Last Updated on Monday, 13 September 2010 18:47 Written by Christina Gordon Wednesday, 01 September 2010 15:00

Rolling farmland, rural roads, delicious homemade foods, and agricultural splendor in the form of peanuts, cotton, pumpkins and more await you in beautiful Halifax County at our many fabulous fall festivals.

Quack yourself up at the annual Ducky Derby Festival on the beautiful Roanoke River on Saturday, September 18! Watch as thousands of rubber duckies are dropped from the bridge in the hopes of crossing the finish line and winning its owner a nice cash prize. Live entertainment, rides and games, and fantastic festival food vendors are all part of the celebration.

Don’t miss the annual Enfield Peanut Festival on October 1^st (Noon to 9 p.m.) and October 2^nd (10 a.m. to 6 p.m.). There will be plenty of family fun with good food (including barbecue and peanuts), arts and crafts, farm equipment displays, carnival rides and amusements, music and dancing.

The annual Halifax County Harvest Day Festival, celebrating our area’s rich agriculture, heritage and history, takes place October 2 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Join us at the 4-H Rural Life Center, 13763 Highway 903 in Halifax (I-95 NC Exit 168). There will also be a Harvest Day 5K Run/Walk that morning.

Watch the Roanoke River Antique Engine & Tractor Club as they demonstrate one of the many farm-owned sawmills, one from the 1920s, that were so important to local economic growth, as well as exhibitions of other antique farm equipment, including a stationary peanut thresher, and a tractor pull. The Halifax County Agricultural Museum will be open for tours, as will the 1920s Allen Grove Rosenwald School. There will be a cotton picking contest, farm animal exhibits, heritage craft demonstrations, children’s activities, food and craft vendors, a chili cook-off, Bessie Bingo and pig races and a scarecrow decorating contest. Enjoy a Tri-County Horse Show, 2^nd Annual Ag Olympics and live musical entertainment, such as ChamberGrass, Gaston College Preparatory’s AcoustiCats, Tony & Friends, Annie & The Darns, Matt Chambers and an appearance by Elvis.

There is still plenty of time to sign up for the 5K, scarecrow decorating contest Ag Olympics and Chili Cook-Off or to register as a food or craft vendor. Contact Chrissy Poole at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or (252) 583-5161.

Celebrate our area’s largest cash crop at the 8^th annual Hobgood Cotton Festival on October 9th! This event features a fun-filled day of heritage museum tours, historic church concert, crafts, Civil War exhibits, antique farm equipment, horseshoe tournament, children’s amusements, festival foods like funnel cakes and ice cream, Rocky the Trick Mule, an exhibition by the world’s largest waterfowl park – Sylvan Heights, The Spin Man basketball exhibition and more! Enjoy free live entertainment all day by The House Rockers, William Whitehurst, bluegrass, Josh Coley, Charles Cross, Shannon Baker, JoAnn Josey, Hobgood Gospel Chorus, Sharon Hackney and Ricky Hale.

Finally, the second annual Fall for the Arts, a tour of beautiful Lake Gaston area homes with several North Carolina artists at each venue, awaits you on Saturday, October 23. Your appetite will be whetted with the various mediums of amazing art, as well as with delicious food and beverages and gifts at every stop along the way.

For more information on any of these fall events or to plan your trip at this or any other season, contact the Halifax County Convention & Visitors Bureau at 1-800-522-4282 or visit www.visithalifax.com.