<em>Photo above: A pair of tired volunteers stand knee deep in a sea of pumpkins at Carteret Street Methodist Church. The church received 2,500 pumpkins totaling 44,000 pounds, the sales of which will benefit the church’s Youth Ministry. Photos by Bob Sofaly.</em>

[caption id="attachment_33562" align="aligncenter" width="2131"]<a href="http://www.yourislandnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/RES1647.jpg" rel="attachment wp-att-33562"><img class="size-full wp-image-33562" src="http://www.yourislandnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/RES1647.jpg" alt="Gini Steele, of Knitt Happens, makes hand-knitted articles for everyday fashion from shawls to ornate necklaces of varying colors. She was displaying her wares at the Lowcountry Fall Festival." width="2131" height="2130"></a> Gini Steele, of Knitt Happens, makes hand-knitted articles for everyday fashion from shawls to ornate necklaces of varying colors. She was displaying her wares at the Lowcountry Fall Festival.[/caption]
<h3>By Sally Mahan</h3>
As the weather starts to cool down (at least a little bit), fall festivals and pumpkin patches are springing up around Northern Beaufort County.

An army of volunteers unloaded 44,000 pounds of bright orange pumpkins on Oct. 1 at Carteret Street United Methodist Church to kick off the annual pumpkin sales for the church’s Youth Ministry, according to Lynn Stratton.

“We have about 2,500 pumpkins ranging in size from small as a baseball all the way up 25-30 pounds,” Stratton said.

She added that because of construction of a new elevator at the church, the pumpkin patch’s space was reduced.&nbsp;

“We’re using the next door parking lot at the Beaufort Regional Chamber of Commerce for our spillover. We couldn’t have done this without the chamber’s help.”

Stratton said the hours of operation are from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays; and noon to 6 p.m. Sundays.

Meanwhile, the weather was as perfect as it could be for the third annual Lowcountry Fall Festival at Lowcountry Produce in Seabrook on Sept. 30.

“We wanted to do something for fall in our area so we came up with this idea a few years ago” said Martha Garrette, owner of Lowcountry Produce. “We had everything from shecrab soup, jewelry, arts and crafts and fine art. The only stipulation is everything our vendors bring to sell has to be handmade.”

There are several other fall festivals planned around town. They include:

• Saint Peter’s Catholic Church will present a Fall Bazaar from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 7, at the church at 70 Lady’s Island Drive.

There will be a silent auction, food, crafts and more.

• The Beaufort County Department of Disabilities and Special Needs will present the ABLE Fall Bazaar from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 14, at the DSN Center at 100 Clearwater Way in Beaufort.

There will be games, music, arts and crafts, food and more.

The ABLE Foundation raises awareness and helps to support services for Beaufort County residents living with developmental disabilities.

Vendors can contact 843-255-6300 for information.

• The Habersham Marketplace will present the 9th Annual Habersham Harvest Festival celebrating the bounty of the fall season from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 21, and noon to 4 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 22.

This favorite Lowcountry lively street festival features a vintage fair theme with family activities, celebrated local food purveyors and artisan crafts set against the backdrop of Southern architecture on Market Street.&nbsp;

There will be artisan vendors, the opportunity to sample and enjoy great local food, live music on the main stage, plus plenty of activities for kids of all ages including a 47-foot ferris wheel, vintage rides, contests,&nbsp; face painters, hayrides, the Beaufort County Library bookmobile, a petting zoo and more.

This event is made possible with the support of sponsor partners, including Beaufort Family Dentistry.

Admission is free with food, drink, art and crafts available for purchase; select activities may include nominal entry fees.&nbsp;

The Harvest Festival is hosted in Habersham Marketplace and produced by Plum Productions. Habersham Marketplace is located at 13 Market St. in Habersham just off of Joe Frazier Road in Beaufort.&nbsp;

For more information, visit www.habershammarketplace.com.

• Get ready for some festival fun, beer, food and more beer in Port Royal&nbsp; as the Old Village Association is hosting its 4th Annual OktoPRfest "Party Port Royal-style" festival starting at 11 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 28.

Paris Avenue will be packed with a little bit of everything for everyone all day long including a classic car show, tons of craft vendors, a music stage, dancers, food vendors and one huge OktoPRfest beer garden.

There will also be live music and a Kids Zone.

Visit oldvillageportroyal.com.

[caption id="attachment_33565" align="aligncenter" width="2457"]<a href="http://www.yourislandnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/RES1708.jpg" rel="attachment wp-att-33565"><img class="size-full wp-image-33565" src="http://www.yourislandnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/RES1708.jpg" alt="Cub scouts from Pack #1 spread straw on the ground for aesthetic appeal at Carteret Street Methodist Church. The straw also functions as a cushion for the pumpkins if they are dropped. Photo by Bob Sofaly." width="2457" height="1784"></a> Cub scouts from Pack #1 spread straw on the ground for aesthetic appeal at Carteret Street Methodist Church. The straw also functions as a cushion for the pumpkins if they are dropped.[/caption]