Little Elm's Autumn Fest 2010 is about here...

Texas Monthly BBQ Festival 2010

pics from fb friend, S & S Pit Crew. John Zamora & Robert Sierra, San Marcos Texas.

pics from "Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives" visit to Southern Soul BBQ...

Southern Soul Barbecue...

In our last review of southern soul bbq, we highlighted this first-year establishment's high-grade victuals. The eatery now has a new location. The original Southern Soul joint down on Mallory Street still exists, but now this larger-drive-in style location attracts even more Cue fans.

Recently, Southern Soul won the Silver Spoon award in top new restuarant category in Southern Trend magazine. In October, Southern Soul placed 30th in points out of 105 contestants at the prestigious Annual Pig Jig in Vienna, Georgia...not bad for first timers.

Today is a pleasant, overcast day on the coast. The Georgia Bulldogs play The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets this afternoon, and hungry football fans have been driving up to Southern Soul all day to load up on barbecue and all the fixings for an intense day of college football wars. The woodsmoke floats in the air as winter begins to set in along with the holidays...

In this installment of the Never Ending Soul Food Tour, Southern Soul owner Griffin Bufkin agreed to share his indelible "Brunswick Stew" recipe.

Southern Soul Barbecue's "Brunswick Stew" Recipe

-Sweat your diced onions & garlic until translucent for about 15 min. Add teaspoon
of cayenne pepper
-Tablespoon of pepper & salt with a fourth of a cup of Worcestershire sauce
-Simmer for 10 min, then add one-half a cup of Southern Soul North Carolina Vinegar Sauce & one-half cup of Southern Soul Molasses BBQ Sauce
-Add 1 pound of pulled smoked pork
-Add 1 pound of pulled chicken and cook for ten minutes
-Puree 6-8 vine ripe tomatoes and add to pot followed by...
-4 cups of sweet corn (Silver Queen variety) & 4 cups of butter beans
-Finish off with one quart of a good quality chicken stock and stew for a couple of hours on medium heat
-Serve with warm buttermilk corn bread.

I tried the ribs today and they were mighty fine. The collard greens taste sweet and you can drink the juice...a fine pot liquor. The baked beans serve as a staple, and Griffin spared me the chore of cooking up the invigorating Brunswick Stew.

Until next time...these boys are indeed 'smokin' supper'...

Brunswick Stew Recipe courtesy Griffin Bufkin/Harrison Sapp Southern Soul Barbeque, Saint Simons Island, GA

• 1/2 pound salted butter
• 3 cups (2 large) finely diced sweet onions
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 cup vinegar bbq sauce (recommended: Sapp Southern Soul Barbeque North Carolina)
• 1/2 cup brown sweet bbq sauce (recommended: Sapp Southern Soul Barbeque Georgia)
• 1 pound smoked pulled pork
• 1/2 pound smoked pulled chicken
• 1/2 pound smoked pulled turkey
• 1 pound smoked chopped beef brisket
• 1 ((number 10) can crushed tomatoes
• 1 quart drained yellow corn kernels
• 1 quart drained baby lima beans
• 1 quart or more quality chicken stock or broth Directions

Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the diced onions and the garlic and saute until the onions are translucent, about 15 minutes. Stir in the cayenne pepper, black pepper, salt and Worcestershire sauce. Simmer for 5 minutes then add 1/2 cup of vinegar sauce and 1/2 cup of bbq sauce. Stir in the pulled pork, chicken, turkey, and brisket. Add the crushed tomatoes and all of the vegetables. Stir in the chicken stock and let simmer for a couple hours over medium heat. Transfer the stew to a serving bowl and serve with warm buttermilk cornbread, if desired.

This recipe was provided by professional chefs and has been scaled down from a bulk recipe provided by a restaurant. The Food Network Kitchens chefs have not tested this recipe, in the proportions indicated, and therefore, we cannot make any representation as to the results.

• Southern Soul Barbeque

  2020 Demere Road

  St.Simons Island, GA 31522

  (912) 638-7685

  www.southernsoulbbq.com

Thyme - Information and Spice Variations

Thyme has been used as an embalming herb, an incense, as room-freshener, and as medicine. Bunches of it were given to knights by their ladies to bring courage; sprigs have been strewn on coffins to aid passage to the afterlife. Today, thyme is used almost exclusively for cooking. Its sweet, earthy flavor blends rather than dominating flavor, making it useful in nearly any cuisine. It's common in French haute-cuisine and earthy peasant stews alike. Thyme dries better than most herbs, retaining nearly all the flavor of fresh.

