National Park Service hosts Autumn Fest on St. Croix River

The National Park Service at the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway will host Autumn Fest on Oct. 5 in St. Croix Falls, Wis. Events will include:

• St. Croix: River of Dreams Community Art Mural, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Overlook Deck. Celebrating the life, beauty and movement of the St. Croix River. Paint and other materials provided.

• Traditional Native American Dance Performance by St. Croix TRAILS (Traditions Respecting American Indian Life Styles) Youth, 1 to 1:45 p.m. at the Overlook Deck. The youth of the St. Croix Chippewa Tribe will share their tradition of dance.

• Woodland Flute Performance by Frank Montano, 2 to 2:45 p.m. at the St. Croix River Visitor Center. Frank "Anakwad" Montano is a respected Ojibwe elder, master flute maker, and recording artist from Red Cliff, Wis.

• Poetry Reading by John Bates and Mary Burns, 3 to 3:30 p.m. at the visitor center. John Bates, a naturalist, writer and poet, and his wife Mary, a poet and weaver, live on the Manitowish River in northern Wisconsin. They will share their deep connection to the Northwoods environment in verse.

• "Legacies and Paradise Lost? Climate Change in the Northwoods and Beyond," closing reception, 2 to 4 p.m. at the visitor center. This is the final opportunity to see this exhibit, which shares artists' renditions of the effects of climate change.

The Overlook Deck is near the intersection of Washington and Louisiana streets in downtown St. Croix Falls. The visitor center is situated at 401 N. Hamilton St., a short walk along the Gaylord Nelson Riverwalk from the Overlook Deck.

Tonic Sol-Fa, a popular Twin Cities-based a cappella group, will perform on the Loft Stage at the Merrill Community Arts Center and Woodbury Community Theatre on Oct. 4.

The event, which will start at 7 p.m., is a benefit concert for the arts center. Tickets are $20 for adults and $15 for seniors and students.

The quartet, which has sold more than 2 million records, was recently inducted into the Midwest Music Hall of Fame and has won an Emmy award for a song performed in a Toys for Tots public service announcement, according to its website.

For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www. merrillartscenter.org.

Interested in horses?

Several types of horse disciplines will be represented, from English and Western to Native American, and working horses in mediums including classic oils, watercolor, acrylic, pencil, photography, bronze and sculpture. A reception will be held Saturday, Oct. 5., from 4 to 9 p.m. at the gallery at 402 N. Main St. For more details, visit www.artguildgallery.com/horses or call 651-689-0149.

The city will host its annual Apple Festival every weekend between Oct. 5-20, at the Afton Apple Orchard, 14421 S. 90th St. in Hastings.

Visitors can pick their own apples, raspberries and pumpkins. Other activities will include hayrides, cider-pressing demonstrations, a playground, petting farm, straw mountain, retread hill, chain saw carving demonstrations, face painting and live music. Food and drinks will be available for purchase.

Admission is $3 for ages 5 and up and $2 for children under 4. The festival will be held from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. every Saturday and Sunday between Oct. 5-20.

For more information, call 651-436-8385.

Activities include a sculpture hunt, a live amphibian program, a nature activity with National Park Service staff, collage button-making and other art-making. Admission is free although there is a charge for some activities. Parking is $5 per car. The park is at 29836 St. Croix Trail on Hwy. 95 north of Scandia.