From harvest themes to Oktoberfest and Halloween, here are 12 Fond du Lac County fall events to check out
FOND DU LAC – While fall officially starts Sept. 22, fall events are already getting started in the Fond du Lac area.
Whether themed around the changing season, Oktoberfest or Halloween, local businesses will host a variety of activities featuring food, games and family friendly activities.
Here are the fall events happening in Fond du Lac through October.
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Haentze Fall Festival
Haentze Floral Co., 658 Fond du Lac Ave., will host its second annual Fall Festival & Pop Up Market from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sept. 14.
The store will have an assortment of fall mums and other plants, along with corn stalks, hay bales, pumpkins and more. There will also be a fresh flower bar for attendees to create their own fall bouquet.
Many vendors will offer crafts, baked goods, decorations, home goods and more, and Bob's Pizza Truck will be on-site for the event. Live music from Whiskey Street will provide entertainment from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Sandi Paws Rescue will also be on-site with a few of its foster dogs, and a raffle at the festival will benefit the organization.
For the kids, there will be free face painting, as well as pumpkin painting, popcorn and cider.
More information and an updated list of vendors is available on the Facebook event page.
Fondy Food Truck Festival and Art Fair
The fall Fondy Food Truck Festival will kick off at 11 a.m. Sept. 15 at Lakeside Park, featuring an art fair in addition to 33 food trucks.
Food options will range from BBQ, Mexican, Thai, Caribbean and various desserts, with the Fond du Lac Softball Association serving desserts and Friends of Lakeside Park offering $1 bottles of water.
New for this festival will be additional entertainers: the main act will be D. Willy & the Souvenirs on the shelter stage, and the festival grounds will also have the Winnebagoland Barbershop Chorus, soloist Braeden Teifke, swing dance lessons, dog trick and LED spinner shows, live Shakespeare readings, a giant stilt walker and Violet the Clown.
Other entertainment for kids includes bouncy houses, face painting, balloon twisting and rock painting.
Several nonprofit groups will be out with information on their organizations, and Friends of Lakeside Park will host a 50/50 raffle, selling tickets all day and drawing a winner at 4 p.m.
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Fall Harvest Trail
The Destination Lake Winnebago Region Fall Harvest Trail invites participants to travel up the east side of Lake Winnebago and visit the local shops, restaurants, wineries and more Sept. 27 and 28.
Participating businesses will have specials for the event, and visitors can stamp their Fall Harvest Trail of Treasures Passport for a chance to win a $50 gift card to their choice of one of the businesses. Contest materials are available at each business, and will be available at the Destination Lake Winnebago Region Office, 23 S. Main St., before and during the event.
The trail includes Just Fare Market and Urban Fuel in Fond du Lac; LaClare Creamery, Paula's Pub & Grill and Ziegler Winery in Malone; and other businesses in Stockbridge, Hilbert, New Holstein, Chilton, Sherwood and St. Cloud.
More information and a full list of businesses and specials is available at fdl.com.
Fondy FallToberFest
Back for its second year, Fondy FallToberFest will run 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Oct. 12 on Lakeside Park's Oven Island and Baseball Island, rain or shine.
Oktoberfest-themed activities for adults include a beer garden with a secret beer menu, ax-throwing, Hammerschlagen and Masskrugstemmen.
Kids' activities include trunk or treat, a kids' costume contest, a giant leaf pit, a Ghouls & Goblins play area with a rope maze, inflatable ax-throwing, pumpkin sculpting and painting, a trivia prize wheel from Sunny 97.7, and a candy contest.
Even more activities include live music, a giant pumpkin showcase, pumpkin catapult launching and horse-drawn wagon rides.
The festival will also coincide with the Scary Scurry Kids' Fun Run, with registration open until Oct. 1.
Downtown Fond du Lac Witches Day Out
Downtown Fond du Lac's Witches Day Out will be back 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Oct. 19, with participating downtown businesses offering in-store specials and witchy themed activities.
More information and a list of participating businesses and their specials will be available at downtownfdl.com closer to the event.
Salute the Troops Fall Family Fun
Salute the Troops, Inc., will host a Fall Family Fun day from 1 to 3 p.m. Oct. 26 at American Legion Post 75, 500 Fond du Lac Ave.
The event includes trunk or treating, snacks and games as a way for families to come together and celebrate fall.
More Fond du Lac County fall events
Waupun Volksfest, Sept. 13 and 14 at Waupun Community Center, 510 E. Spring St.
Hops & Shops Beer and Cider Walk, 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Sept. 27 in downtown Waupun.
Knuth Brewing Company's ninth annual Oktoberfest, noon to 7 p.m. Oct. 5 at 230 Watson St. in Ripon.
Wade House Autumn Celebration Weekend, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Oct. 12 and 13 at W7965 State 23 in Greenbush. Admission is $8 to $15.
Ripon Main Street Day 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 19 in Ripon's historic district.
Trinity Lutheran Church and School's Trunk or Treat, 3 to 5 p.m. Oct. 20 at W2011 County F in Campbellsport.
Daphne Lemke is the Streetwise reporter for the Fond du Lac Reporter. Contact her at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Fond du Lac Reporter: Here are 12 Fond du Lac County fall events through October