The Spice House offers three varities of dried thyme. The Mediterranean thyme has a strong, earthly smell and flavor, and a coarse leafe that holds up well to longer cooking times. The French thyme is a brighter, sweeter, flavor profile and a softer leaf that's easily powdered by hand. Lemon thyme is a hybrid with a lemony aroma and flavor that's great for soups or vegetable dishes. Thyme Variations. Thyme, French Select.

Thyme is a great herb for everyday cooking. French Select Thyme has a deep green color and a fresh, smooth aroma. It is a sweeter flavor and softer leaf than our standard Mediterranean thyme. This product is highly recommended by The Spice House.

Heavier dishes, in general, benefit particularly from thyme. Add it to soups, stews, clam chowder, stuffing, gumbos, heartier sauces, roast chicken or pork, many vegetable dishes, and fish. Thyme is an essential ingredient in any Bouquet Garni.

One particular crop year we were very unhappy with our standard Mediterranean thyme. We sought out some other sources and came up with this really nice crop from France. When the standard thyme crop came back up to its normal quality level, we decided to keep this really great Select Thyme to offer our customers an option.

• Organic Thyme, Broken Leaf
• Thyme, French Select

• Thyme, Lemon
• Thyme, Mediterranean Broken Leaf Or Ground
  

Big Bob Gibson Crew at the 2010 Big Apple BBQ Block Party in New York City

Big Bob Gibson Crew at the 2010 Big Apple BBQ Block Party in New York City photo taken by Anthony Quintano http://www.quintanomedia.com/

Add a caption

Big Bob Gibson Crew at the 2010 Big Apple BBQ Block Party in New York City photo taken by Anthony Quintano http://www.quintanomedia.com

In this photo: Ken Hess (photos), Ken Hess (photos), Corinne Trang (photos), Owen Lilly (photos), Chris Lilly (photos), John Markus (photos)

Bourbon Barbecue Sauce Bon Appétit | July 2000 by Steve Raichlen...

Bourbon Barbecue Sauce

Bon Appétit | July 2000

by Steve Raichlen

• 2 cups ketchup
• 1/2 cup mild-flavored (light) molasses
• 1/3 cup bourbon
• 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
• 3 tablespoons hot pepper sauce
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
  

Down South BBQ Foley, AL

Southern Soul Barbecue

Southern Soul Barbecue
318 Mallory Street
Saint Simons Island, Georgia 31522
912-634-7516
www.southernsoulbbq.com
By James Calemine

James Calemine’s “Never Ending Soul Food Tour” includes documented visits to barbecue joints, catfish dens, chicken shacks and any establishment serving memorable vittles. All photos by James Calemine


“I’m gonna sail like a ship on the ocean
I’m gonna sail until my sailin’ day is over.”
-The Georgia Sea Island Singers


Upon returning to my homeland for various recreation, work and relaxation, I always make the rounds to see the hometown folks. One of my essential stops was to see two old childhood and high school friends—Griffin Bufkin and Harrison Sapp—owners of Southern Soul Barbecue, an indelible joint located on Saint Simons Island, Georgia. I could tell old stories, but I'll save those for another day...

Harrison Sapp, a third generation ‘Smoker’, spends his days crafting the art of smoking meat. He learned tricks of the trade early…the subtle difference between hot and cold smoke, nuances between working with pecan and oak wood among other cooking minutiae. He arrives at 4AM to start the fire and rub down the meat. Harrison cooks with two custom-made Lang smokers obtained from the founder Mr. Lang himself in Nahunta, Georgia.

Griffin Bufkin cooked in this same building for ten years when it was a restaurant called Frannie’s. Then he began booking bands across the street, which later became Rafters. Tired of the wicked nightlife schedule, Griffin decided to open a barbecue joint under the same roof with Palm Coast Coffee. Griffin utilizes his music contacts to schedule weekend live entertainment from groups such as Atlanta’s Mudcat, Asheville’s the Grit Pixies and the Appalachian female trio, The Barrelhouse Mamas.

