CALENDAR: Harvest Festival set for Nov. 2 with bluegrass, family fun

Staff reports  |  The 18th annual Harvest Festival is set for 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Nov. 2 at Johns Island County Park.  

Known for its foot-stompin’ showcase of Charleston’s own bluegrass talent, the festival will offer performances throughout the day will be five bluegrass bands. This year’s lineup will feature entertainment from local performers Blue Plantation, Gravel Road, YeeHaw Junction, Marshgrass Mamas and Red Cedar Review.

Plenty of food will be available for purchase, including Southern barbecue, roasted and boiled peanuts, kettle corn, and traditional favorite festival fare, plus cold beverages. Festival-goers are also encouraged to stop by the crafters’ market, which features a variety of hand-made items that make perfect holiday gifts. 

Families will find plenty to keep the kids occupied including hay rides, a stick pony corral, pumpkin decorating, penny diving and more. This year’s Harvest Festival will also feature a youth Archery Turkey Day Shoot! Turkeys will not be harmed in this competition, but the winning archer will take home a frozen turkey. The showdown is open to ages 8 to 17, and turkeys will be awarded to the male and female competitor with the highest score. Interested youth competitors can sign up at the event, or just try out the sport for fun from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. All activities are free with the festival admission fee, which is $8 per person; kids 12 and under are free.  For more information, visit CharlestonCountyParks.com.

Also on the calendar:

Nevermore, the play: Through Nov. 3, Dock Street Theatre, 135 Church St., Charleston.  Charleston Stage will present Nevermore! Voyage Into the Netherworld, a play that speculates on an 1847 voyage by author Edgar Allan Poe after which he was found mad and soon died.  The play features scenes from Poe’s stories and includes information on his real visit to Sullivan’s Island in 1817.  More information.  Tickets are $34 to $67 with some discounts.

Pictures at an Exhibition: 7:30 p.m. Oct. 25 and Oct. 26.  The Charleston Symphony offers  a special collaboration with award-winning watercolorist, Mary Whyte. A Charleston-based artist with an international reputation, Whyte will debut her collection of portraits We the People alongside the Charleston Symphony’s performance of Respighi’s Trittico Botticelliano (“Three Botticelli Pictures”), Copland’s Lincoln Portrait, and Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition. Images of Whyte’s paintings, a portrait of one veteran from each state, will appear on stage throughout the performance. Tickets are $25 to $114.

Coming to the Gaillard.  Check out these awesome coming events at the Charleston Gaillard Center, 95 Calhoun St., Charleston:

Chick Corea Trio:  7:30 p.m. Oct. 29.  Jazz impresario Chick Corea will bring together bass powerhouse Christian McBride and drum master Brian Blade in a trio that earned two Grammy Awards for their first outing, 2014’s landmark 3-CD set Trilogy. Learn more about the trio and show here.  Tickets are $36 to $86.

AFFA Gala 2019: 6 p.m., Nov. 1, The Cedar Room, 701 East Bay St., Charleston.  You can have one of the best nights of the year with this annual fund-raiser for AFFA that is replete with a cocktail hour, silent auction, dinner, live auction and entertainment by the Emerald Empire Band.  Tickets: $180. Learn more now.

Holiday Festival of Lights: Nov. 15 to Dec. 31, James Island County Park.  For the 30th year in a row, the Holiday Festival of Lights returns to make merry magical memories with its vibrant light show is one of Charleston’s most cherished holiday events, featuring an estimated two million dazzling lights. The Holiday Festival of Lights is open every evening, rain or shine, from Nov. 15 – Dec. 31, 2019. The festival opens at 5:30 p.m. nightly and closes at 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday. More.

Early morning bird walks at Caw Caw:  8:30 a.m. every Wednesday and Saturday, Caw Caw Interpretive Center, Ravenel.  You can learn about habitats and birds, butterflies and other organisms in this two-hour session.  Registration is not required, but participants are to be 15 and up. $10 per person or free to Gold Pass holders.  More:  http://www.CharlestonCountyParks.com.

AREA MARKETS

WEDNESDAYS.  The West Ashley Farmers Market is every Wednesday from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. in Ackerman Park off Sycamore Avenue in West Ashley.  The last week of the market will be the first week of October. More.

FRIDAYS/SATURDAYS:  Night Market.  Every Friday and Saturday from 6:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. for the rest of the year, you can shop with 108 vendors, including artists and craftsmen, at the night market on Market Street between East Bay and Church streets.  It’s more than four blocks of local shopping and fun. Free.

SATURDAYS:  Johns Island Farmers Market operates each Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. year-round with more than 50 local farmers and vendors, food trucks, music and more.  The market is located on the campus of Charleston Collegiate School, 2024 Academy Road, Johns Island

SATURDAYS: The Charleston Farmers Market is open 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Marion Square each Saturday through Nov. 30.  More info.

NOTE: The Mount Pleasant Farmers Market weekly market on Tuesdays finished in September. The next opportunity to shop is a special Dec. 7 holiday market and craft show at the market pavillion at Moultrie Middle School, 645 Coleman Blvd., Mount Pleasant. Time:  11 a.m to 4 p.m. Free parking. Lots of activities. More info.

• If you have an event to list on our calendar, please send it to feedback@charlestoncurrents.com for consideration. The calendar is updated weekly on Mondays.