7 fun things to do this first weekend of fall

A signal fall is here — P.E.I.'s apple orchards are open for U-Pick. Hit them up this weekend for a fun outing and take home some fruit for the freezer.   

Here are some more suggestions for P.E.I. entertainment this weekend. 

1. 70-mile Coastal Yard Sale 

It's the weekend yard-salers have been waiting for all year.

With more than 350 official sites and hundreds more unofficial, the annual 70-Mile Coastal Yard Sale is a great way to spend the weekend in eastern P.E.I.

Route booklets with maps can be found at gas stations, country stores and visitor information centres in eastern P.E.I., or just head east off the Hillsborough Bridge Saturday morning and discover the sales along the way. 

Remember to take snacks for everyone, water and gas up. Wear comfortable shoes, and don't forget shopping bags and small cash.

Everyone's also invited to help paint a new piece of community art at the Wood Islands Welcome Centre with performance artist David Trimble. More on the event's Facebook page. 

2. Clammin' and Jammin'

At the Village Musical Acadien in Wellington, P.E.I., Clammin' N Jammin' combines culinary art and music. It's part of P.E.I.'s Fall Flavours festival. 

Chef Allan Bossé, The Kilted Chef, is the invited chef for the "clammin'" part of the event — a culinary competition in which the dishes are made with clams.

Locals Remi Arsenault, Caroline Bernard, Louise Arsenault, and Patsy and Marcella Richard will entertain. Tickets are $42.25 and can be purchased here.

Sunday there's also a Big Clam Brunch at 10:30 a.m. with more live Acadian music. Tickets are $20.35 and can be found here. 

3. P.E.I. Beer Festival

The P.E.I. Beer Festival happens Friday night and Saturday at the Delta Prince Edward Hotel in Charlottetown. 

It's hosted by the P.E.I. Brewing Company and will feature more than 35 breweries with more than 120 beers and ciders, including Grimross, Foghorn and Red Rover from New Brunswick and Bulwark, 2 Crows Brewing and Breton Brewing Co. from Nova Scotia.

Friday night doors open at 6:30 and tickets are $42. Saturday the suds start flowing at 2 p.m. at a cost of $32 for the afternoon. An evening session beginning at 6:30 is already sold out.

More info and tickets on the event's Facebook page. 

4. Classical music in Summerside

Sunday, unwind with an evening of classical music including Beethoven and Schumann by the duo Tétreault and Scarfone from Montreal at the Harbourfront Theatre in Summerside.

The duo is Stéphane Tétreault, who plays a cello that is more than 300 years old, and Marie-Ève Scarfone on piano, playing music from their recently-released album Haydn, Schubert and Brahms.

Showtime is 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $34.50 for adults, $19.50 for students and can be found here.

5. United by Song

Sunday at 7 p.m. at the Florence Simmons Performance Hall at Holland College, the United by Song concert kicks off the 2018 United Way of P.E.I. campaign.

Hosted by Catherine MacLellan, the evening will include compelling personal stories from four people who have been helped by the United Way. Local artists the Amanda Jackson Band, Kelley Mooney, Drea MacDonald and Andrew Waite will use these stories as inspiration for songs they will write and perform during the show.

"The result will be a memorable, moving musical performance celebrating the resiliency of the human spirit and the power of community," the show's Facebook page promises. 

Currently, United Way supports 25 programs and 19 charities across the Island.

Tickets are $23 and can be purchased at the Florence Simmons box office or online here.  

6. Bikers against bullying

Saturday take part in the P.E.I. Bikers Ride and Rally Against Bullying. Registration by donation starts at 9:30 a.m. and kickstands up at 10:30. 

Motorcycles can meet at Stratford Town Hall and will ride, along with P.E.I.'s pink fire truck, to Confederation Landing Park in Charlottetown, where there will be a barbecue, entertainment by P.E.I.'s Ava and Lily Rashed who've written a song about bullying (check it out below), an appearance by Friendly the Spud, speeches about bullying and more. Admission by donation — proceeds will go to Kids Help Phone.

"It's the start of the school year and it's important to get this issue in the minds of people. It's the start of the sports season at rinks and where people gather, and bullying happens at these places," said organizer Joe Killorn. 

"We need the youth from our community to be proactive on this issue because they are the catalyst for change on bullying," Killorn said. 

More on the event's Facebook page. 

7. The Islanders are back

The Charlottetown Islanders kick off their regular season Friday night at the Eastlink Centre in Charlottetown against the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles, then Saturday against the Halifax Mooseheads. 

Head coach Jim Hulton is back with the Islanders for a fourth season and is hoping to carry forward the momentum from last year's playoffs. 

The team surprised everyone by making an exciting semi-final run — all the Islanders' home game wins were in overtime — but finally lost to the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada in Game 7. Audiences will recognize more than a dozen returning players.

Tickets are $19 for adults, $17 for seniors, $14 for youth and $12 for children 5 to 12 years, and can be purchased here. 

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