Now, onto the food…These boys leave no pig unturned. One hot July Monday afternoon my daughter and I stopped by to enjoy the victuals. This counted as my fourth visit since they opened. Griffin sat down with us and as we ate he elaborated on the Southern Soul’s cooking style: “We’ve come up with a secret butt-rub. We call it ‘Soul Seasoning’. That’s the foundation of everything on our menu. A little pinch gets put into everything. I can tell you it consists of cumin, thyme, brown sugar, kosher rock salt, cayenne and some other spices. That’s what we put on the meat in the morning. It goes on for about 12 hours at 200 degrees.

“All our meat is complimented by our homemade sauces which we try to keep pretty regional. We have three sauces—one’s in limited quantity. My favorite is the North Carolina style vinegar. It cuts the meat. It doesn’t cover the meat. It cuts right through a piece of pork. It’s black pepper, vinegar, a little tomato. It’s what I call the ‘Thousand Island’ of the barbecue sauces because everybody loves it. The Sweet Molasses sauce has brown sugar, molasses and a little ketchup. The one we run in limited batches is the South Carolina mustard. I take the North Carolina sauce and the South Carolina sauce and mix it up. I call it the One Carolina-‘Why Can’t We All Get Along’ sauce.

“We basically smoke a shoulder and a butt which is where the majority of our meat comes from. It’s a 12-hour smoke and we never sauce the meat—you sauce it yourself. The briskets are lean--it’s a traditional competition smoke. We don’t boil our meat or steam the ribs. We smoke ‘em for 8 hours with a dry rub and then wrap them in tin foil—so there’s a little steam—with honey, garlic and a little apple juice. Then we’ll give them a couple more hours for tenderness.

“As far as side items, we have two main sources of vegetables right now. One is Sapelo Farms--it’s an all organic farm that’s been around a long time. We get all our collard greens from them. We get all our vine-ripe tomatoes there. We try and buy as much produce as we can locally. We have a tomato sandwich on the menu. I’m a tomato Nazi. We get our meat from Wainwright Farms in Nahunta, Georgia—butt, shoulders, even a whole pig. We love to do that for parties. They have an amazing country sausage we smoke.

“The Brunswick stew is a recipe I’ve been making for 20 years when this place was Frannie’s. It’s a spicier take on her recipe. Our cornbread…some people take their country bread seriously as they do their music…’It’s too sweet…It’s too dry.’ We found a good balance. We take the sweet Jiffy mix with the southern white and it comes out great—a little buttermilk. The baked beans are one of our own creations—we add a little yellow mustard and our sweet sauce and stick them up under the grill in an open pan and the butts drip on them all day long.

“Our greens are cooked with a stock of brown sugar, red pepper and salt. I’ll also use yesterday’s ribs and boil them up in the water to give them a good stock. The cole slaw is a recipe we came up with after many tries—we basically added mayonnaise and our seasoning. We have traditional potato salad where we have Dijon and eggs, horseradish and mayonnaise. We have a little kids menu with grilled pimento cheese sandwiches, PB & J, and fried bologna sandwiches. We do catering, take-out and we’re set up in the back for parties.”

On the 3-day Fourth of July weekend, Southern Soul Barbecue sold over 600 pounds of barbecue—not including the week leading into the holiday or the week after. In their first year, they held their own on the intense local holiday test. In early October they will compete in the Big Pig competition in Vienna, Georgia.

On this day I ate a barbecue sandwich, collard greens and baked beans. My daughter ate half of a hefty chicken salad sandwich that contained no chunks, but a fine mashed texture resembling tuna salad. The meat here is clean and contains no mystery bits—no chopped pork. The collard greens (I think I like Southern Soul’s better than one of my all-time favorites Weaver D’s) and beans contend with anyone out there (ranking second only to Fatt Matt’s in Atlanta).

Southern Soul Barbeque's Griffin Bufkin Offers Brisket Chili Recipe

Southern Soul Barbeque's Griffin Bufkin Offers Brisket Chili Recipe Southern Soul's Soul by the Bowl

Swampland Victuals Editor Griffin Bufkin offers Southern Soul Barbeque's Smoked Beef Brisket Chili Recipe. Read Griffin's debut oyster article as Swampland/Mystery And Manners' Food Guru. J.C

Soul by the Bowl
By Griffin Bufkin

The off season in The Golden Isles always gets the locals excited about having their island back to themselves. After the hordes of tourist folk have left, a more laid back approach to island living prevails. Oyster roasts, football, fishing, and beachcombing replace the traffic, restaurant lines, and tee-shirt vendors that swarm the summer season.

