St. Ignace Bayside Fall Fest will offer old-fashioned family fun highlighted by the favorite pumpkin roll down Goudreau Street hill. The annual celebration of autumn begins Saturday morning, October 4, in downtown St. Ignace.

The festival will take place from 10 a.m. until 8 p.m. in the downtown district from the municipal marina to Little Bear East Arena. New for this year are contests and games, and two tents for children's events. Many activities, which will take place even if it rains, are free to the public.

A pie-in-the-face auction will raise funds for an area charities or organizations. Three pies will be tossed by the highest bidder in each of three categories, which will include people representing the city, the school, and local sports. Each group will take its turn facing the bidders, and one of them will face the pie.

Certificates will be given to the winners of three new games. Children and adults will compete in separate matches to earn the top distance in a pumpkin seed spitting contest. Also new is the toilet paper mummy wrap. The game will give teams of children a chance to wrap one of their players in one roll of paper. The team that finishes first using all of the paper will win. Children also will be challenged to eat a doughnut dangling from a string. The first child to do so without using hands will win.

Preregistration is required for three events, including a bake-off, children's drawing contest, and turkey building contest. Adults will bake pies and children will compete with any dessert they make. A turkey building contest is open to ages seven to 17, with the goal to build an original and creative turkey from any materials. Maximum size of the turkey must be two feet by two feet. A coloring contest is open to children ages four through six. They can submit a fall-themed picture for judging. Registration forms are available for these events at the Chamber of Commerce, St. Ignace Areas Schools offices, and Gros Cap School.

Two Belgian draft horses will pull a wagon for riders, and participants can pet the large working horses.

Other activities will include apple bingo, hay rides, pizza eating contest, pumpkin weight guessing challenge, pumpkin painting contest, bean bag toss, a bounce house, scavenger hunt, pumpkin sale, bake sale, and free admission to tour downtown museums.

Also, the Farmer's Market will be at the marina from 10 a.m. until noon offering garden fresh produce and local crafts.

An Allied EMS Ambulance will be on site to tour and the St. Ignace Fire Department will hold an open house with the theme of preventing home fires.

Under the children's tent will be free apple cider, doughnuts, and a barrel of peanuts.

Live music from Crossing X and Catholic Girls Gone Bad is scheduled under the big tent until 8 p.m. Local restaurants will offer soup and bread for sale, and beer and wine also will be available. Cider, doughnuts, and peanuts will be free. Tickets for food and drink in the tent will be available for $1 each.

The Bayside Fall Fest is organized by members of the St. Ignace Business Association, the St. Ignace Special Events Committee, and volunteer Marcie North.