Festivals this Weekend Offer Something for Everyone

LAKE PLACID, N.Y. --- Whether you want to celebrate the final days of summer or the beginning of the autumn season, you can choose to at any one of the number of festivals, fairs and markets being held throughout the region this weekend, Friday through Sunday, Sept. 4-6. From farmers markets to car shows, there’s something to enjoy during the last holiday weekend of the summer season.

On Saturday and Sunday, celebrate Irish heritage and culture during the second annual Festival of Ireland. Taking place at the Olympic ski jumps in Lake Placid, this event offers traditional Irish music, food, games, dance and competition. Admission is $15.00 for adults and $12.00 for juniors and senior citizens.

If you’re a car buff, then don’t miss out on the 27th annual Olympic Car Show and Parade, Saturday and Sunday, also in Lake Placid. The show is open to all makes and models of cars. The parade will make its way down Main St., while the show will be held on the Olympic speed skating oval. In addition to 49 different classes of cars there will be plenty of food and family entertainment.

The Labor Day weekend will offer great and unusual foods in beautiful settings with the 43rd annual Lobsterfest, in Westport, and the second annual Great Adirondack Rutabaga Festival, in Keene.

Beginning Friday at the Westport Marina on Lake Champlain, the Lobsterfest brings together boaters and land-lubbers, for music, races, barbeque and of course… lobster. The festival kicks off Friday, by inviting guests to see Smokey Joe’s Café, with music by Leiber and Stoller, featuring classic rock and roll songs, at the Depot Theatre at 8 p.m. Saturday’s activities include a make-it-yourself cardboard boat, paddled by one or two persons in the 4 p.m. race, followed by a baby-back rib or steak barbeque dinner at 6 p.m., with dancing to The Riddlers at 9 p.m.

Sunday is “Lobsterfest” day. Activities include kayak races, as well as balloon art and face painting, all leading up to the long-awaited feast. Steamed clams are served at 4 p.m., with the lobster and barbeque-chicken dinners served from 5 to 6:30 p.m.

Sunday’s rutabaga festival, held at Marcy Field in the town of Keene, celebrates the hardy, tasty and adaptable vegetable that thrives in our sometimes harsh climate. Activities begin at 10 a.m. with the 5K fun run, followed by the High Peaks hula hoop championship and the crowning of 2009 Rutabaga King and Queen.

No barbeque will be complete without a visit to Friday’s farmer’s market in Elizabethtown, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., and Sunday’s farmer’s market in Keene, beginning at 9:30 a.m. The markets, feature fruits, vegetables, maple syrup, flowers, baked goods, local wines and arts and crafts.

Finally, unique rustic and handcrafted furniture will be on display during the 22nd annual Rustic Furniture Fair, Saturday and Sunday, at the Adirondack Museum in Blue Mountain Lake. The Fair offers unique furniture, furnishings and fine art, plus delicious music and demonstrations. The hours Saturday are from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.