WHATCOM COUNTY, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – Fall is coming, but there is still ample time to enjoy gorgeous weather from Bellingham’s waterfront to the scenic roads of rural Whatcom County and beyond. We have all kinds of fun ideas for you in this week’s Lifestyle Lookout.

Oktoberfest is fast approaching and if you want to get a head start on the festivities, head to Kulshan’s Trackside Beer Garden on Friday evening, Sep. 12 from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.

There will be live music, entertainment and a stein-holding contest. $15 gets you a ceramic stein, a half-liter pour of beer and discount refills. Kulshan will be pouring this year’s Festbier straight from the cask, along with other German-style offerings like Helles, Hefeweizen and Pilsner.

The official dates for Oktoberfest this year are Sep. 20 to Oct. 5, so keep your eye out for more festivities around town over the next few weeks.

If you’d rather get out and about the county this weekend and learn about local agriculture, you’re in luck. The 2025 Whatcom County Farm Tour is Saturday, Sep. 13 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

It’s an opportunity to meet the people who produce our food and learn how their products get from their farms to our tables. Goodies of all kinds will be on sale, so make sure you bring a cooler and some cash with you.

Listen to an interview with Sustainable Connections program director Jessica Gillis for more details on the Whatcom County Farm Tour below:

Farms taking part this year include Five Elements Harvest, Grace Harbor Farms, Wright Brothers Farm, Alluvial Farms and more. The Whatcom County Farm Tour is a free event. For all the details, go to sustainableconnections.org.

After you’ve toured all the great farms in our neck of the woods, you can head out to Deming for a great art event. The Deming Library’s Coast Salish Mural Unveiling is Saturday from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Artist Sienum Jason LaClair will unveil a new mural exploring the traditions of the Nooksack people. There will be speeches, stories, songs and a potluck meal.

The Deming Library is located at 5044 Mt. Baker Highway. For all the details, go to the Whatcom County Library System’s website.

We have two featured live shows in this week’s Lifestyle Lookout.

First up, folk singer Kim Richey is performing at the Mount Baker Theatre’s Harold and Irene Walton Theatre on Saturday. Richey has captivated fans for decades with her masterful songwriting and stellar vocal performances.

For tickets, go to mountbakertheatre.com.

Next up, fans of classic metal are in for a real treat at the Shakedown on Sunday evening, Sep. 14. Straight from the mean streets of Fresno, CA, Haunt will bring their blend of NWOBHM and thrash to the stage for a night of headbanging and devil-horn waving debauchery.

Opening for Haunt are Tigers on Opium and the wildly prolific “with guests.” For tickets, go to shakedownbellingham.com.

Listen to this Lifestyle Lookout every Friday on the KGMI Morning News.