Ellie here. Fall in Wisconsin cannot be beat. We’ve got it all: leaves changing color, corn mazes, harvest festivals, and more.
One of my favorite fall activities is Oktoberfests. The beer, the pretzels, the dancing, I can’t get enough! Throughout Wisconsin, towns across the state host their own Oktoberfest celebrations, each with its own unique activities.
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My brother, Charlie, and I share a beer and pretzels at Oktoberfest in Milwaukee. (Ellie Bourdo/UpNorthNews)
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For this special edition, I wanted to capture some quintessential Wisconsin aspects of fall. For me, that means food, drinks, music, scenery, and good company.
In Wednesday’s newsletter, I mentioned how I love listening to music that, in my mind, corresponds with the fall season. Here are my top 10 fall tracks right now:
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🎶 1. “Right As Rain,” Adele
🎶 2. “One of These Nights,” Eagles
🎶 3. “Long Train Runnin’,” The Doobie Brothers
🎶 4. “Althea,” Grateful Dead
🎶 5. “Cinnamon Curls,” Tom Misch
🎶 6. “Ventura Highway,” America
🎶 7. “Say You Love Me,” Fleetwood Mac
🎶 8. “That Life,” Unknown Mortal Orchestra
🎶 9. “Molasses,” Hiatus Kaiyote
🎶 10. “I Wonder,” Saga Faye
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Keep sending me your favorite fall tracks! They might end up on my top 10!
To get into the fall spirit, I’ve curated your ultimate guide to fall. Whether you’re into food and drinks, fall festivals, or spooky spots, we’ve got it all. ‘Tis the season for Oktoberfests galore, endless fall activities, and spots that will send a shiver down your spine.
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Beer steins are raised during the annual Oktoberfest celebration Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024, on the Peoria riverfront. (USA TODAY Network)
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One of my favorite ways to celebrate the fall season is with beer and pretzels. Oktoberfests are an essential part of fall, blending Wisconsin traditions of good food, good beer, polka music, and communities coming together.
Whether it’s La Crosse’s legendary celebration or smaller community festivals, we’ve curated a list of Oktoberfests around the state.
🍺 La Crosse Oktoberfest (Sept. 25-28): This Oktoberfest is the longest-running Oktoberfest in the Midwest. It will feature a parade and a tapping of the golden keg.
🍺 Milwaukee Oktoberfest (Oct. 3-5): Milwaukee’s Oktoberfest will take place at Henry Maier Festival Park with steins, brats, and plenty of live polka music.
🍺 New Glarus Oktoberfest (Sept. 25-28): New Glarus will host their Oktoberfest with various activities, including wagon rides, chainsaw carving, and family fun.
🍺 Germantown Oktoberfest (Sept. 27-28): This year, the Germantown Hunsrucker Oktoberfest is celebrating its 31st year. They will serve brats, kraut, red cabbage, and a variety of German beers.
🍺 Duesterbeck’s Oktoberfest (Oct. 4): Duesterbeck’s Brewing Company will host the Oktoberfest festival from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Oct. 4.
🍺 Town of Delavan Oktoberfest (Oct. 11): This Oktoberfest will feature stein hoisting, German dancers, and plenty of German music. Last year, the Racing Sausages even made an appearance!
🍺 Lake Geneva Oktoberfest (Oct. 11-12): Flat Iron Park and Downtown Lake Geneva will host this Oktoberfest with traditional German festivities, an artisan market, and live entertainment.
🍺 Elkhorn Oktoberfest (Oct. 18): Elkhorn will fill its downtown area with music, brats, and beer. There will also be an Oktoberfest 5K run and walk, along with a variety of food vendors.
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Across the country, the future of local news is uncertain. But here at UpNorthNews, we’re staying focused—on you.
Our goal for our fall fundraising campaign is to raise $7,500 by Sept. 30 to keep this kind of coverage strong in Wisconsin.
Thank you for your support, neighbor.
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(Cedar Creek Settlement via Reuters Connect)
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Another one of my favorite ways to enjoy the season is with fall festivals and activities! I love apple picking, corn mazes, or simply taking a stroll around a state park.
If you’re looking for new activities to try this fall, we’ve got you covered.
🍒 Warrens Cranberry Festival (Sept. 26-28): As the nation’s leading cranberry producer, this festival highlights the history of cranberry farming. There will be food booths, arts and crafts vendors, and they will even crown cranberry royalty!
🍎 Bayfield Apple Festival (Oct. 3-5): This year is the 63rd annual Bayfield Apple Festival. This fest will celebrate fall harvest with apple orchard events and tours, live music, and the Spectrum Carnival.
⚰️ Beaver Dam Fall Downtown Fest and Casket Races (Oct. 25): This festival features trick-or-treat through downtown Beaver Dam, Halloween-themed arts and crafts, a monster bar crawl, and a casket race through the street.
🎳 West Allis Harvest Fair (Sept. 26-28): At the Wisconsin State Fair Park, this festival features live entertainment on several stages, pumpkin bowling, and make your own scarecrow.
🎡 Gays Mills Apple Festival (Sept. 26-28): Gays Mills hosts its apple festival this weekend. It will include a mini carnival, parade, flea markets, and various music, dancing, and food at Robb Park.
🧙 Shawano Witches Night Out (Oct. 10): Witches and warlocks can come celebrate the spooky season downtown Shawano, dressed in their best costumes. There are over 30 participating businesses with food and drinks for participants.
🎃 River Prairie Ginormous Pumpkin Festival (Sept. 27): This festival in Altoona will feature a giant pumpkin weigh-off to determine the biggest pumpkin. There will also be a pumpkin race, a pumpkin dessert contest, and an artist market.
🌽 Cross Plains Enchanted Fall Festival (Oct. 5): Held at Enchanted Valley Acres, this festival features giant slides, corn mazes, wagon rides, and farm animals.
🍇 Greenleaf Fall Fest at WINEaLOT (Sept. 27): Head to this winery for live music by Out of the Blue Band, grape stomping competitions, and fall-themed food specials while sipping on your favorite wines.
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Kate M. Blood’s grave at Riverside Cemetery in Appleton. (AI/CC BY-NC 2.0)
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By Sam Cohen
With spooky season around the corner, many of us are gravitating toward scarier content, like horror movies, television shows, and books. I’ve had a lifelong interest in the macabre, so in addition to those standard mediums, I like to spend time learning about potentially haunted places as well.
Not everyone reading this is going to be a paranormal enthusiast or a supernatural believer, and that’s okay. We’re all entitled to our own beliefs, but sometimes it’s just interesting to discover local legends and folklore.
Oftentimes, certain locations are considered “haunted” due to mysterious things happening in that area. For the five cemeteries on this list, those unexplained occurrences include graves reportedly dripping blood, ghostly figures, and flashing lights. The idea of something being haunted usually comes with negative feelings, and understandably so.
Numerous stories exist, both fictional and otherwise, about restless spirits being dangerous or violent. And while hauntings certainly can be scary, some ghosts stick around because they want to stay close to their loved ones, or they feel like they have unfinished business in the world of the living.
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