegold Tarantula Festival pays homage to the eight-legged spiders with a day of events on October 24.

Officials say the reason why the old mining town reveres the creepy-crawly spiders is that residents take pride in their natural surroundings, especially the diverse wildlife. The tarantulas are unique to the area, and as such the residents protect them as an integral part of the community. "When we first moved here, I accidentally ran over a tarantula and was severely admonished by a neighbor," says Dian Boland, the founder of the event. The incident prompted her to learn more about the misunderstood creatures. The more she learned, the more she wanted to honor the tarantula. "I wanted to make people aware of how interesting they are, how they really are good for the environment and unique to the mountains up here and really a lot of fun,” she says.

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Tags: Stargazing / Maine Travel / Fall Festivals / Events / → All Tags

Maine Wants To Remind You What A Natural Night Sky Looks Like

See that mass of light on the horizon in Acadia National Park? That's the Milky Way—for reals.

Stargazers will see the blue yonder with new eyes at Maine's new Acadia Night Sky Festival, which celebrates the starry, natural nighttime sky. The festival, which starts on the sunset of Sept. 17 and ends at sunrise Sept. 21, tries to bring awareness to the problem of light pollution and the importance of preserving the pristine skies of Bar Harbor and and Acadia National Park.

Fest organizers say that a natural sky is increasingly rare, since artificial light from cities create light pollution and obscure our view of the glowing stars and other stellar matter. They add that two-thirds of the entire population of the Eastern Seaboard has yet to see Earth's own galaxy. In light of this (har, har), the Island Astronomy Institute, along with groups like the National Park Service and the Bar Harbor Chamber of Commerce, decided to preserve the beauty of downeast Maine's natural sky. It's such a sight to behold, that on clear nights you can see the Milky Way swirl above Mount Desert Island.

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Maryland Ren Faire Welcomes Jousting and Meat on a Stick

Hear ye, hear ye! Time to break out your floral headdress and blouson-sleeved coats, Jaunted readers; 'tis the season for Ren Faire. For a 33rd season, Crownsville, Maryland celebrates everything from jousting to archery at their annual Renaissance Festival. The merry event will be held every weekend, rain or shine, through October 25th, with a full scroll of activities that will take Renaissance enthusiasts back to a time when knights ruled the roost.

Before you don an epic costume and get your Robin Hood on, the official website reminds patrons that no costume or real weapons are allowed by guests. 'Tis a family-friendly event, after all. At the gate, an adult ticket will run you 18 ducats—er, dollars*—while a two-day pass can be purchased for $28. Wee lads and lasses the age of six and under are admitted for free. You also have the option of purchasing a cleverly-titled "Fairever Pass," which is good for the entire festival, will include your photograph, and grants you access to a private entrance to Revel Grove, where the event is being held.

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Get Tipsy at Chicago's Windy City Wine Festival

Oprah's massive Magnificent Mile block party—where more than 20,000 people showed up to see celeb guests like the Black Eyed Peas, Jennifer Hudson and James Taylor—is a tough act to follow. But only three days later, on Sept. 11 and 12, another outdoor event will hit downtown Chicago, the Windy City Wine Festival.

Instead of a roster of A-list musicians, the fifth annual festival will offer a lineup of more than 250 domestic and international wines being poured in Grant Park's Daley Bicentennial Plaza. The fest will also have interactive wine seminars. Master Sommelier Serafin Alvarado, director of wine education for Southern Wine and Spirits of Illinois, will discuss new recipes and the best food to pair with your red or white.

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Po-Boy Party Hits New Orleans This Weekend

Lots of cities like to celebrate their sandwiches: Philly's got cheesesteaks and of course Sandwich, England, has the original. But no town could really celebrate a sandwich quite the way New Orelans does.

The sandwich in question is, of course, the po-boy, and the celebration is the New Orleans Po-Boy Preservation Festival, which takes over five city blocks this Sunday.

Whether you think po-boys should be traditional (fried oysters), avant garde (seafood stuffed mushrooms) or just plain out there (alligator sausage), the po-boy preservation festival likely has some variety of fried-fish-on-a-roll you should be able to get on board with. There are also all kinds of live bands, art events and presentations about the history of the food. And to top it all off, the Golden Loaf award will bestowed on the one po-boy that's fit to rule them all.

Related Stories:
· New Orleans Po-Boy Preservation Festival [Official Site]
· Mahoney's Po-Boy Shop [Jaunted]
· New Orleans travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: New Orleans Po-Boy Preservation Festival]

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Cambodians Love Their Festivals, Especially This One

Yesterday, Cambodians rushed to the country’s capital, Phnom Penh, for the annual Water and Moon Festival, which starts today and lasts all week. Officials estimate that about four million Cambodians attend the event each year--in a country with a total population of about 14 million. That'd be like 100 million Americans showing up to watch the ball drop in Times Square next month.

