Lorain County's Fall 'Must Do' List

The air is crisp, the leaves are changing colors, and the excitement of the new season is upon us! Take a break and enjoy the beautiful fall season in Lorain County.

Lorain County's Fall 'Must Do' List:

• Hike through Findley State Park in Wellington; it's a great place for a family adventure. Have you ever tried geocaching?
  
  Findley State Park, Wellington, OH
  
  

• Take in as much of the outdoors as possible and cycle the Back Roads & Beaches Bike Tour. It'll take you through the most scenic roads in Lorain County. When planning your cycling adventure, make sure to give yourself enough time to stop at the wineries along the way!
  
  

  

  Along the Back Roads and Beaches Bike Route
  
  

• Take your kids to Pumpkinland to choose thier own pumpkin and run through the hay maze at Miller's Apple Hill in Amherst.

Pumpkinland at Miller's Apple Hill

• Get fresh cider straight from the orchard at Speigelberg Orchards in Lorain.


• Take a horse-drawn wagon ride at the Cascade Park Fall Festival in Elyria, October 11, 2008 11am-2pm.


• Get spooked during a haunted hike through Carlisle Reservation Oct 17-18, 24-25, 31 & Nov 1. during the annual Halloween Fair. This free event opens at 5pm where the trail is non-scary, but beware after 7pm...






Carlisle Reservation's hauted trail



• Listen to the amazining call of the elk during Bugle Days at Bonnie Brae Farm, October 17-19 & 24-26, 2008.
  
  
  

Bull elk at Bonnie Brae Elk Farm in Wellington

• Enjoy a Halloween scavenger hunt at Jamie's Flea Market in Amherst. With prizes and trick-or-treating for the kids, it's yet another reason to get dressed up for Halloween, Oct 25, 8am-4pm.
  
  These are just a few of the many ways to enjoy fall in Lorain County. For more ideas, visit us at http://www.visitloraincounty.com/ or call 1-800-334-1673 for a free visitors guide.

September in Lorain County

Just because it's past Labor Day doesn't mean the fun has to end (it just means you probably shouldn't wear white!) September in Lorain County means the Elyria Apple Festival, Harvest of the Arts in Wellington, Pumpkinland at Miller's Apple Hill, the Great Black Backed Gull Watch in Vermilion, Firewalking at Common Ground, the LaGrange Engine Club Show, Matus Winery Mush Crush Festival, I could go on and on. Check out the Lorain County Visitors Bureau Calendar of Events page for more details.

Two unique performances in September that you may not want to miss:

The New Christy Minstrels, under the direction of Randy Sparks. Thursday, September 11, 2008 at 7:30pm at the Stocker Arts Center in Elyria.
It has been more than 46 years since 8 young men and 2 young women made their national television debut on The Andy Williams Show in the fall of 1962. That group, The New Christy Minstrels®, went on to win a Grammy for their debut recording, "Presenting The New Christy Minstrels," earn many gold records and entertain at The White House. While Randy Sparks' original intent was to field an armada of solo singers and players who would be a team and never suffer changes in the roster, evolution intervened and the group has seen many members come and go, including some who went on to greater fame: Kenny Rogers, Kim Carnes, and actress Karen Black. Barry McGuire had a huge solo hit, “Eve of Destruction,” after leaving the group, and Larry Ramos became a member of The Association. In February 2007, The New Christy Minstrels® re-recorded all of their old hits: “Green Green,” “This Land is Your Land,” “Today,” and many others, in a collection titled “The NCM's Greatest Hits Revisited.” Now this classic ensemble has embarked on a mission to let everyone know they’re back, singing, playing, and bringing their unique brand of onstage excitement to concert halls and coffeehouses everywhere.

Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller, Sept. 19-21, Hall Auditorium, Oberlin College.
Death of a Salesman, the story of Willy Loman, an aging salesman trying to make sense of his unraveling life, has become a classic American tragedy. Arthur Miller’s story explores the struggle to define one’s own identity in a world where a man’s worth is defined by his ability to make money. In this groundbreaking new production, directed by Justin Emeka and starring Oberlin alumnus and acclaimed actor Avery Brooks (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, The Man Called Hawk, American History X, Paul Robeson [on Broadway]), the play gets a fresh interpretation. Through the use of nontraditional casting and a company of both professional actors and students, the production incorporates African American and Jewish cultural perspectives in reimagining the Lomans as a black family living in a multi-ethnic New York neighborhood in the 1940s, thus revealing new social issues in Miller’s classic text. Death of a Salesman promises to be a highlight of the theater season, in Oberlin and beyond. For ticket information, visit the Oberlin Arts Guide website.

Graphic: Marley Zeno ’11 from Oberlin College Arts Guide