Pumpkins, Pet Parade, Eightmile River Fest, and Feeling Chili!

1. It's not going to be hot, with temperatures peaking at 54 degrees on Saturday, but it should be sunny and mostly clear today, which makes it a perfect time to go pumpkin pickin'! Sunday should be warmer, with a high of 68 degrees, but it will be windy and partly cloudy with a 10 percent chance of rain, according to Weather.com.

2. October is Adopt-a-Pet month, so it seems fitting that today, the Lyme-Old Lyme Chamber of Commerce will be holding its annual pet parade. The event starts at noon, and costumes are encouraged! The parade route begins at Old Lyme Memorial Town Hall on Lyme Street at noon and the festivities continue until 2 p.m.

Special guests include a pastor, who will bless the animals, and author Jane Paley, who will be signing copies of her children's book, Hooper Finds a Family: A Hurricane Katrina Dog's Survival Tale. (On the off-chance that it rains, the event will be held on Sunday.)

3. Saturday is your last chance to stock up with fresh produce from the Lyme Farmers' Market at Ashlawn Farm on Bill Hill Road in Lyme from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The market resumes again in the spring, although the coffee shop is open year round. Stop by, say "hi" and buy! 

4. Perhaps the biggest event locally this weekend is RiverFest 2012, a celebration of the Eightmile River Watershed. This free family event runs from 2 to 5 p.m. on Saturday and features bluegrass music from Eight Mile River Band, a wide variety of food from chowder and chili to apples and cider, and events from wildlife cartooning, skyhunters, and native reptile presentations. The whole thing happens at Devil's Hopyard State Park Pavillion, 366 Hopyard Road in East Haddam.

5. Niantic Community Church's annual Chili Cook-off promises to be the hottest event in East Lyme on Saturday. This annual event will be held at the church on 170 Pennsylvania Avenue from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Admission is $10 for adults, $5 for kids 12 and under, or $30 per family, and includes music by John Wood and special events for children. 

Prizes are awarded in four categories but the chef to beat is Craig Woody, who has won the event three times now. Who will win? You be the judge but you know what they say about heat ... if you can't stand it, get out of the kitchen!