The event isn’t a big deal, it is the deal, an annual Olympics of sorts where family members and neighbors compete in crew-style rowing competitions along the city’s Tonle Sap river.

In addition to the races, the festival features Cambodian carnival food: Replace candy apples with fried bananas and corn dogs with dried fish patties. It also offers spins on a Ferris wheel that rivals any rickety, life-threatening rides found in the county fairs of rural United States.

To escape the battle for chair space along the boardwalk, nightly fireworks are visible from the expat-stuffed Foreign Correspondents' Club. The traffic, the crowds, the sometimes-capsizing boats and the infectious good cheer among the Cambodian people make this one of the most overwhelming and stunning cultural experiences in Southeast Asia. We'll see you there.

Related Stories:
· Biggest Water Festival To Date Expected This Week [Phnom Penh Post]
· Embedded Travel Guide: Cambodia [Jaunted]

[Photo: calcpimp]

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Get Your Caffeine Buzz on the Big Island

Hawaii's oldest food festival kicks off on November 7 and runs through November 16 in celebration of the island's famed crop. The Kona Coffee Cultural Festival, as the name implies, also attempts to reveal more about the community and its heritage in addition to just serving up tasty beverages.

The International Lantern Parade starts things off on Friday evening. Groups take to Alii Drive dressed in ethnic costumes. On Sunday, practice your coffee picking abilities in a timed competition. Both experts and novices are welcome as you compete for prizes, including cash.

On Thursday, November 13, head over to the Keauhou Beach Resort to witness the final round of the Gevalia Kona Coffee Cupping Competition. Growers from up and down the coast eagerly anticipate who will be honored with the award for finest coffee. Finally, if your caffeine high is still going strong, wrap things up on the final festival weekend with the Kamehameha Schools Kona Coffee Grand Parade. Try you best to sit still as floats, costumes and even Miss Kona Coffee march through town.

Related Stories:
· Kona Coffee Cultural Festival [Official Site]
· Fall Festivals coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: lrargerich]

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Fall Festivals Travel: Even More Fried Food on a Stick

The North Carolina State Fair kicked off on October 16 and runs all the way through October 26 with the world's largest (somewhat) portable roller coaster, Toxic Shock and fried everything-on-a-stick.

If the usual midway games, carnival rides and huge vegetables on steroids aren't enough, Jared the Subway Guy is also making an appearance as he hosts a wacky dance competition--Pants Dance Revolution. Hopefully he won't fall off the wagon and be tempted by the fried pecan pie.

Entertainment offerings on tap for this year include ubiquitous Food Network celebrity Bobby Flay along with more traditional music acts including Montgomery Gentry, Mario and Idol-fave Bucky Covington. If the fair's unorthodox timing doesn't jive with your calendar, you can still stay in touch with all its happenings. Follow along through its blog--Fried @ the NC State Fair--or through Twitter.

Related Stories:
· 2008 NC State Fair [Official Site]
· Fried Fair Fare: Mac & Cheese, Pecan Pie [N&O]
· Fall Festivals coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo of Onion Rings of the Future: baltimike]

Tags: Halloween / Middle America / Fall Travel / Fall Festivals / → All Tags

Fall Festivals Travel: Plenty of Pumpkins

Even though they're a little early, the residents of New Hampshire are ready to celebrate Halloween this weekend at the Keene Pumpkin Festival.

Things start at 10 am on Saturday with a craft fair and all kinds of food, but the real fun starts at noon with the pumpkin seed spitting contest. More entertainment kicks off in the afternoon with musicians spread out across three stages. If you're up for more eating, or were impressed by Joey Chestnut's recent feat, then get a good spot for the pumpkin pie eating contest.

The day's events culminate when the official count of lighted jack-o-lanterns takes place. That's right, the whole festival is centered on trying to break the world record for the most candle-filled pumpkins in one place: Last year the festival got close with 25,644, but nearby Boston still holds the record with more than 30,000!

Related Stories:
· The Keene Pumpkin Festival [Official Site]
· Fall Festivals coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: jmwests]

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Fall Festivals Travel: Goodbye Pumpkin, Hello World Record

If you aren't excited for Halloween yet, then this just might do the trick. In just two weeks, the World Championship Punkin Chunkin gets underway in Delaware. Running through the holiday weekend, the festival finds a unique way to dispose of those extra pumpkins that weren't luckily enough to be carved.

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Wooly Worm Travel: Winter Is Coming... Or Is It?

Year after year, that flaky groundhog gets tons of press just for crawling out of his hole and telling us it's still winter. (In February. Real tough prediction there, pal.)

But way before Punxsutawney Phil wakes up, Banner Elk, North Carolina hosts the Wooly Worm Festival, in which a fuzzy black-and-brown worm tells us not just whether, but how long and harsh winter is going to be.

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