62 | NORTH CAROLINA WINE PRESS

social lifefood, wine, and travel events across our stateC O M P I L E D B Y S U S A N R A M S A Y

SEPTEMBER 10 –11 Time Warner Cable BBQ & Blues. Charlotte. Barbecue competition and a “pigtastic” festival featuring blues music, an array of beer samples, and some of the best barbecue you will fi nd anywhere. www.charlottecentercity.org.

SEPTEMBER 11 4th Annual North Carolina Hot Sauce Contest. Oxford. Producers from across the state come together for a fun-fi lled day, showcasing North Carolina hot sauces, microbreweries, wines, barbecue sauces, fi ery foods, antiques, and more. www.nchotsaucecontest.com.

SEPTEMBER 2512th Annual Charlotte Oktoberfest Beer Festival. Charlotte. More than 100 breweries from across the Southeast and around the world will come together to serve more than 350 brews. www.charlotteoktoberfest.com.

SEPTEMBER 25Yadkin Valley Pumpkin Festival. Elkin. Enjoy the annual Great Pumpkin Weigh-Off, plus a variety of live entertainment and the ever-popular pie-eating contest. www.yadkinvalley.org/pumpkinfest.php.

SEPTEMBER 25–26Tour to Tanglewood. Clemmons. This 25th annual event benefi ting multiple sclerosis includes routes ranging from

20 to 100 miles on day one and 30 to 70 miles on day two. www.bikemsncc.org.

OCTOBER 1–3 25th International Festival of Raleigh. Raleigh. Bring the whole family for a three-day celebration of music, food, and culture from around the globe. www.internationalfestival.org.

OCTOBER 2 31st Annual Sonker Festival. Lowgap. Don’t know what sonker is? Then come to this annual festival and fi nd out how delicious a deep-dish fruit pie can be. www.visitnc.com.

OCTOBER 2 Great Grapes! Wine, Arts & Food Festival. Charlotte. More than 20 local wineries will showcase their products at this celebration of wine, art, and food. www.uncorkthefun.com.

OCTOBER 9–10 17th Annual Seafood, Blues, and Jazz Festival. Pleasure Island. Bring family and friends and exercise your “license to chill” with seafood, blues, and jazz at the beach. www.pleasureislandnc.org.

OCTOBER 9–10 Mumfest. New Bern. Stage and street shows, as well as a variety of other attractions, help ring in the fall season in this historic town. www.mumfest.com.

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OCTOBER 9–10Vineyards of Swan Creek Harvest Festival. Enjoy two days of award-winning wines, music, and complimentary seasonal refreshments as you explore this popular wine trail. www.swancreekvineyards.com.

OCTOBER 16–17 30th Annual North Carolina Oyster Festival. Ocean Isle Beach. The oyster festival includes entertainment, arts and crafts vendors, festival food, a road race, kid’s area, North Carolina Oyster Shucking Championships, and an Oyster Stew Cook-off. www.brunswickcountychamber.org.

OCTOBER 1622nd Annual Apple Harvest Festival. Waynesville. Celebrate the beauty of harvest season with arts and crafts, musical entertainment, and everything apples. www.haywood-nc.com.

OCTOBER 23Onslow Oktoberfest. Jacksonville. Celebrate the culture of Oktoberfest and participate in the 5K race. www.onslowco.org.

OCTOBER 29–30 North Carolina Sweet Potato Festival.Snow Hill. Rejoice in the sweet potato with food, games, and entertainment. www.ncsweetpotatofestival.com.

We Know Jazzwww.wssu .edu /wsnc

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