By Ben Olson
Reader Staff
Fall is a festive time in North Idaho. Here are a few worthy events to put on your calendar as those pages turn ever-nearer winter.
Oktoberfest at Beet and Basil
Grab your lederhosen and get ready to prost, the third annual Beet and Basil Oktoberfest is back. Each year, Beet and Basil throws this fall shindig to support a local nonprofit. This year, they are supporting Sandpoint Community Resource Center, a nonprofit organization that helps bridge the gap between those in need and local service providers.
Oktoberfest will be from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 13 at Beet and Basil at the Creek, 105 S. First Ave. in Sandpoint. Admission is free for all ages.
Beet and Basil will offer six different Oktoberfest beers on tap, housemade pretzels and mustards and German street food. There will be live music with Red Blend from 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. and Harold’s IGA from 2:30-4:30 p.m., oversized games, a kids’ area with face painting and games, and a bunch of cool prizes like Beet and Basil trucker hats, koozies, stickers and gift certificates to give away.
The best part is Beet and Basil will donate 50% of all beverage sales to Sandpoint Community Resource Center, so come out and show your support.
Harvest Fest at the Sandpoint Farmers’ Market
It’s been a productive season at the Sandpoint Farmers’ Market. Help them close out another season Saturday, Oct. 12 with live entertainment, food booths, activities and displays at Farmin Park in Sandpoint from 9 a.m.-2 p.m.
Monarch Mountain Band will perform live music from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. and don’t forget about the food drive for Bonner Community Food Bank. Donate non-perishable food items for a chance to win a Farmers’ Market gift basket.
For more information, visit sandpointfarmersmarket.com or call 208-597-3355.
The Cornhole Fall Fest tournament
It’s official: Sandpoint loves cornhole. This backyard game has morphed into a town-wide competition for bragging rights and cash prizes. All skill levels are invited to throw the bags at Sandpoint’s Cornhole Fall Fling Fest Tournament held at MickDuff’s Beer Hall, rain or shine, from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 12.
This tournament is an ACL Regional Points earning tournament with both singles and doubles formats and three skill divisions for each format: social, competitive and advanced. Entry fees for competitive and advanced will be $20 per player or $15 for ACL members. The social division entry fee will be $15 per player or $10 for ACL members. Sign up for an ACL membership in person at the event — it’s only $25 and supports the Sandpoint Idaho Cornhole Club.
First toss for singles will be at 10:30 a.m. Doubles will throw right after singles concludes — most likely around 2 p.m.
Pre-register by calling 208-209-6700.
VFW Oktoberfest: Pints for Veterans
It’s always a good time to show veterans respect and support. Now show them a little of your money, too, while also having a good time. The VFW Oktoberfest Pints for Veterans teams the Sandpoint Veterans of Foreign Wars Post No. 2453 with MickDuff’s Beer Hall to give a little something back to the men and women who served our country.
The pint night goes from 3-6 p.m. at MickDuff’s Beer Hall, 220 Cedar St., in Sandpoint, and is intended to drive awareness for veterans of all ages in the community. The first pint for veterans will be purchased for them, and MickDuff’s will also donate a portion of the bar proceeds during the event hours. There will also be a raffle to help raise funds for the VFW.
VFW President Larry Peterson said fundraisers like this “free up our meager resources to support other projects.”
The VFW recently helped with a number of community projects, including donating more than $6,000 to Southside Elementary School to help feed children on the weekend, helping veterans’ widows winterize their homes, building wheelchair ramps and installing bathroom sinks and faucets to veterans in need.
Peterson said the pint nights have been getting a lot of new members to come out and support the Sandpoint VFW post. For those unable to attend the event, Peterson said there will be a woodcutting party to help provide veterans with winter wood at 9 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 19 at 3046 Colburn Culver Road. Those interested in helping should bring their own axes or splitting mauls. Those unable to help with woodcutting may also assist with refreshments.
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Coming up this week! Don’t miss out on a Student Safety Summit, Sherlock, Earth Day Cleanups…. and more! See the full list of events in the 
