In Ketchum, the Sheep Are on Parade

Idaho

The highlight of the Trailing of the Sheep Festival, Oct. 9 and 10 in Hailey and Ketchum, is a parade down Main Street in Ketchum. Spectators are invited to join in herding thousands of sheep through town as they make their annual trek from mountain to desert pastures.

Other events include sheep wagon displays, demonstrations of shearing, Basque and Scottish music and dancing, Basque games and a hike along trails that sheepherders use. Local restaurants will feature lamb dishes on their menus. For more information, contact the Trailing of the Sheep Festival, P.O. Box 2420, Sun Valley, ID 83353; telephone (800) 634-3347.

Massachusetts

October is high season in Salem, which takes great advantage of its witch-filled history with 24 days of Halloween-related events, Oct. 8 to 31. Highlights include candlelighted walks to the sights of local murders, spooky stories for children at the Peabody Essex Museum, a costume ball at the Hawthorne Hotel, haunted houses, a dramatic presentation of the ghost of Matthew Maule (a Hawthorne character) at the House of Seven Gables and an official cat of Salem contest.

On the 31st, more than 100,000 people (mostly in costume) are expected to pour into this town of 38,000 as downtown turns into a street fair with entertainment and food booths. For more information, contact the Salem Halloween Committee, P.O. Box 8139, Salem, MA 01970; tel. (978) 744-0013.

New Mexico

The annual Abiquiu Studio Tour, Oct. 9 and 10, grows larger every year with more and more area artists participating. This year, more than 40 Chama Valley artists and craftspeople will open their homes and studios for the weekend. The tour is self-guided so that visitors can select what appeals to them: painting, photography, pottery, sculpture, jewelry, stained glass, deerskin clothing, weaving and tinwork. Abiquiu, where Georgia O’Keeffe spent the last 40 years of her life, is about an hour’s drive from both Taos and Santa Fe. For more information, contact the Abiquiu Studio Tour, P.O. Box 906, Abiquiu, NM 87510; tel. (505) 685- 4454.

Indiana

Parke County’s 32 covered bridges become the focus of the Parke County Covered Bridge Festival, Oct. 8 to 17. No other county in the U.S. has as many carefully preserved covered bridges (Madison County, Iowa, has only six). Three-hour bus tours of the bridges leave from Rockville’s railroad depot with guides on board in 19th century attire. Visitors may also pick up a map for a self-guided driving tour. For more information, contact the Parke County Covered Bridge Festival, P.O. Box 165, Rockville, IN 47872; tel. (765) 569- 5226.

Ohio

Tall Stacks 99, Oct. 13 to 17, commemorates the steamboat era in U.S. history. Nineteen paddle-wheelers will gather on the banks of the Ohio River, with events taking place in Cincinnati and across the river in Newport and Covington, Ky. Visitors can tour the boats, take cruises upriver and join in the revelry onshore (historical reenactments, food and Dixieland jazz). Cruise tickets sell out, so book early. For more information, contact the Greater Cincinnati Tall Stacks Commission, 617 Vine St., Suite 1220, Cincinnati, OH 45202; tel. (877) 421-8255.

Vermont

The Vermont Farm and Food Fair, Oct. 9 and 10 in Manchester, takes place at Hildene, the former working farm of Robert Todd Lincoln, and celebrates the state’s farm life and the harvest. Visitors will see shearing and milking demonstrations; turkey calling; horse, ox and tractor pulls; a petting zoo; and cider presses. Under the entertainment tent: country music and clog dancing. For more information, contact Friends of Hildene, P.O. Box 377, Manchester, VT 05254; tel. (802) 362-1788.

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