Its also the most bearable temperature all year to fire up the smoker. Harrison gets up early to Southern Soul- around 4:00 a.m. to kick off his everyday routine of starting the fire and prepping the day’s meat load: Beef Brisket, Pork Butts, Half Chickens, Slabs of Pork Ribs, pausing only to wave to the regular morning runners and old timers who gather for their daily coffee at the neighborhood bodega next door. With the sun rising, this is truly the most peaceful time of the day.

Our location in the middle of the island at a busy round a bout keeps traffic flowing in and out all day. And when the hawk is swooping (temp drops below 50f) The calls start coming in for bowls of our Smoked Brisket Chili. This is hot and heady stuff now. Wood-fired fresh chilies and peppers swim somewhat modestly with the deep smoky sweet flavors from a slow cooked brisket. Then the heat picks up and the chocolate notes turn towards habanero heaven. Chili heads rejoice. “It’s too hot” someone says. These are fighting words here. Go outside and eat it. Here’s some sour cream, Quit crying.
We do carry a mild version now. But c’mon order the Red. Its cold outside, and you got a long day ahead of you after lunch. Bear witness to this Bowl of Soul:

Southern Soul Smoked Beef Brisket Chili

Fire-Roasted Chili Peppers
6 Serrano Chili’s
3 Lg. Anaheim Peppers
4 Jalapenos Peppers
2 Habanero Peppers
3 Lg. Poblano Peppers

We start by placing washed whole peppers on a hot charcoal grill and turning frequently until they blister and char on the outside. Remove peppers from grill and sweat them in a Ziploc bag for ten minutes. With latex gloves on use a paring knife to remove seeds and ribs from peppers. Dice chilies fine charred skin and all and reserve in a bowl.

Smoked Beef Brisket
6 lb. Beef Brisket, trimmed
8oz. of Southern Soul Dust (Butt-Rub Deluxe)
Apple Juice

Light a fire with seasoned/aged oak in your smoker.
Next make a paste by combining enough apple juice and rub to cover your brisket.
Apply paste liberally to brisket- set aside.

When coals are perfect and heat reads 250f, place brisket on side away from fire box and let the smoke do its magic for 6-8 hours or until internal temp reaches 185-190f. Remove brisket from smoker, wrap in foil and let it rest for an hour. Refrigerate smoked and rested brisket overnight.

After a good chill in the icebox, dice whole brisket into ½” cubes- set aside.

Chili
1 lb. fresh ground Wainright Farms Country Sausage
2 Medium sweet Onions- diced fine
Whole clove of fresh Garlic-minced
Heaping Tablespoon of Sea Salt & 2Tablespoons of Fresh Crack’d Black Pepper
Fire Roasted Chilie Pepper Mixture
Olive Oil to coat vegtables
1 cup of high quality Chili Powder divided x 2
¼ cup fresh ground Cumin
1 cup of Lee & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce
3 ounces of a bakers semi-sweet chocolate
#10 can (96 oz) of Crushed Tomatoes
2 32-ounce cans of Dark Red Kidney Beans
4 lbs of Smoked Beef Brisket -cubed
1 quart of water or stock

Place your onions and garlic, salt, pepper,½ the chili powder and chili pepper mixture in a large mixing bowl and coat with olive oil- set aside Render sausage 8 minutes or until browning in an 8 quart stock pot -Do not drain the fat. Add vegetables from mixing bowl to cooked sausage in the pot and sweat over medium-hi heat for 10 minutes.

Back off the heat to medium and stir in the cup of Worcestershire sauce. When heated thru add cumin and the chocolate squares to melt. Next add your brisket all at once to the pot and toss to coat meat with ingredients. Continue to cook meat and fixings over medium heat for 5 minutes. Finally add crushed tomatoes, beans, the other half cup of chili powder and water or stock to the pot and return heat to medium high. When chili begins to bubble, back off heat again to medium and cook for 60 minutes periodically stirring from the bottom up.

