Please note: this blog post is an updated version of a post written in September 2015. Updates are reflective of 2018 dates and events.
You could be forgiven for thinking that here at Veranda Beach we’re all about summer. After all, we do have the word ‘Beach’ in our name. It’s true. We do love summer. But when Fall sways gently into our forecast, bringing with it crisp air, crunchy apples, splendid pumpkins (and their partners in crime – pie!), and glorious grapes begging to be harvested and turned into wine, our hopeless devotion to summer wavers. Fall – and all its earthy rewards – beckons. We are no match for her siren call.
‘Tis the season for foraging. And we do just happen to live in one of the most bountiful regions in the world. So whether your longed-for Fall finds lean towards fresh-from-the-earth produce at farmer’s markets (according to The Weather Channel, pumpkin is by far the most craved-for food in autumn); fantastic wines from our many local wineries; one-of-a-kind antiques; or even errant golf balls (there’s nothing quite like a round of golf on a crisp, blue-sky Fall day), you don’t have to venture far from Veranda Beach.
Take a leaf from our book and fall headlong into the beauty and bounty of the season with this list of fun Fall activities and events.
Celebrate the Grape
With our own Veranda Beach Cellars harvest due to happen any day now, our thoughts are most definitely turning to sipping and savouring other fine wines that inspire us. Why not do the same and head out on a Veranda Beach Wine Tour of The Golden Mile and Black Sage Bench? We’ll help you discover local Okanogan wineries here south of the border and head north to the south Okanagan wineries in the heart of Canada’s wine country. (So don’t forget your passport!)
The time is also nearing for Oliver’s Annual Festival of the Grape on Sunday September 30th. You don’t want to miss this all-day event with 50 wineries in attendance, vying to please your palate with both wine and food. You can also participate in another Fall-centric event – the grape stomp – and a bunch (pun intended) of non-grape-related Fall activities!
As for the Annual Fall Okanagan Wine Festival, which runs from September 27-October 7, 2018, well that offers up 160 events throughout the Okanagan… Now that makes for a fabulous fall into Fall don’t you think?
The Fall Trifecta: Fairs, Festivals and Farmer’s Markets
If ever there was a season for fairs and festivals, it would be Fall. The weather is perfect for wandering about in wonder, collecting wonderful produce. A couple of our Fall favorites include the Okanogan County Fair on September 6-9, a good old fashioned fair with great food and great fun; and the Okanogan Family Faire on October 19-21, 2018, an annual three-day Fall feast of entertainment, music, food, artists and crafts. It’s also time to take advantage of the last few weeks of the Okanogan Farmer’s Market, which runs until the last Saturday in October. Support our local farmers and artisans and spoil yourself with fresh and fabulous Fall fruits and vegetables.
Get Garlicky
The saying may be ‘an apple a day keeps the doctor away’, but truth be told if you really want to keep winter sniffles and chills at bay, you need to make friends with garlic. Get this: a 2001 study published in the journal Advances In Therapy found a daily garlic supplement can reduce the number of colds by 63%. Of course, we prefer our garlic straight from the ground, in something delicious, perhaps even paired with a lovely little wine. And yes, we can have it all, thanks to the 6th Annual Garlic Festival at Hester Creek Estate Winery on September 29th.
Make Old New Again
The art of antiquing is just that: an art. And if you have the eye for it, one man’s ‘old-and-dusty’ might just become your shiny new masterpiece! There’s plenty of spoils to be found in and around Veranda Beach if you’re of an antiquing frame of mind – you need travel no further than Tonasket to find everything from quilts to tractor parts and more. And the weather is just perfect for this grown-up Fall equivalent of the Easter egg hunt.
Catch a Falling Leaf
Indulge in a dose of child-like fun and head into the woods for a spot of leaf-catching. Superstition has it that catching falling leaves in Fall brings good luck. Every leaf caught equates to a month of luck and happiness during the following year. If our math is correct, catch 12 and you’re all set until next Fall!
Finally, if all this Fall activity and foraging sounds like just way too much effort, we highly recommend just falling into a comfy seat and drinking in the sweetness of this season from your own veranda at Veranda Beach. Come to think of it, we think we just found the most perfect Fall activity of all!