Weekend Fun in New Hampshire, Get Out and Play

Looking for something to do this weekend? There's plenty in store in the area. Here are just a fews things to check out.

1. Harvest Fair. St. James United Methodist Church is holding its annual Harvest Fair on Saturday, Oct. 20, from 9 a.m. - 2 p.m.  Stop by and enjoy baked goods, candy, handmade crafts, books, plants and the flea market. Breakfast and lunch will be available. Later, join the church from 5 - 6:30 p.m. for a roast pork dinner.  Tickets are available for $10 adults, $8 seniors, $6 children younger than 12. To reserve your tickets, call 424-7459.  St. James UMC is located at 646 D. W. Highway in Merrimack across from the Homestead Restaurant.

2. Yard sale. Church @ the Intersection invites you to a yard sale on Friday, Oct. 19, from 6-8 p.m. and Saturday, Oct. 20 from 8 a.m.-noon, rain or shine. No earlybirds, please. There will be indoor and outdoor areas. The sale will be held at the Connection Center at 280 Daniel Webster Highway, Suite C in Merrimack. Sale items include clothes, housewares, small furniture pieces and some small electronic items. All proceeds will go to community outreach efforts on behalf of the Connection Center in Merrimack.

3. Zombies! Hundreds of brave souls will compete in the first annual Rails to Entrails Zombie Survival 5k on Sunday, Oct. 21. Commencing at the New Boston 4H Youth Center, the event features five kilometers of “zombie”-infested woodlands, complete with obstacles through which participants must jump, dodge, and crawl—all while trying to evade the decomposing clutches of hundreds of undead participants. Participants may register as runners or zombies. Envisioned as a community event for the Halloween season, Rails to Entrails will open to the public from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., with local bands adding to the fun from 10:30 until close. For those not yet undead, local vendors will offer a variety of food options, and an army of face painters will be on hand to make sure early-arriving zombies look especially gruesome. Award/prize winners will be announced at 12:30, after all four waves of runners have completed the course—dead or alive.

4. Bat Boy! This just in: Sightings of a half-bat, half-boy creature have been reported around the campus of Southern New Hampshire University! This blood thirsty animal sings, dances, and if you are lucky enough to catch a glimpse of him on October 19, 20, or 21, you are sure to be completely and utterly entertained! Based on a June 23, 1992 Weekly World News Story, Bat Boy: The Musical is about Edgar, the strange and mysterious "bat boy" who is found in a cave in the small town of Hope Falls, West Virginia. The Boy yearns for acceptance in a town that fears him all the while harboring blood-thirsty thoughts. Zany characters, side-splitting humor, bizarre secrets revealed, and haunting music make this October event the perfect start to your Halloween mayhem!

5. Beat the moose! New Hampshire’s premier moose run returns again to downtown Nashua for a third year.Beat the moose in a 1 mile run down Main Street Nashua and win FREE BEER! As always the Mad Moose Mile will mark the first day of New Hampshire’s moose hunting season, this year teaming iUGO, Nashua’s Young Professional’s Organization, with the Adult Learning Center of Nashua. The event will take place beginning at 12:30 PM at Portland Pie Company, with Main Street temporarily closing for the moose run starting at 2:00. Registered runners 16 years of age or older can hit the pavement for a one mile fun run against the Mad Moose. Children 15 and under are invited to race with parental supervision, though they will not receive an official finishing time. Participants are encouraged to do their best moose inspired costumes, including moose antlers, orange hunting jackets, or anything else they can imagine as they race the moose to the finish line. Mad Moose Mile registration is $15 to benefit the Adult Learning Center of Nashua. Commemorative t-shirts will be given to pre-registered paid participants; there will be raffle prizes for all participants, as well as prizes for the best individual and team costume, and top race placers (male and female). Afterwards, participants are welcome to head back to Portland Pie Company for more beers, awards presentation, and a continuation of the madness.