We like to garnish the chili with fried flour tortilla strips, shredded cheddar and/or Sour cream.

Griffin Bufkin

Southern Soul bbq St. Simons Soul Dust Butt-Rubb De-Luxe

A North Alabama Favorite: White BBQ Sauce

Drizzle this true regional delicacy on barbecued chicken, pork, and more.

The color spectrum of barbecue sauce is rich and diverse--one reason why sampling different styles from all over the South is so much fun and so delicious. Ask the average person the color of their favorite sauce, and you’ll probably get answers such as brick red, mahogany, or caramel.

Pose the same question to a resident of North Alabama, though, and you’re sure to get only one answer: white.

"It’s the only sauce we know here, because it’s what everyone grows up on," says world barbecue champion Chris Lilly of Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q in Decatur, Alabama. Bob Gibson is credited with concocting white sauce back in 1925. Today, this tangy, mayonnaise-based condiment, traditionally used to dress chicken, is as synonymous with the state of Alabama as legendary football coach Paul "Bear" Bryant. "We marinate with it, use it to baste, plus we use it as an all-purpose table sauce," explains Chris.

Yet because white barbecue sauce is such a regional anomaly and because grocery shelves are dominated by the myriad incarnations of tomato-based sauces, many Southerners have never tried it. Well, I’m here to tell you that it’s time to get out the chicken and fire up your smoker or grill.

Yes, We Have No Tomatoes
Like its tomato- and mustard-based cousins, white barbecue sauce comes in shades ranging from porcelain to putty. There are also differences in consistency. Some sauces flow like fat-free milk, while others are more reminiscent of a creamy dressing. As for the ingredients, well, purists such as Myra Grissom, owner of Miss Myra’s Pit Bar-B-Q in Birmingham, insists there are only four: mayonnaise, vinegar, salt, and coarsely ground pepper.

"Everyone says they have a special recipe, but there’s really no secret. You start with the basics, and you can’t go wrong," recommends Myra, whose family tree leads back to Decatur. She’s been serving up her version of white barbecue sauce in Birmingham for more than 19 years. "I love it as a dip for pretzels," she says with a smile, "but we also use it to perk up salads and to top pulled pork sandwiches and grilled fish."

One taste and you’ll understand why Myra says, "no Southern home should be without it."

Prep: 5 min. If you prefer a thicker sauce, omit the water.

Yield: Makes 2 cups/Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon coarsely ground pepper
• 1 tablespoon Creole mustard
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 teaspoons prepared horseradish

Whisk together all ingredients until blended. Store in the refrigerator up to 1 week.

Southern Living, AUGUST 2005

Get the pretty babies ready, it's time for Autumn Fest

By Penny Rathbun, prathbun@acnpapers.com

Published: Thursday, September 16, 2010 4:24 AM CDT

The way people tell that fall is here is that the community begins getting ready for Autumn Fest and Little Elm Park becomes a center of fun activities.

Autumn Fest will happen this year Sept. 23 through 26. Thursday is family armband night for the carnival rides from 6 to 11 p.m. Friday the carnival rides will operate 6 to 11 p.m.

A full schedule of activities will take place on Saturday at the pavilion.

“Rock the Doc” Bob Dennington Memorial 5K and 1 Mile walk and run

8 a.m. 1 mile

8:30 a.m. 5K

The run benefits Little Elm Area Food Bank. For information visit www.appleortho.com

