By Julie Reardon

October’s bright blue skies, moderate temperatures and brilliant colors make it the ideal month to plan a day trip to the Blue Ridge for leaf peeping and more. Many annual festivals and events that have not been held for the past two years because of the pandemic restrictions are now back and open for you to enjoy.

Orlean Day is Saturday, October 8^th this year at the Orlean Market and Pub, 6855 Leeds Manor Rd., Marshall (it is actually 10 miles south of the actual town of Marshall). This historic country store/restaurant/gas station is the heart of the pretty little village in the foothills overlooking the Blue Ridge Mountains and is host to Orlean Day, a free, family friendly event with activities for children and adults alike. There will be face painting and a bouncy castle for the little ones and a fitness obstacle course for both children and adults. Live music will play all day and good food will be available onsite.

For those who enjoy steeplechasing, there are three good ones to attend this fall locally. The Virginia Fall Races will be held this year on Saturday, October 8 at Glenwood Park in Middleburg. Gates open early for the fox hunter championship finals and post time for the first race is at 1 pm. More information is at vafallraces.com On October 22, The International Gold Cup races will be held at Great Meadow in The Plains; advance ticket sales and information can be found at VaGoldCup.com . The racing season closes on November 5^th with the Montpelier Races held at the lovely and historic Montpelier estate near Gordonsville. MontpelierRaces.org has details.  Advance purchase of tickets is strongly recommended, visit the websites for more information.

Another popular event is the Fauquier Farm Tour, scheduled this year for the busy weekend of October 8. Several farms will be open to the public that day featuring beef cattle, miniature horses, alpacas, hay rides, farm equipment, orchards, vineyards and more. If you can’t make it to the tour, there are farmers markets – including some with corn mazes for the youngsters – that are open all month long into November. FauquierAg.com has information on the farm tour. The local farmers markets are open into November, but call ahead or check the websites for hours/days of operation. Corn mazes can be found at the Buckland Farm Market BucklandFarmMarket.com located on the southbound side of Rt. 29 just over the Prince William County line; at Mapletree Farm MapletreeVa.com and at the Messick’s farm market MessicksFarmMarket.com please note there are charges for these; check out the websites or call for information/hours of operation.

Get out there and enjoy some big fun in Hunt Country.