Fall is fast approaching, and rather than be plagued by the summertime blues, why not celebrate autumn with the upcoming Harvest Festival?

There will be food and fun aplenty for adults and kids alike with helicopter rides, arts and crafts, games, barbecues, beers, live music. 

The Harvest Festival, put on by the Grand Coulee Dam Area Chamber of Commerce, will take place from Friday to Sunday, Sept. 20-22, at North Dam Park. 

Helicopter rides will be available from Inland Helicopters from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday, offering those who take the ride a scenic bird’s-eye view of the coulee’s unique landscape, a great opportunity to take photos for the photographer in all of us. 

And when you need to calm down from the adrenaline rush of flying in a helicopter, the Harvest Festival beer garden will have a variety of ales that are good for what ails ya, and some live music to boot.

The beer garden will be open on Friday from 6-10 p.m., Saturday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. and on Sunday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

The Hometown Hooligans, a rock ’n’ roll band hailing from Coulee City, will perform live music on Saturday night, from 8-11 p.m. 

And bring your bib! A barbecue competition will take place on Saturday and Sunday, with samples available on Sunday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. when $10 will buy you four samples. Categories include ribs, brisket, pork, and chicken. 

The competition is sanctioned by the Pacific Northwest BBQ Association and awards cash prizes totaling $6,500. 

On Saturday from 10-3 kids can enjoy a number of free activities: finger painting, rock art, slime making, popsicle stick art, pumpkin decorating, water balloons, and a “magnificent bubble station.” 

Also on Saturday, from 10 a.m .to 1 p.m., teams of six will compete in a lifesize human foosball tournament. 

The Run The Dam race will offer 5k, 10k, and half-marathon lengths to run, starting at 9 a.m. Saturday.

And if motorcycles and poker are your thing, a motorcycle “poker run” will start on Saturday at 9 a.m. Riders will take a 210-mile journey around the coulee and surrounding areas, gathering cards to try to get the best hand of poker.

And as always, there will be vendor booths, on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and on Sunday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. 

More information on all of these activities, such as registration info for the bbq contest, information for vendors, and more, can be found on the chamber’s website at http://www.grandcouleedam.org or by calling 509-633-3074.