Undeterred by a light mist and temperatures in the high 50s, we stopped first at Fat Jimmy's Outfitters to check out their selection of bicycles (Chris is eyeballing the Cannondale CaadX 105), bicycle accessories (I need winter riding clothes!), and kayaks.
From FJO, we wound our way downtown and found a parking space about five blocks from the festival. We covered about 60% of the festival grounds before it was time to return back to the corner of Penn and Richard Streets to take in the parade of antique cars, but not before we saw one of the roaming performers with a monkey. We maintained our distance since monkeys aren't to be trusted!
While down by Fort Bedford, we grabbed a small bag of cinnamon-roasted cashews to share while we observed all of the antique hit and miss engines. One was removing corn from the cob; another was turning the corn kernels into corn meal.
Back at the corner, waiting for the parade of antique autos to start, I attempted to get a picture of the two of us. Getting a serious picture always proves to be a challenge. This is the best I could manage:
The parade arrived at the festival grounds around 2:15 and included lots of very nice looking cars. I didn't photograph all of them (I generally eschewed the Corvettes in the parade because, well, they're Corvettes), but I venture to say what follows encompasses about 80% of the parade cars. Enjoy!
Following the parade, we covered the remainder of the festival that we'd not yet seen, including the large antique hit and miss engine operating a cider press on Juliana Street. The apple mash smelled wonderful!
Once we'd walked through the entire festival, we decided to go in search of a late lunch/early dinner. We drove to Bedford Springs, but it was quite busy with a wedding and lots of day visitors and golfers, so we decided to try the Jean Bonnet Tavern instead. Once we'd parked, we determined we'd made a good decision - the presence of adventure-touring motorcycles is always a good indication that the food is good!
We ate breakfast at home around 8:30 and split the small bag of cinnamon-roasted cashews, so when we sat down to look at the menu in the Tavern, we both realized we were starving! While everything sounded delicious, we opted for burgers - Chris got the cheddar, bacon, and BBQ burger while I chose the mushroom and Swiss burger. Chris picked onion rings; I went with sweet potato fries. My burger (and I honestly can't remember the last time I ate a burger!) was delicious!
Before and after our meal, we visited with the resident goats on the Tavern's property as well as the gardens.
The Bedford Fall Foliage Festival is the first two weekends in October each year. If you've not yet visited it (and you're close enough to actually do so), you should! Between the vendors that exhibit and the local shops, there is so much to see and buy! (Although this year, I went without making a purchase...nothing "spoke to me" as in years past.) And when in Bedford, definitely consider a visit to the Jean Bonnet Tavern for a little taste of history (it dates back to 1762) and some yummy food!
