Harvest Moon over the parkEly, Minn.

Spectators can watch teams compete in a lumberjack show and learn tricks of the trade at a lumberjack sport camp during the 15th annual Fall Harvest Moon Festival Friday through next Sunday at Whiteside Park in Ely. Other highlights include Celtic, bluegrass and folk acoustic music, art and craft exhibits and demonstrations. Hours are noon to 6 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday (1-800-777-7281; www.ely.org).

American Indian storiesMilwaukee

Music and people will flow through Milwaukee's Henry Maier Festival Park Friday through next Sunday during the Indian Summer Festival, one of the nation's largest American Indian festivals. Activities include a competition powwow, four stages of live entertainment, dance troupes, storytelling, re-creations of tribal villages, handmade crafts and lacrosse. The cost is $10 in advance for adults and ages 60 and older, $12 at the gate; free for ages 12 and under. Hours are 4 p.m. to midnight Friday, noon to midnight Saturday and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday (1-414-604-1000; www.indiansummer.org).

Is it cheese yet?Monroe, Wis.

For almost a century, residents of Monroe, Wis., have hosted the Green County Cheese Days to celebrate the area's Swiss heritage and cheesemaking history. Sept. 19-21 visitors can watch cheese in the making and take in the festival around it, including a carnival, art exhibits, music, polka lessons, antique tractor and car shows, tours and, of course, cheese and other food. New this year is the Family Farm Adventure with a kiddie tractor pull. Hours are 9 a.m. to midnight Friday, 9 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. Saturday and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday (1-888-222-9111; www.cheesedays.com; www.greencounty.org).

Diggin' potatoesEast Grand Forks, Minn.-Grand Forks, N.D.

Head to the border towns to take part in a large french-fry feed Sept. 11 during the annual Potato Bowl Festival. The event runs Sept. 8-13 and highlights the Red River Valley's potato-growing industry and the University of North Dakota with a potato picking contest, potato pancake breakfast, music, races and a football game (1-218-773-3633; www.potatobowl.org).

COLLEEN A. COLES