Noon Cub Scout pack 367 flag ceremony

12:05 p.m. Pretty Baby contest

1 to 11 p.m. Carnival rides

1:30 p.m. Creekwood School choir

1:40 p.m. Powell Intermediate School choir

1:50 p.m. Hackberry Elementary School choir

2 p.m. Sidekicks Martial Arts

2:45 p.m. Lakeview Elementary School choir

3 p.m. Encore Dance

3:25 p.m. Zellars Elementary School choir

3:35 p.m. Chavez Elementary School choir

3:45 p.m. 3D Performing Arts Academy

4:15 p.m. Miss Junior Autumn Fest and Little Miss Autumn Fest

4:45 p.m. Premier Martial Arts

5 p.m. Homemade salsa contest

5:20 p.m. Miss Autumn Fest

5:45 p.m. Oak Point Elementary School choir

5:55 p.m. Lakeside Junior High School choir

6 p.m. White Tigers

6:20 p.m. Little Elm High School music students

6:30 p.m. American Legion Flag Ceremony

6:40 p.m. Little Elm High School band

7 p.m. Custer's Last Band – amphitheater

Saturday Entertainment around the park

8:30 a.m. Register horseshoes and washers at the horseshoe pits in Beard Park

Noon Barbecue brisket judging in the North Grove

1 p.m. Ribs judging in the North Grove

3 p.m. Anything that Floats Derby at the lakefront

Fireworks at dark

Sunday events

2 to 6 p.m. Family armband night and carnival rides

Tickets are sold at Capital One, Dollar General, Independent Bank, Little Elm Library, PointBank, RTI.

No armband tickets sold after 4:30 p.m. on Thursday.

No ride tickets sold at location after 10 p.m. on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

Information and forms available at Town Hall lobby, Little Elm Library and online at www.littleelmtx.us (click on Autumn Fest) and Saturday at the information booth.

Free public parking is available Thursday through Sunday. No camping near the beach by cul de sac area on Saturday.

Boat dock open on Saturday.

Share this Article

Fall festivals in Collin, Dallas and Rockwall counties

Fall festivals in Collin, Dallas and Rockwall counties

1 Rating / 1 Comment

STAFF REPORT

Everyone knows that Labor Day marks the end of summer.

But a quick look around our portion of North Texas reveals a less-recognized fact: The holiday weekend was but a harbinger of a fall season of lively festivals and events.

The festival season generally runs mid-September to mid-October and includes Oktoberfests in McKinney and Addison (actually held in September), the Plano Balloon Festival, Taste of Collin County, Cottonwood Arts Festival in Richardson, Garland’s Wild West Cowboy Round-Up, Autumn at the Arboretum in the Lake Highlands area, the State Fair of Texas, of course, and others big enough to make our highlights list.

“It typically cools off by September, so it kicks off the fall festival season,” said Jo Via, executive director of next weekend’s Plano Balloon Festival, shedding light on the flurry of festivals. “There’s always a good number of options for people to go to.”

“If you go to one there’s no reason you can’t go to another,” reasoned Nancy Ghirla, a spokeswoman for the Garland event, also scheduled next weekend.

The variety should be enough to satisfy even the most enthusiastic festival-goers.

Following are details by dates and communities:

McKinney

Taste of Collin County will present samples of food, wine and beer from more than 40 Collin County restaurants, live entertainment and kids’ activities at Collin County Regional Airport in McKinney. Proceeds from the event benefit North Collin County Habitat for Humanity.

When: 5 to 9 p.m. Monday

Where: Collin County Regional Airport, 1496 E. Industrial Blvd.

Admission: $25 in advance, $30 at the door, $10 for kids

More info: Call 972-542-5300, ext. 104 or visit tasteofcollincounty.com

Addison

More than 60,000 visitors are expected at Addison Oktoberfest for four days of activities, including authentic German food; beer hall and Weingarten; music and folk dancing; arts and crafts; amusements; children’s entertainment; and more.

When: 6 to 11 p.m. Sept. 16; 6 p.m. to midnight, Sept. 17; noon to midnight Sept. 18; and noon to 5 p.m. Sept. 19

Where: Addison Circle Park, 4970 Addison Circle DriveAdmission: Free Sept. 16, $5-$10 other days and times for ages 4 and olderMore info: Visit addisontexas.net/events/oktoberfest/

Plano

The Plano Balloon Festival will feature more than 60 hot air balloons, sky divers, inflatable rides, face painting, crafts, fireworks and live entertainment, including a performance by country singer Scott Ewing. Balloon rides will be available for a cost of around $250 per person.

When: 4 p.m. to close Sept. 17; 6 a.m. to close Sept. 18; and 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sept. 19

Where: Oak Point Park, 2801 E. Spring Creek Parkway

Admission: $5 for one day, $8 for two days, $4 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.; $1 off for seniors 65 and older, and kids under 36 inches are free

More info: Contact Jessica Jackson at 972-867-7566 or jessica@planoballoonfest.org, or visit planoballoonfest.org

Garland

The city’s Wild West Cowboy Round-Up includes chuck wagons serving authentic cowboy food such as meat, beans and potatoes; live western entertainment; a petting zoo; hay mazes; pony rides; and crafts.

