The skies were ominously gray this past Saturday morning as I made my way to Thorntown for their annual Festival of the Falling Leaves.  As if on cue, the sunshine broke through for a perfect Fall day in Boone County.

Thorntown really knows how to throw a festival! With Main Street lined on each side for 4 blocks with booths offering everything from original art to collectibles, there was more than enough on display to please the festival shopper. The mini-fun park was bigger and better than ever.

The annual parade featured classic tractors of all sizes and some of the coolest motorcycles seen this Fall….plus bags of free Fritos (go figure).

The food court and bandstand area was well organized and offered a wide variety of foods for sale – including the Thorntown Lion’s “Famous BBQ” sandwiches. The funnel cakes seemed to be outselling the elephant ears and both looked perfectly prepared – crispy, sugary and oh so filling.

The Festival of the Turning Leaves is the last of our county’s fall festivals for the year and was a perfect example of how to turn your town into a great weekend tourist (and locals) destination. Congratulations to the Turning Leaves committee for continuing to add more fun for everyone to their annual festival. We look forward to returning next year.

By the way, the Thorntown library with its impressive new water fountain is a great looking location and a standing testament to how this town continues to upgrade the quality of life for all residents.

Join us this Saturday – October 3rd from 6pm – 9pm - for the 2nd Annual Taste of Boone County event at Anson!

From hand made chocolates from Donaldson’s to smoke salmon from Cobblestone Grill, Taste of Boone County attendees will enjoy menu favorites from locally owned Boone County restaurants and food servers in a huge, enclosed party tent that will also feature live music and an adult beverage bar serving wine and beer.

Tickets are just $25 per person with the proceeds for this year’s Taste of Boone County going to the Boone County Women’s Shelter. Tickets are available all over Boone County, including the Lebanon Mayor’s office, Lebanon Reporter, Zionsville Times, BooneCCVB office and participating restaurants.

Last year’s Taste of Boone County was a sell-out, so you’re encouraged to buy your tickets in advance – even though they’ll also be on sale at the door. For more information – CLICK HERE

What a great weekend it was for the Back to the Fifties festival! A perfect Friday night for the street dance and beautiful sunny skies for a Saturday full of smiling people, great food and the coolest collection of classic cars in Indiana.

The Boone County courthouse is an impressive backdrop for this annual festival with a band stage set up on the west side that featured “The Rigbys” – a Beatles cover band – on Saturday afternoon. The band was very good with attendees dancing and swaying to the beat of Fab Four favorites.

Gastronomically speaking, the funnel cakes served were the best I tasted so far this festival season. Parky’s BBQ also had a long line at their food tent. One of these days I’m going to try a turkey leg, too.

But to this gearhead, the cars were the true stars on Saturday with everything on display from a 1930′s Boone County police car to a DeTomaso Pantera. My personal favorite was a perfect 1932 Ford pickup with its wood lined bed and deep cherry paint job. Car owners loved to brag about their 4-wheel babies – offering tidbits and tech talk to all visitors.

Congratulations to the Back to the Fifties committee for hosting a great weekend event that was obviously enjoyed by all who attended! And thanks to those of you who stopped by the new Boone County Tourism office on the square.

This weekend it’s the Turning Leaves Festival in Thorntown – from Friday night through Sunday. It’s worth the drive to Thorntown for this event as the Turning Leaves committee continues to add more activities, music, food and specials to this annual festival.

This year festival includes a bluegrass music jam on Friday, parade on Saturday morning, the “Anything Goes” games on Saturday and lots of arts, crafts & great food. Let’s see how good their elephant ears/funnel cakes are in comparison to all the others I’ve enjoyed this season.

Saturday night, Cook & Belle will be performing their eclectic mix of popular and country favorites. To find out more about the Turning Leaves Festival – CLICK HERE

Don’t forget the Taste of Boone County event happens on Friday, October 3 at the Anson Development. 20 great restaurants, live jazz, adult beverages and lots of fun await you at this 2nd annual event that promises great food for all. For more information - CLICK HERE

Have a comment about our Boone County festivals? Send them in and we’ll post them as part of our weekly Boone County Tourism blog. Thanks for reading and see you in Thorntown!

Many of you reading this blog never knew the 50s generation; a time of James Dean look-alikes, pegged pants, bobby socks and pony tails, drive-in restaurants and the ubiquitous “poodle skirts”.

Now you can catch a glimpse of this gone but not forgotten era this weekend at the annual Back to the Fifties festival in Lebanon.  Join the crowd for two days of festival fun that includes a classic car show, children’s fun park, classic & antique bike show and a tribute to the real King of Rock n’ Roll…Elvis Presley. There will also be an “Open Mike” talent show, tours by the Boone County Historical Society, porch sales and a concert by “The Rigbys” a Beatles tribute band (taking you back to the 60s..).

The Main Street Food Court will be serving a variety of delicious menu items. I’ll be on the scene for a taste of their elephant ears. You’re welcome to stop by and visit our new BooneCCVB office on the southwest corner of the Courthouse Square, 110 East Main Street.

