Ashland, Wis.

Experience the world through film during the annual Big Water Film Festival Nov. 6-9. Dozens of films by veteran and new filmmakers will be screened at the Bay Theater and other sites. Film fans can enjoy a reception at 6 p.m. Friday at the Office Bar, and a Q&A with two filmmakers from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday. Tickets are $8-$35. More info at: big waterfilmfestival.org.

Madison, Minn.

It's almost time to start planning holiday meals and for lutefisk lovers, a lutefisk-eating contest highlights the annual Norsefest Nov. 7-9. The dinner, set for Friday, and other events spotlight Scandinavian culture, traditions and cuisine and will include an arts and crafts fair, live entertainment, displays and more (1-320-598-7301; madisonmn.info).

Grand Marais & Lutsen, Minn.

The Lake Superior Storm Festival Nov. 8-10 highlights the history of the world's largest freshwater lake. On Friday, a winter showcase will begin at 6:30 p.m. at Stone Harbor Wilderness Supply in Grand Marais and from 7-8 p.m. trivia fans can call in to a radio show to answer Lake Superior-themed questions. At Lutsen Resort on Saturday, visitors can enjoy activities before the Lake Superior Wave Dash plunge, including crafts, a carin (rock) stacking contest, hot beverages, photo taking and more. The Wave Dash will start at noon. Later, a program on storms, shipwrecks and sinkings (4 p.m.) and a mystery dinner (6 p.m.) are scheduled. At 10 a.m. Sunday, a lakeside poem and remembrance ceremony will mark the 44th anniversary of the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald and honor the 29 crew members who lost their lives (tinyurl.com/y2pfjbys).

Colleen A. Coles