Save the Date: Pumpkin-fueled things you’ll want to do this October

Oct. 4-5: It’s the 20th anniversary of BirdFest & Bluegrass, when thousands flock to Ridgefield to see sandhill cranes, take birding and art workshops, see a wild bird show, go on guided kayak tours, enjoy a salmon bake, shop from vendors and hear world-class bluegrass. Free; some activities have fees. ridgefieldfriends.org

Oct. 4-19: If mystery is your mantra, Magenta Theater presents “Death in High Heels,” a play based on the British crime novel. Performances are 7:30 p.m. Oct. 4, 5, 10, 11, 12, 16, 17, 18 and 19 at 1108 Main St., Vancouver. Tickets are $20 in advance or $22 at the door. 360-606-0033 or magentatheater.com

Oct. 4-Nov. 2: We know what happened to the wizard with a lightning scar, but what about everyone else? Pacific Stageworks presents “Puffs, or Seven Increasingly Eventful Years at a Certain School of Magic and Magic.” Performances are hosted by Metropolitan Performing Arts, 6403 E. Mill Plain Blvd., Vancouver. Tickets ($12 to $17) are available at www.pacificstageworks.org.

Oct. 5: Savor the Northwest’s bounty at the free Food and Cider Festival, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Old Apple Tree Park, 112 S.E. Columbia Way, Vancouver. This event is part of Cascadia Food Festival, which also includes a food summit and a luau. Buy tickets for the summit and luau at www.cascadiafoodfestival.org.

Oct. 5: Enjoy an evening in the Brickstone Ballroom at Swing and Sweets, 7 to 9:30 p.m. at 105 W. Evergreen Blvd., Vancouver, a fundraiser for Enspire Arts. Sample decadent desserts, hear swing jazz, see a swing performance — and try a little swing yourself. Tickets are $50 at swingandsweets.bpt.me.

Oct. 5: Vancouver’s Old Apple Tree Festival, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Old Apple Tree Park, 112 S.E. Columbia Way features cider pressing, live music, tree care workshops, Land Bridge tours, kids’ crafts and free apple tree cuttings — all to celebrate the Old Apple Tree’s 193rd birthday. www.cityofvancouver.us/publicworks/page/old-apple-tree-festival-october-5

Oct. 5-6: Get ready to do the chicken dance at Northwood Oktoberfest, 11 to 10 a.m. both days at 1401 S.E. Rasmussen Blvd., Battle Ground. Admission is free and all ages are welcome, with food and beer available to buy. Enjoy whole-roasted pig stuffed with bratwurst, live German music and Bavarian beer. 360-723-0937 or northwoodpublichouse.com

Oct. 11-27: Agatha Christie’s “And Then There Were None” — the bestselling mystery of all time — comes to life on stage at the Love Street Playhouse, 126 Loves Ave., Woodland, with performances at 7:30 p.m. on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, and 2 p.m. matinee shows on Sundays and some Saturdays. Tickets are $20. 800-966-8865 or www.LoveStreetPlayhouse.com

Oct. 12: Get up close and personal with creepy-crawly, winged and fanged Creatures of the Night from 1 to 3 p.m. during Second Saturday at the Water Resource Education Center, 4600 S.E. Columbia Way, Vancouver, when kids and their families can learn about nocturnal critters and their special nighttime adaptations. www.cityofvancouver.us/publicworks/page/second-saturday-water-center

Oct. 12: SaSQUASH Art Fest at Lacamas Lake Lodge, 277 N.E. Lake Road, Camas, is an unusual fundraiser for the Odd Man Inn Animal Refuge, a nonprofit farm animal shelter. For the entry fee of one quash (a favorite treat of farm animals), you can bid on art in a silent auction, buy raffle tickets, play games, enjoy food, beer and cider, and make art to take home. www.oddmaninn.org

Oct. 13: Get apples by the pound, warm apple dumplings, whole apple pies, caramel apples and more at the Apple Festival, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Riverside Christian School, 463 N. Shepherd Road, Washougal. For kids, there’s face-painting, a bouncy house and a real fire truck; for adults, there are artisan vendors. Admission is free. riversidesch.com

Oct. 13: Attend the free Fall Festival at Covington House, the first and oldest house in our state, built in 1849. Enjoy presentations on history and Native American culture, tours of the cabin-style house, activities for kids and complimentary light refreshments from 1 to 4 p.m. at 4201 Main St., Vancouver. www.covingtonhouse.org

Oct. 23: Dress the whole family in costumes for trick-or-treating in downtown Camas from 3 to 5 p.m. during Boo Bash, when businesses along Fourth Avenue give out candy and Halloween prizes. downtowncamas.com/event/boo-bash-trick-treat

Oct. 25-28: Foodies of the North Bank, unite — at ilani’s Wine & Food Fest, 1 Cowlitz Way, Ridgefield. This three-day festival features celebrity chefs from Top Chef and Iron Chef, as well as food and wine tastings. Tickets range from $49 to $125. See a complete schedule at ilaniwineandfoodfest.com.

Oct. 26: Many hands make light work during the Apple Cider Pressing at Cedar Creek Grist Mill, 43907 N.E. Grist Mill Road, Woodland, from 9 a.m. until apples run out. Kids can help crank the cider press, turning 10,000 pounds of apples into cider. Enjoy live bluegrass on the back deck and take a jug of cider home. www.cedarcreekgristmill.com

Oct. 26-27: Get goosebumps during the Chelatchie Prairie Railroad’s Headless Horseman Train Rides, departing at 9:30 a.m., noon and 2:30 p.m. from 207 Railroad Ave., Yacolt. As the 1941 diesel engine chugs along, passengers will see the galloping spectre (and snap photos with the kids when the train stops at Yacolt Falls). Tickets are $12 to $18. 360-686-3559 or www.bycx.com

Oct. 31: You’ll find more than trick-or-treating at Halloween Fright Night, 4 to 6 p.m. at Battle Ground Community Center, a community carnival geared toward families with kids ages 3 to 10. Enjoy carnival-style games, frightfully fun activities and — of course — lots of candy. www.cityofbg.org/785/Fright-Night