Sept 1 – Grape Stomp & Harvest Festival from 12:00 – 6:00 p.m. at Mackinaw Valley Vineyard & Winery, 33633 State Route 9, Mackinaw. Call 309-359-9463. $5 per person/12 & under free. There is a harvest demo. Wine tasting all day, food by The Catering Company & live music by The Shake. “Stompin rock” for all.

Sept 2 – Labor Day Picnic & Parade – Downtown Peoria – a relaxing way to celebrate Labor Day.

Sept 5 – Whisper & Shout @ Contemporary Art Center from 8:00 – 10:00 p.m. Peoria’s open mic for sharing and inspiring poetry is held on the first Thursday of each month. For more info: www.peoriacac.org.

Sept 5 – 6 – Book Sale at Proctor Hospital’s Lobby, sponsored by the Service Auxiliary. 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. on the 5th and 7:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. on the 6th.

Sept 5 – 8 – Since 1973, the Pekin Marigold Festival has been one of the great community festivals in Central Illinois. The festival includes: carnival, entertainment, & arts & crafts fair, parade, food, and more.

Sept 6 – Healthy Cooking Class at the Humana Guidance Center! Bill More, Your Secret Chef, does monthly cooking demos on different subjects. September’s topic will be “Healthy Meals” (must RSVP) at 11:00 a.m. Humana Guidance Center, 7915 N. Hale.

Sept 10 – Taste of Washington from 5:00 – 8:00 p.m. @ Valley Forge Plaza. Phone: (309) 444-9921.

Sept 12 – Peoria County Genealogical Society’s guest speaker for the September meeting will be Randy Couri. 6:30 p.m. @ Peoria Library North Branch. He will share his expertise on how to search for Ellis Island Manifests. Call 309-697-4518 for more info.

Sept 14 – 16th Annual Lobster Roast of Patti Bash from 6:00 – 11:00 p.m. at Weaver Angus Farm. Call 309-692-6650. Admission: $150.00. The fun begins at with cocktails, hors d’oeuvres and silent auction, followed by dinner and the “roasting” of Patti Bash. For info and to reserve your seat, visit www.hulthealthy.org.

Sept 14 – 1st annual River Festival will be held at Kelleher’s Irish Pub & Eatery (619 SW Water St.) 5:00 – 9:00 p.m. Live music by Robin Crowe begins at 6:00 p.m. TThere will be bag toss games, fresh corn boil and other grilled foods for sale. Great Lakes Brewery will offer nine varieties of their popular beer. Call 676-5237.

Sept 17 – Regular meting of the Peoria Knit & Crochet Guild from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. in the North Study Room @ Lakeview Branch Library. Call 309-550-2997 for more info.

Sept 17 – 20 – Canton Friendship Festival @ Festival Grounds – Illinois Route 78 & 9 – Canton. This festival is fun for the whole family with a variety of carnival rides, food and drinks.

Sept 19 – Morton Pumpkin Festival @ Jefferson School Grounds, Morton 4:00 p.m. – midnight. Call 309-263-2491. Free Admission. Family style entertainment; carnival rides foot races, food tents, merchants’ tent, craft show, parade & pumpkins.

Sept 20 – 22 – Oktoberfest at Peoria Riverfront – Admission: $9/ kids 12 & under are free, weekend passes available for $15. This 3-day event showcases German heritage through song, dance, food, drink, cultural exhibits. Participate in 2nd annual Das Bier Run – 5k fun run, on Sunday of the festival and receive your very own commemorative stein!” www.Peoria-Oktoberfest.org.

Sept 21 – Henri de Tonti Dinner Honoring Dave Koehler from 6:00 – 9:30 p.m. at Peoria Marriott Pere Marquette Grand Ballroom. Call 309-674-1921. Admission: $150.00. The Peoria Historical Society in collaboration with the Institute for Principled Leadership at Bradley University honors Illinois State Senator Dave Koehler. Entertainment by: Brian Fox Ellis Music by: John Miller and the Romantics. Dinner w/cash bar.

Sept 28 – 29 – 51st Annual Fine Art Fair @ Peoria \’s Riverfront. Admission: $5/weekend pass is only $7. This fair features 150 artists from 26 states and Canada, live music from local musicians, and a Kid Art Festival. Go to: visitwww.peoriafineartfair.com

thru Sept 27 – Conklin’s Barn II Dinner Theatre “Greater Tuna.” Recurs weekly on Fridays. Doors open at 6:00PM; Buffet 6:30-7:30PM; Show at 8:00PM. Call (309) 965-2545. $35 ($37 for musicals). Two actors, twenty characters and a barrel of laughs!

Sept 28 – 7th Annual Recovery Walk – from 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. to be held on the campus of Proctor Hospital. The Walk is dedicated to the memory of Dr. Rashid, who dedicated his life to individuals and families struggling with addiction.

Sept 28 – 29 – Autumn Gems Quilt Show at Avantis Dome, 3401 Griffin Ave., Pekin, IL from 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Come check out the Autumn Gems Quilt Show at the Pekin Avantis Dome.