1 . Entertaining Fall Festivals, Events and Activities

Duluth Fall Festival in Duluth, Georgia: Sept. 30—Oct. 2

The 40th yearly end-of-summer celebration takes place in downtown Duluth on the last weekend in September. This free event is run by a team of 300-plus volunteers. Attendees can wander around more than 180 vendors (摊贩) selling arts and crafts or catch a show at either of the two stages with 20-plus scheduled performances throughout the weekend. Kids can experience rides and games just for them, and anyone can enjoy the on-site carnival (嘉年华).

Fall for Greenville in Greenville, South Carolina: Oct. 12—15

Dozens of food and drink vendors set up for this yearly fall festival. Entry and entertainment are free, but attendees can buy Taste Tickets to try dishes prepared by local restaurants and exchange them for drinks, carnival rides and slides in the Kids’ Area. Dozens of free performances are given by local and national acts on stages throughout the weekend.

Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta in Albuquerque, New Mexico: Oct. 7—15

Well-known as the largest hot air balloon festival in the world, this annual autumn attraction has been around for more than half a century. Attendees can enjoy activities for which they will have to pay a fee. A full schedule of events keep attendees busy throughout each day with a series of themed balloon competitions. Additional activities include free live music performances, firework shows, and shopping and dining at vendors.

West Coast Giant Pumpkin Regatta in Tualatin, Oregon: Oct. 21—22

Tualatin draws people each October for a free festival with unique fall-themed activities. This year the event kicks off on Saturday with a competition of a giant vegetable weigh-off. The next day starts with a 5K run to raise money for scholarships for local students. Attendees then gather on the banks of Lake Tualatin to watch the festival’s main performance: the Giant Pumpkin Competition.

2 . Four Not-So-Scary Books for Halloween

These seasonal picks are fun to read and aren’t meant to be frightening.

Halloween Ball

By Perdita Cargill and Honor Cargill, illustrated by Katie Saunders

(Tiger Tales)

In this new Diary of an Accidental Witch series, Bea is on the planning committee for her school’s Halloween Ball. She’s excited and a little scared too. Bea wants to come up with good ideas, but she’s nervous her dad will find out about her magic powers.

Ages 9 and under

Lumber-Jackula

By Mat Heagerty, illustrated by Sam Owen

(Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers)

Jack’s mom is a lumberjack, and his dad is a vampire. But Jack doesn’t want to follow in their footsteps.(He loves to dance more than anything and will have to get up a lot of courage to follow his dreams. The art in this graphic novel has many fun details.

Ages 8-12

The Pug Who Wanted to Be a Pumpkin

By Bella Swift

(Aladdin)

Peggy, a pug, is worried that going trick-or-treating with Chloe, the little girl in her family, will be scary. After all, Peggy is afraid of monsters, ghosts, and most certainly the dark. Will she be brave enough to put on her pumpkin costume and be by Chloe’s side on Halloween?

Ages 7-10

The Pumpkin War

By Cathleen Young

(Wendy Lamb Books)

In Madeline Island, Wisconsin, it’s a tradition to grow pumpkins that can be hollowed out and used as a type of paddle boat. During last year’s boat race, Sam’s pumpkin ran into Billie’s pumpkin and broke it. Billie hasn’t forgiven Sam for what happened. Will they become friends again before this year’s race?

Ages 8-12

The Goddess of the Luo River comes alive in a video, which was shared by Henan TV Station on social media platform Sina Weibo. The ancient tale of romance is given     1     new setting and still provides attractive viewing for a modern audience. The tale is presented in    2       seems like slow motion. Not     3       (surprise), it became popular and has been viewed more than 20 million times.

The story of the Goddess of the Luo River has been the     4       (inspire) for countless contemporary artists, who have described the goddess of unmatched beauty through     5       (variety) art forms, like movies and dance dramas.

But the reason why the video,     6       runs for around two minutes and is titled Rhapsody on the Luo River Goddess, created such an impression and has generated such a wave of publicity, is that it     7     (shoot) underwater. He Haohao plays the role of goddess. She masters not only her art but the technique of holding her breath as her lungs struggle to carry out    8     (they) function. All this is done    9     the most peaceful facial expression.

It's not the first time that Henan TV Station has gained attention with its appealing videos    10     (highlight) traditional Chinese culture. On Feb 13th, a dance piece, titled A Tang Dynasty Banquet, which is less than six minutes long, was staged during a gala aired on Henan TV Station to mark Spring Festival.