Elyria Apple Festival

Celebrate fall’s favorite fruit this weekend in Ely Square as the Elyria Apple Festival marks its 29th year. There’ll be activities, entertainment and, of course, apples. Some of the apple-y highlights include apple pie judging, apple-pie-eating and apple-bobbing contests for kids, cider-making demonstrations and crowning of the Apple Festival queen. Festival hours are 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday, with a few events, like Sunday’s 5-K and car show getting under way before the festival grounds officially open. Get more info and the festival schedule here.

Woollybear Festival

If you’d rather mark the changing season with a furry caterpillar, head to Vermilion for Sunday’s annual Woollybear Festival. The fest, called the biggest one-day festival in Ohio, features Fox 8 meteorologist Dick Goddard. The big day includes entertainment, races for kids, woolly bears and one of Ohio’s biggest parades. Finals of the Woollybear 500 caterpillar race are at 5 p.m., as is the official Woollybear winter weather prediction. (Folklore says the severity of the coming winter can be predicted by the amount of black on the caterpillar.) Read more here.

Hay wagon rides and corn maze

Visit the Lorain County Metro Parks’ Carlisle Reservation for fall hay wagon rides through equestrian center or weave your way through a corn maze noon to 4 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays this weekend through Oct. 25. Wagon rides, which leave every 15 minutes, are free, and a trip through the corn maze costs just $1. Refreshments will be sold by the 4-H Homegrowers Club. Call ahead, (440)458-5121, if weather is questionable. Info: www.loraincountymetroparks.com.

Oberlin Doggie Doo

Have fun with your favorite furry friend and help out less fortunate animals at Saturday’s Oberlin Doggie Doo and Pooch Parade. The “doo” is 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Tappan Square, with the pooch parade at 3 p.m. The day will include vendors, entertainment, demonstrations and rescue groups with animals up for adoption. Awards will be handed out for best singing and dancing dogs, best trick and costumes for one, two or groups of dogs. Friendly, leashed dogs are welcome. Info: www.oberlindoggiedoo.org.

Latino Fest

National Hispanic Heritage Month got under way this week, and our own International City will celebrate with a Latino Fest Sunday at Lorain’s Lakeview Park. The celebration of Hispanic culture, food, music and art goes from noon to 8 p.m. Performers include Justo Saborit and Lorain’s own Raices Latinas and Alma de Mexico dance troupes as well as La Isla del Encanto, Mariachi Mexico and Voices de la Calle from Cleveland. Photography from Joseph Carrion and samples of Puerto Rican and Mexican artwork will be on display. Food will be available to purchase from Mexican Mutual and Puerto Rican Home clubs.

Cheer on the Crushers

The Lake Erie Crushers are in the Frontier League championship in their inaugural season, and they’ll be home for Game 3 of the best-of-five series Sunday. The game is 5:05 p.m. vs. the River City Rascals at All Pro Freight Stadium in Avon. The Crushers were shut out in the series opener Thursday night in O’Fallon, Mo., and have a chance to tie it up in Friday’s Game 2 (at 7:05 p.m.), also in Missouri. Don’t feel like going Sunday? Listen to the live Webcast of that (or any other Crushers game) at LakeErieCrushers.com.

Party in the Park

Band music, cornhole, hot dogs, popcorn and a chance to dunk teachers or administrators are all part of Saturday’s Party in the Park in North Ridgeville. Sponsored by North Ridgeville PTAs and Citizens for Better Schools, the event takes place noon to 3 p.m. at South Central Park. Read more here.

Engine show

LaGrange Engine Club members will display all types of farm equipment, including steam traction engines, portable steam power plants, farm tractors, garden tractors, small gas engines and more 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday at the Lorain County Fairgrounds. Info: www.lagrangeengineclub.com.

Try lawn bowling

Every wonder what the grassy square behind the Lakeview Park Easter basket is for? Find out when you give lawn bowling a try 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday at Lakeview.

Fall arts fest

More than 100 artists and crafters will exhibit and sell their wares 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday at Harvest of the Arts in front of Town Hall in Wellington. A folk music band will entertain, and kettle corn and mums will be available to purchase. A quilt will be raffled off is to honor the 40th anniversary of the classic childen’s book “The Very Hungary Catepillar” by Eric Carle. Info: (440) 647-2120 or http://wellingtonfriends.tripod.com/.

They are not forgotten

Remember those who have served our country on POW-MIA Day Friday. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Committee of Lorain County raise a POW-MIA flag and read the names of 79 Ohioans that never came home at 4:30 p.m. at St. Joseph’s Community Center in Lorain.

Theater

• ’40s musical cabaret, French Creek Nature Center (Sheffield), 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday, cost: $10, info: (440) 949-5200 or www.loraincountymetroparks.com.
• “And Then There Were None,” Workshop Players’ Theatre-in-the-Round (Amherst), 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday, cost: $12, info: (440) 988-5613.

Farmers markets

• Elyria: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at Cedar and Broad streets.
• Grafton: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday in the Grafton Town Hall parking lot, 960 Main St.
• Lorain: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at Black River Landing.
• Oberlin: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at 85 S. Main St. (next to Oberlin City Hall, parking at the Public Library).
• Vermilion: 2 to 6 p.m. Saturday at Victory Park.
• Wellington: 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, North Main and Taylor streets.

To submit events for future “What to do this weekend” articles, contact Rona Proudfoot, 329-7124 or rproudfoot@chroniclet.com.