When: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sept. 18

Where: Downtown Garland Square, Sixth and Main streets

Admission: Free

More info: Contact Nina Ghirla at 214-682-5824 or info@garlandmessenger.com or visit garlandcowboyroundup.com

Rockwall

About 200 vendors at the annual Aspasians Fall Arts & Crafts Fair will sell an array of merchandise and foods, such as jewelry, woodwork and gourmet popcorn. Proceeds from the event, sponsored by Aspasians nonprofit women’s service organization, are donated for scholarships for high school seniors.

When: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sept. 18

Where: Historic Downtown Rockwall Square (intersection of Goliad, San Jacinto, Kaufman and Rusk streets)

Admission: Free

More info: Call 214-712-0212 or visit aspasians.com

Lake Highlands

The Dallas Arboretum’s Autumn at the Arboretum will kick off with the Great Pumpkin Festival, which will include the Tom Thumb Pumpkin Patch, a Storybook Pumpkin Village, a hay bale maze and thousands of colorful fall plants and flowers. Other events are Fall Family Fun Weekend, Cool Thursdays concert series and more.

When: Open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Great Pumpkin Festival runs Sept. 18 to Nov. 14; Fall Family Fun Weekend is Oct. 30-31; and Cool Thursdays are 7 p.m. Sept. 16 to Oct 29

Where: 8525 Garland Road, Dallas

Admission: General admission is $10 for adults, $9 for seniors 65 and older, $7 for children 3-12

More info: Call 214-515-6518 or visit dallasarboretum.org

Little Elm

The town’s annual Little Elm Autumn Fest will feature a family carnival, contests, rides, games, a memorial 5K fun run, 1-mile walk, Little Miss Autumn Fest, barbecue cook-off. and vendors selling food, arts and crafts.

When: Sept. 23-26

Where: Little Elm Park, 704 W. Eldorado Parkway

Admission: Free

More info: Call Missy Meador at 972-731-3296 orvisit littleelmtx.us

Dallas

The State Fair of Texas will include a variety of attractions, including live music performances; night parades and pyrotechnics; special exhibits and shows; pig races; an auto show; a petting zoo; fried foods; amusement rides; and more.

When: Fair grounds open at 8 a.m. and closing times vary daily from Sept. 24 – Oct. 17

Where: Fair Park, 3921 Martin Luther King Blvd.

Admission: $15, $11 for kids under 48 inches and seniors 60 and older and free for children under two

More info: Call 214-565-9931 or visit bigtex.com

McKinney

The family-friendly, two-day Oktoberfest hosted by McKinney Main Street will include non-stop activities in the heart of the city celebrating a tradition that started 200 years ago in Munich, Germany. Visitors can enjoy authentic German music, food and drink, traditional costumes, dancing, children’s activities and more.

When: 4 to 11 p.m. Sept. 24; 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sept. 25

Where: Historic Downtown Square (intersection of Virginia, Louisiana, Tennessee and Kentucky streets)

Admission:Free

More info: Call 972-547-2660 or visit downtownmckinney.com

Richardson

This fall’s rendition of the nationally recognized, twice yearly Cottonwood Art Festival, now in its 42^nd year, will feature more than 240 artists exhibiting work in 14 categories, including mixed media, ceramics, drawings and pastels, fiber, glass, jewelry, leather, metals, painting, photography, sculpture and wood.

When: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Oct. 2-3

Where: Cottonwood Park, 1321 W. Beltline Road, one block east of Coit Road

Admission: Free. Some children’s activities require a fee

More info: Visit cottonwoodartfestival.com

Sachse

The Chamber of Commerce’s yearly Sachse Fall Fest offers arts and crafts booths, food vendors, a children’s pageant, pie baking contest, raffle prizes, a car show, pet photo contest and more.

When: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Oct. 9

Where: Heritage Park, 4408 Hudson Drive

Admission: Free

More info: Call the Sachse Chamber of Commerce at 972-496-1212, e-mail info@sachsechamber.com or visit sachsechamber.com

Mark Macesich, neighborsgo assistant managing editor, Caitlin Harrison and Rose Baca, assistant editors, compiled this report.