You might even spot some poodle skirts and ducktail haircuts at the Friday night Street Dance on the Courthouse Square located in the heart of Lebanon. Learn more about the Back to the Fifties Festival CLICK HERE

This past weekend I spent a couple of days/nights at the Zionsville Fall Festival. The great weather and increased events made this year’s festival one of their best attended ever – beginning with the annual Kiwanis Fall Festival parade with over 105 entrants.

At the Fall Festival, I was particularly impressed at the crowd for the special VIP event on Friday night where over 400 families with special needs children attended this free party with food, rides, prizes and fun all supplied by the Zionsville Lions Club and their patrons. Great event, great cause and a great way to kick off their annual festival.

Way to go, Zionsville Lions and congratulations to long-time Fall Festival head, past Lions Club President and Zionsville uber volunteer, Leigh Ann Akard, for receiving the Zionsville Town Crier award for her service to the community.

The 2nd annual Taste of Boone County will be held on Saturday, October 3, 2009 at the new Anson Development located at SR334 and I-65. This year’s Taste will be bigger and better with new restaurants, increased dining room under the big tent and samples of menu items from Boone County’s most popular locally owned restaurants. Read more – CLICK HERE

Speaking of locally owned restaurants, the LA Cafe in Whitestown has re-opened with new management, a new menu but still the same popular motorcycle motif. Set to open later this month in Zionsville is Oobatz – a restaurant featuring pasta, pizza, sandwiches served amidst a entirely new decor at the site of the old Brewhouse Pub. And early reports about the new Tripp’s Depot in Lebanon is that the pizza is wonderful, the sandwiches generous and the atmosphere is big fun! Boone County is home to many great locally owned restaurants who serve all types of cuisine. Head out and discover a new Boone County restaurant favorite this weekend!

Now it’s back to the attic to see if I can find my Uncle’s leather motorcycle jacket for this weekend’s Back to the Fifties festival. Got a comment? Send it on to this blog.

Hope you all enjoyed your Labor Day weekend. If you didn’t come out to Advance for their annual Labory Day festival, know that you missed a great time – especially on Monday when the Advance Fire Department’s “Hog Heaven” pork dinners extravaganza was being served. I met the Fire Chief, Police Chief and lots of great Advance neighbors who said this year’s crowd was a good one. It also appeared most everyone in Advance had a garage sale or flea market going in their front yards – with lots of bargains, curios and collectibles available.

After spirited bidding for the many auction items on Monday (including a whopping $350 bid for BooneCCVB board member, Wendy McMann’s legendary pecan pie!), the “Honky Tonk Attitude” band took the stage for an afternoon of classic country hits. Good band, good people and a good time was had by all from my view. My only slight complaint was that the elephant ears were a bit too doughy and not fried crispy all the way. But the delicious pork dinner served at Hog Heaven set the bar for main meal excellence in this year’s festival season.

This weekend, it’s on to Zionsville for their 2-day Fall Festival (actually 2 days/3 nights as the Poor Jack Carnival opens Friday night at 8pm). This is the Big Daddy of Boone County festivals with more events, music, food booths, appearances and attractions that can be listed in one place. You can find a complete list of events and times at:  www.zionsvillelions.com

Every year, the Zionsville Lions introduce new features at the Fall Festival for different audiences. My big favorite is the VIP event that goes on at 5pm on Friday before the park opens to the general public. This is when 150+ special needs kids and adults, along with their families, are treated to 3 hours of fun, food and carnival rides.

Here’s the best news – it’s all FREE! The good people at Chick Fil A provide free meals, Poor Jack Carnival gives  free rides and an army of volunteers are there to supervise the fun, escorting the kids through the carnival, playing the games and generally having a great time while parents and caretakers get to sit back and relax.

I’ll be there with my German Shepherd dog, Boudreaux, who loves all people – especially kids. Last year, Boudreaux made many new friends and is looking forward to pets and hugs from the bright faced attendees who obviously love their special VIP time at the Fall Festival.

The Zionsville Lions Club deserves a big hand for their hosting the VIP Event every year, as do the many volunteers who appear to have as much fun as the VIPs do.

Also back this year is the teen-focused Lion Palooza event on Saturday night with an appearance by the hilarious Comedy Sports group, a DJ spinning tunes and lots of free prizes, drinks and snacks. Sponsored by the Zionsville Police Department, Lion Palooza goes from 7-10pm – admission and fun is free. There’s also a big fireworks display at the end of the evening.

Popular area group, The Marlins, also play on Saturday night with a repertoire covering the entire musical spectrum including country, rock, big band, pop, classical, jazz, and bluegrass. Admission is Free - so bring your lawn chairs and prepare to be entertained.

If you like Americana at its Norman Rockwell finest, find a place on Zionsville’s Main Street Saturday morning for the annual Kiwanis parade at 10am. Bands, floats, celebrities and more march down the brick street in this yearly kick off to the Fall Festival.

Whether you like juried arts & crafts, a pet pavilion with 2 days of activities (bring your well mannered dog), food served by local restaurants (don’t miss the Friendly burgers) or just walking around with a crowd made up of families of all sizes – we’ll see you at the 56th annual Zionsville Fall Festival this weekend.