Sunny skies and near 90 degree temperatures on Saturday in the area, had most people hanging onto thoughts of summertime activities as local residents took advantage of the weekend weather to get in some needed yard work or enjoy outdoor recreation activities.

Then on Sunday, everything changed and fall arrived – cool nighttime temperatures even brought on a few instances of heaters coming out of storage in the early morning hours on Monday and Tuesday of this week, as overnight lows dipped into the mid 40s.

With that change in the seasons, came the change in seasonal activities, and it happened just in time to turn thoughts to Albany and Clinton County’s premier autumn celebration, the annual Foothills Festival.

Next week the main lineup of events will get underway – for a 34th edition of the local fall get-together around the courthouse square area, but this week, a few activities will get the celebration off and running and should give local residents plenty to look forward to.

As has been the case for the past several years, opening the Foothills Festival schedule once again will be the annual Foothills Baby Show, slated to be held at the Clinton County High School gymnasium, getting underway this Saturday (October 12).

Registration for the Baby Show is at 9:00 a.m., with the show to get started at 10:00 a.m.

Contact Rose Hunter for additional details (606-306-2466).

On Sunday, several events come together to make for an entertaining yet busy afternoon, beginning with an old-time favorite recreation activity in this area, the Horseshoe Pitching Tournament.

Slated to get underway at 1:00 p.m. at Mountain View Recreation Park, entrants can post a $5 entry fee to get in on the fun, while others who just want to watch and enjoy, can do so for free.

Tournament information can be obtained by contacting event organizers David Honeycutt (606-688-2815) or Myra Honeycutt Stephens (931-704-9064).

Also on Sunday afternoon, the Foothills Gospel Singing event will once again fill the air with the sounds of southern gospel music.

Being held inside once again at the Clinton County Learning Center auditorium, the Gospel Singing will feature three well known groups on the stage, including two local groups, the Brown Family and the Albany First Baptist Church Singers, as well as The Shofields, a well known gospel group from nearby Jamestown, Tennessee.

Organizer Ricky Brown told the Clinton County News that a host of positive comments from those attending last year’s singing about having the event inside, prompted his decision to once again use the Albany Learning Center Auditorium for this year’s event.

The Gospel Singing is slated to get underway at 1:30 p.m.

Coinciding with the Gospel Singing will once again be the now highly popular and successful Second Sunday Health Fair, an event that has been held for the past several years through the efforts of the Clinton County Extension Office Family and Consumer Sciences staff.

Also slated to be held at the Clinton County Learning Center, Extension Agent Christy Nuetzman is planning on keeping with the normal Foothills Festival goal of making this year’s Health Fair “bigger and better” than the previous year.

Plans for this year’s event will include the annual “Pumpkin Walk” along with a host of other events, including the Play and Learn (PAL) activities that are geared toward entertaining and educating the youngest attendees about healthy living choices.

Second Sunday will also provide several local agencies with free health screenings and health related information about programs and resources available here, and once again, those attending will be given the opportunity to receive a flu shot.

Second Sunday events get underway at 1:00 p.m. and additional information can be learned by contacting the Clinton County Extension Office at 606-387-5404.

Also on Sunday, coinciding with the Second Sunday health fair, the facilities at the Twin Lakes Wellness Center, including the indoor swimming pool, will be available for use by the public.

All of those events slated for this weekend, are, of course, just a preamble to what lies just ahead, with the lineup of contests, attractions and entertainment that is set to be put in motion during the main portion of the Foothills Festival, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, October 17-19.

The main Foothills weekend will again get underway with the October 17 beauty pageants, and continue through Saturday night’s 4forty9 rock band musical entertainment.

Bigger and better will also see fans enjoying not one, but two fireworks shows on the courthouse square, the first at 9:00 p.m. Friday, and the last to close out Saturday night’s 2013 Foothills Festival schedule, again at 9:00 p.m.

Readers will find included in this week’s Clinton County News, our annual special section that gives a close-up look at the events planned for this 2013 Foothills Festival, along with a collection of photographs that conjure up some memories from last year’s fall celebration – we hope you enjoy it and use the information to make a well laid out plan to take it all in this year.

The hint of crispness in the air, along with the obvious change in colors in the surrounding mountains, certainly means that yet another summer has come and gone, but it also means that there is certainly plenty of fun just ahead.

Lace up your walking shoes, bring your cameras – and your appetite – and get ready to take in the sights, sounds, smells and tastes of the upcoming 2013 Foothills Festival as we join together to invite the rest of the world to . . .

Come See It Our Way!