Paonia’s Mountain Harvest Festival fills the weekend with music, farm tours and local food. Across the Western Slope, September 25–27 also brings ghost walks in Glenwood Springs, pumpkin picking near Montrose, and a sidewalk sale and concerts in Grand Junction.
Paonia’s Mountain Harvest Festival brings three days of music, local food and farm visits to the North Fork Valley this weekend. Elsewhere, Montrose has a triathlon, Oktoberfest and the opening of pumpkin season at Covered Bridge Ranch. Glenwood Springs’ History Ghost Walk returns, while downtown Grand Junction makes room for sidewalk shopping and two Saturday-night concerts.
Topaz Stories: Remembering the Japanese American Incarceration shares personal accounts of Japanese Americans incarcerated at Topaz, Utah, during World War II. The free exhibit is open Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., in the Museums of Western Colorado’s Whitman Building, 248 S. Fourth St. in Grand Junction.
If you cannot make it this weekend, the remaining exhibit dates are October 2 and 3, with the same hours.
The 2nd Annual Downtown Sidewalk Sale runs from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday. Downtown’s Saturday Morning Music Sessions also run from 10 a.m. to noon.
That evening, Bowling for Soup plays Mesa Theater, with Ballyhoo! and Rosecoloredworld on the bill. At the Avalon Theatre, Beatles tribute band The Fab Four performs a program featuring “Help!” and other hits. Both shows are listed for 7:30 p.m.; tickets are available through the linked event pages.
Restoration Vineyards hosts The HIP Replacements for its free Band in the Barrel music series. Reservation slots are 1 to 2:30 p.m. and 3:30 to 5 p.m.
The winery asks visitors to choose one seating. Bring a lawn chair or blanket; seating and shade are first come, first served. Food trucks will be on-site, and outside food and alcohol are not permitted.
Friday is the last day of The Power of Art at the Montrose Center for Arts, 205 E. Main St. Admission is free, and the gallery is open 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
At 7:30 p.m., Matt Newland performs at Silver Basin Brewing, joined by comedian Kyle Ruff. See the event page for tickets.
The Star Drive-In Theatre, 600 E. Miami Road, holds its annual Customer Appreciation Nights Friday through Sunday. The theater is advertising its final double feature of the 2026 season.
Movies begin after dusk. Check the linked program before heading out; the ticket office opens 45 minutes before dusk.
The 25th Annual Black Canyon Triathlon has an 8 a.m. listed start at the Montrose Community Recreation Center, 16350 Woodgate Road. The event supports the Montrose Recreation Foundation’s recreation programs and scholarships. Registration details and race requirements are on the event page.
The Montrose Farmers’ Market runs from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Centennial Plaza. That Saturday schedule continues through October, followed by the market’s holiday and winter schedules.
In the afternoon, Montrose Oktoberfest runs from 1 to 5 p.m. at the Montrose Rotary Amphitheater in Cerise Park. Organized by All Points Transit, the event includes beer, food, live entertainment and vendors.
Pumpkins at the Covered Bridge opens for the season at Covered Bridge Ranch this weekend. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. both days. The ranch advertises an opening-weekend admission discount; check its page for pricing and activities.
For another outing downtown, the self-guided Downtown Letter Hunt continues through October 1. Participants find hidden letters at participating businesses and use them to solve a puzzle.
The Crystal Theatre hosts “Ranching, Rivers & the Stories We Tell,” a free discussion between author Robin Johnson and Aspen Valley Land Trust Board President Betina Moreira Infante, from 5 to 6 p.m.
Also in Carbondale, Dolly-Palooza runs from 5 to 8 p.m. at Townline Trucks. The Dolly Parton-inspired costume contest has categories for children and adults, with live music at 7 p.m. It benefits Imagination Library and Garfield County’s Raising a Reader.
The Glenwood Springs Historical Society’s History Ghost Walk returns Friday and Saturday, with departures beginning at 6:30 p.m. Tours start at the base of Doc Holliday Trail and climb to Linwood Cemetery, where actors portray figures from the town’s past.
Allow about two hours for the walk and reserve a departure time through the historical society. The series continues on Fridays and Saturdays through October 10.
Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park’s Octoberfest runs from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., with the Alpine Echo Band, German-inspired food and seasonal beers. Check the park’s ticket options before going.
Bingo for Babies begins at 5:30 p.m. at the Glenwood Springs Elks Lodge. The evening supports Great Expectations, which serves local babies and families, and includes a silent auction.
Roaring Fork Outdoor Volunteers leads a Jess Weaver Trail (No Name) restoration project from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The trail was damaged by the Grizzly Creek fire and subsequent flooding.
Registration is required for every participant. RFOV describes the project as physically strenuous, with work sites reached by steep, rocky trail, though some less strenuous work will be available.
In Carbondale, A Spiritual Center presents John Kleinwachter’s “Thoughts on Silence” from 10 to 11:30 a.m. at Third Street Center, room 31. Details are in The Sopris Sun’s calendar.
Mountain Harvest Festival begins Thursday, September 24, and continues through Sunday. The weekend program spreads across downtown Paonia, Town Park and farms around the valley.
Friday’s Final Friday Art Walk runs from 5 to 9 p.m. on Grand Avenue, with a costume bike parade, music and a downtown pub crawl beginning at 9 p.m. The library’s book sale runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Saturday’s Town Park program runs from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. The KVNF Gazebo Stage starts at 11 a.m.; Harvest Stage performances begin at 4:30 p.m., followed by Terrence Simien and the Zydeco Experience at 6 p.m. and Jerry’s Middle Finger at 8 p.m.
Sunday’s festival hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., with a farmers market, chili cookoff, Lambert Grange’s pie contest and sale, and children’s activities. The Mountain Harvest All Star Band plays at 3:30 p.m.
Consult the linked festival schedule for farm tours, activity locations and individual event hours.
