The 26th Annual Lakeside-Marblehead Lighthouse Festival takes place from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 8. The free, peninsula-wide event includes fun for the whole family, including tours of the 200-year-old Marblehead Lighthouse and the Wolcott Keeper’s House.

Marblehead Lighthouse Tours are 9 a.m.-4 p.m. at Marblehead Lighthouse State Park (110 Lighthouse Dr., Marblehead) for $3, ages 6 and under free. The onsite Keeper’s House, Lifesaving Station, Gift Shop and Marblehead Lighthouse will all be open during the festival.

The Marblehead Lighthouse is the second oldest lighthouse on the Great Lakes and the oldest lighthouse in continuous operation on the Great Lakes.

Businesses will be open throughout Lakeside and Marblehead, offering sales and specials. In addition to local restaurants being open, food will be served from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. at various locations in Lakeside.

A basket of books will be  a featured prize for the Ottawa County Historical Society’s annual fund raising drawing at the Wolcott Keeper’s House on Saturday, Oct. 8 at 3 p.m.

Saturday’s celebrations in Lakeside Chautauqua include live entertainment, children’s games and crafts, a pumpkin-decorating contest, over 100 arts and crafts vendors, a farmers’ market, hayrides and much more in Lakeside Chautauqua and the Village of Marblehead.

The Lakeside-Marblehead Lighthouse Festival is organized by Lakeside Chautauqua and the Marblehead Peninsula Chamber of Commerce.

A basket of books will be a featured prize for the Ottawa County Historical Society’s annual fund raising drawing at the Wolcott Keeper’s House on Saturday at 3 p.m. The drawing is part of the Society’s Lighthouse Festival celebration. The basket includes signed works of fiction by local authors, books about the local lighthouses in Port Clinton and Marblehead, and books about the Lake Erie Islands.

Other prizes are a signed copy of “History of Ottawa County, The First 175 Years,” edited by Ottawa County Historical Society President Patrick O’Keeffe, and a $25 gift certificate from Village Pro Hardware in Marblehead. Tickets are $1, or 6 for $5, and may be bought up to the time of the drawing.

The Keeper’s House, 9999 East Bayshore Rd., Marblehead, will be open from 11 a.m.-4 p.m., with the annual Civil War Encampment,  featuring the 14th Ohio Volunteer Infantry and the 73rd Ohio Volunteer Regiment Band. Bean soup, cider and cornbread will be offered for a donation, and a Hearth Cooking demonstration will feature apple pie.

For more information go to the website at www.ottawacountyhistory.org

Admission and parking for the festival in Lakeside Chautauqua area are free on Saturday. For Lakeside activities, guests are encouraged to park in the South Gate Parking Lot off Route 163, the Bradley Temple parking lot on Cedar Avenue, and the Fountain Inn and Hotel Lakeside parking lots, as well as along streets that do not have designated parking.

Complimentary golf cart shuttles will be available from the South Gate Parking Lot near the Welcome Center and throughout the Lakeside grounds. To plan your visit, view directions and review information about the road construction at the intersection of SR 163, N. Shore Blvd., and Englebeck Rd.

Lakeside Chautauqua events on Saturday include:

• Pumpkin-Decorating Contest in Lakeside, with already-carved pumpkin drop off from 9:30-11 a.m. at Hoover Auditorium. The awards presentation is from 1-1:30 p.m.
• Arts and Crafts Vendors from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. at Wesley Lodge, Wo-Ho-Mis Lodge and South Auditorium.
• Farmers’ Market 9 a.m.-4 p.m. at the Lakeside Schoolhouse.
• Chair Yoga 10-11 a.m. at the Wellness Center Drackett Hall. There is a $10 drop-in fee (cash) or included in $90 Fall Wellness Class Pass.
• Heritage Hall Museum & Archives open 10 a.m.-3 p.m., Heritage Hall Museum, 238 Maple Ave. Archives open from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. at 210 Walnut Ave. Both are free.
• Hayrides 10 a.m.-4 p.m. departing from Hotel Lakeside for $2 per person.
• Miniature Golf and Shuffleboard 10 a.m.-4 p.m., at Bettinger Park.
• Family Yoga is free from 10-10:45 a.m. on the Hoover Auditorium lawn on Walnut Avenue. Mats are provided.
• Live Music with Tom Todd, 10:30 a.m.-noon, free, Hoover Auditorium Porch.
• Dance Jam, 3-3:45 p.m., Hoover Auditorium lawn on Walnut Avenue, free.
• Wooden Boat Rides on Amazing Grace, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Lakeside Pier. Tickets $25, kids $15. Reservations and payment can be made at the Dock, near the L-Dock.
• Live Music with Lance Horwedel, noon-1 p.m. and 1:30-3 p.m., Hoover Auditorium Porch, free.
• Games & Chalk the Walk, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Hoover Auditorium lawn on Walnut Avenue, free. All ages are welcome to participate.
• Lakeside Heritage Society presents “Marblehead Lighthouse Builders & Keepers, 10-11 a.m., Orchestra Hall, free.
• Children’s Arts & Crafts (ages 3-10, but all welcome), noon-2 p.m., Rhein Center Outdoor Tents. $5 fee.
• Cozy firepits are burning on Walnut Plaza from 4 -7 p.m. on Friday and Saturday at Walnut Plaza. The Family Movie, “The Nightmare before Christmas,” is shown at 7 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, Orchestra Hall.