October events in/around Nashville
October 1, 7:00 pm. Yo-Yo Ma, cellist extraordinaire at the Nashville Symphony. Other performances of note in October include Rachmaninoff (Oct 3-4), jazz with Wynton Marsalis (Oct 5), the music of Michael Jackson (Oct 10), Larry Gatlin (Oct 12), REO Speedwagon (Oct 19), Bruce Hornsby (Oct 20), Halloween Movie Night music (Oct 28), and the music of Queen (Oct 30-31). http://nashvillesymphony.org
October 1-5, various times. Disney on Ice: Frozen. Bridgestone Arena. See website for ticket availability and prices — and don’t dare mention it to your youngster until you get tickets in hand. http://bridgestonearena.com/events/detail/disney-on-ice-frozen
October 4, Celebrate Nashville Cultural Festival. Centennial Park. One in six residents in Nashville is foreign-born, so this fun festival is a way to celebrate our wonderful diversity and to remind ourselves what makes Nashville such a great place. There’s a variety of dance, music, intercultural dialogue, food vendors offering authentic and exotic tastes, kids’ activities, a marketplace, and more! http://celebratenashville.org
October 4: Two “walks” to support. American Heart Association sponsors the Greater Nashville Heart Walk (5K) at Vanderbilt University (8 am). Contact Maggic C. at 615.340.4137 for more info. http://nashvilleheartwalk.kintera.org. Nashville CARES sponsors the 23rd Annual Nashville AIDS walk (5K) at Public Square Park (10:00 am to register, walk at 11:00 am). Dogs welcome! Visit http://nashvilleaidswalk.com for more information.
October 4, 9:00 am — 1:00 pm and 2:00 – 6:00 pm. Music City Yoga Festival at 429 Event Space (429 Chestnut Street). Local yoga instructors hosting various sesions: Yin and Thai yoga massage, Iyengar, Vinyasa and Ashtanga, etc. $40. Free lecture at 1:30 on the applications of yoga in integrative medicine.
October 5, 12:00 noon — 6:00 pm. Fall Fest at Green Door Gourmet (7011 River Rd Pike, 37209). Games, local vendors, food trucks, fun animals (chickens, goats, etc), pumpkins and pumpkin carving, hay rides, fresh fall produce. Get your autumn on! Reggie Wooten and the Motown Five will play. Free. http://greendoorgourmet.com
October 9, 7:00 pm. Nashville Predators vs. Ottawa Senators. Bridgestone Arena. Other opponents faced locally throughout October include Dallas Stars, Calgary Flames, Arizona Coyotes, Chicago Blackhawks, and Pittsburgh Penguins. See official website at http://predators.nhl.com for more info and tickets.
October 10-11. 12th Annual Goats, Music, and More Festival. Rock Creek Park, Lewisburg, TN. You probably need to honor goats at least one weekend per year, especially the “fainting” goats so loved in Marshall County. In addition to goat fun, there’s a “goat gallop” (5K run), arts and crafts, food vendors, fun for kids, and lots of excellent music (including Joe Diffie, the Marshall Tucker Bank, and bluegrass). http://goatsmusicandmore.com
October 10-12, 10:00 am — 10:00 pm. Nashville’s 35th Annual Oktoberfest, 7th Ave. & Monroe Street. Three full days of fun with live music (three stages), food trucks, a special Yazoo Oktoberfest brew, a Kids Zone, and more. Go experience Germantown at its finest! http://thenashvilleoktoberfest.com
October 10-12, various start/end times. 26th Annual Southern Festival of Books. Legislative Plaza and Nashville Public Library downtown. A true celebration of the written word, this festival encourages the joy of literature. Food for the brain! http://humanitiestennessee.org
October 17, 7:00 pm (silent auction at 6:00 p). 10th Annual Franklin Wine Festival. The Factory in Franklin. Widely regarded as Middle Tennessee’s premiere wine tasting event, featuring 300 wines from around the world and showcasing culinary offerings from 30 of MIddle Tennessee’s finest restaurants. $100 at the door, benefitting Big Brothers/Big Sisters. http://franklinwinefestival.com
October 18-19, 10:00 am — 5:00 pm. 10th Annual Intergalactic Bead & Jewelry Show. Tennessee State Fairgrounds. Find wholesale precious and semi-precious beads, gold, silver, copper, glass, and brass beads, charms, Swarovski crystals, pearls, and much more. Get your bead on! http://beadshows.com
October 19, 6:00 — 9:00 pm. Nashville LGBT Chamber’s Third annual food and beverage celebration: Taste at the Musician’s Hall of Fame (401 Gay St). Live music, silent auction (featuring travel, food, music, and home decor). Get a “taste” of the area’s best mixologists’ signature cocktails and the most talented chefs’ exemplary food choices. $50. http://nashvilleglbtchamber.org/taste
October 24-26. Hauntanel at Fontanel. Take a haunted hayride, walk a haunted trail, pick a pumpkin, attend the Whites Creek Fall Festival on Saturday. http://hauntanel.com
October 25, 6:00 — 10:00 pm. Music City Bacon and Barrel Festival. Nashville Farmers Market. This festival combines food from 25+ of Nashville’s best restaurants with 20 bourbon distillers. Tickets include samples of bourbon, barbecue, and bacon! $35. http://baconandbarrel.squarespace.com
October 25, 10:00 am — 8:00 pm. 31st Annual Pumpkinfest, historic downtown Franklin. Family-friendly entertainment on two stages, children’s fun (games, pony rides, costume contest for both kids AND pets!, pictures with princesses), arts and crafts, Franklin Tomorrow Chili Cook-off. Pumpkin carving. The Great Pumpkin from Ontario, Canada. http://historicfranklin/pumpkinfest
October 31, 7:00 pm — midnight. Zombie Beer Fest and Nashville Shores in Hermitage. Zombies will serve you seasonal beers from 40 different brewers. Spooky entertainment, costumes encouraged. $40.
At City Winery (609 Lafayette St.) in October: Dr. Ralph Stanley & the Clinch Mountain Boys (Oct. 13-14), Macy Gray (Oct. 20), Los Lobos (Oct. 22), and Leo Kottke, one of Sharon’s favorites (Oct. 30). http://citywinery.com