With fall right around the corner, the 24th Annual Lakeside-Marblehead Lighthouse Festival on Saturday, Oct. 12 from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. is going to be fun for the whole family. The free event features live entertainment, a pumpkin-decorating contest, arts and crafts show, hayrides, farmers’ market, wooden boat rides and more in Lakeside.

Although the Marblehead Lighthouse will be closed for exterior renovations, the celebration continues in Marblehead with activities at the Wolcott House (Keeper’s House), the Life Saving Station Museum and gift shop. Additionally, shops and restaurants in Lakeside and across the peninsula will offer sales and specials throughout the festival.

Following the day’s festivities, enjoy a Clambake Dinner in Lakeside; register online at lakesideohio.com/clambake.

Features at Lakeside during the Lighthouse Festival on Saturday, Oct. 12 include:

Live Entertainment

Musician Gary Cover
11 a.m.-1 p.m., Outside Hoover Auditorium/Third Street Tent
Gary Cover’s set list includes more than 400 songs, ranging from classic rock to country, and folk to current hit songs. His extensive variety of music allows him to take song requests during performances and tailor the music to every crowd.

Comedy Juggler Matt Jergens
2-2:50 p.m., Orchestra Hall
Matt Jergens returns to Lakeside for a non-stop, entertaining show. His favorite tricks include balancing a basket of eggs on a 20-foot pole, juggling razor-sharp knives and riding around on a tall unicycle. The audience will be left on the edge of their seats as Jergens appears to defy gravity in his unique way.

Musician Lance Horwedel
2-3:30 p.m., Outside Hoover Auditorium/Third Street Tent
A noted sound engineer and musician, Lance Horwedel, plays acoustic rock music from the 1960s, 1970s and today. He’s been playing music in North Central Ohio for 25 years and is a Lakeside favorite.

Festival Activities and Events

Important note: the Marblehead Lighthouse is undergoing exterior renovations at this time; therefore, it will be closed during the festival. However, the Wolcott House (Keeper’s House), the Life Saving Station Museum and the gift shop will be open, as well as various activities in Lakeside.

Arts & Crafts Vendors
9 a.m.-4 p.m., Wesley Lodge, Wo-Ho-Mis Lodge & South Auditorium in Lakeside
Organized by the Marblehead Peninsula Chamber of Commerce, more than 100 arts & crafts vendors will display quality collectibles.

Farmers’ Market
9 a.m.-4 p.m., Walnut Ave. (between Second & Third St.) in Lakeside
Local farmers will sell fresh produce, honey, herbs, spices, flowers, seasonal fruit, homemade pies, jams, artisan breads and homemade baked goods.

Pumpkin-Decorating Contest Drop Off
9:30-11 a.m., Hoover Auditorium Lobby in Lakeside
Enter an already carved, painted or decorated pumpkin to receive a 2020 (one-game) Lakeside Miniature-Golf Pass. Prizes will be awarded to Best Child Design (age 8 and under), Best Youth Design (ages 9-12), Best Teen Design (ages 13-17), Best Painted Design, Best Lakeside-Inspired Design, Best Design Using Pumpkin/Natural Materials and Best Use of Props. The Most Creative Design Overall will be chosen from the above categories.

Hayrides
10 a.m.-3 p.m., Departs from Hotel Lakeside ($2/person)
Hayrides throughout Lakeside will be provided by the Bergman family of Bergman Orchards, a local farmers’ market vendor.

Free Miniature Golf & Shuffleboard
10 a.m.-4 p.m., Bettinger Park in Lakeside
Enjoy a free game of miniature golf at the lakefront course or play a game of shuffleboard.

Free Wolcott House Tours
10 a.m.-4 p.m., Wolcott House (Keeper’s House) in Marblehead
The Ottawa County Historical Society will offer free tours on the day of the festival, as well as have Ohio 14th Volunteer Infantry (OVI) re-enactors and the 73rd OVI Regiment Band onsite. The Wolcott House is one of the oldest surviving homes in Ottawa County and a home to the first three Marblehead Lighthouse keepers.

Wooden Boat Rides
10 a.m.-4 p.m., Administration Office Tent & Dock in Lakeside
($15/person, age 4 & older)
These 50-minute wooden boat rides, provided by the Lakeside Wooden Boat Society, begin at 10 a.m. with the last ride departing at 3:10 p.m. Children age of 3 & under are not permitted. Proceeds benefit the Lakeside Wooden Boat Society. Tickets will be sold under the tent outside the Lakeside Administration Office, and rides will be from the dock.

Children’s Games
10:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m., Walnut Ave. (between Third & Fourth St.) in Lakeside
($5/child – all ages)
Children will have the opportunity to participate in several fall-themed games.

Pumpkin-Decorating Contest Awards
1-1:30 p.m., Outside Hoover Auditorium/Third Street Tent in Lakeside
The child and youth winners will each receive two Orchestra Hall Movie Passes. Winners of the other categories will receive two 2020 (one-day) Daily Chautauqua Passes to Lakeside, including auto. The Most Creative Design Overall winner will receive four 2020 (one-day) Daily Chautauqua Passes to Lakeside, including auto. All pumpkin entries will be displayed in front of Hoover Auditorium starting at 12:30 p.m.

Family Movie: “The Angry Birds Movie 2” (PG)
4:30 p.m. & 7:30 p.m., Orchestra Hall in Lakeside
($7/adult, $3/youth – under age 12)
“The Angry Birds Movie 2” is an animated comedy starring Jason Sudeikis, Josh Gad, Leslie Jones and more. After saving Bird Island from a green-pig invasion in “The Angry Birds Movie,” the isle’s always cranky local hero, Red (Jason Sudeikis), still finds himself battling with Pig Island. Red, Bomb (Danny McBride), Mighty Eagle (Peter Dinklage), Chuck (Josh Gad), and his brilliant sister, Silver (Rachel Bloom), have to join forces with Leonard’s mighty team to thwart Zeta’s bold schemes for world domination. (97 mins.)