Whether we want to admit it or not, fall is fast approaching. Soon, the kids will be back in school, the after school activities will begin as well as the wide variety of school and activity fundraisers. But even though we might be moving into a more routine schedule, that doesn’t mean the fun events and festivals have ended. You can still look forward to many unique happenings that take place during the month of September in the Willmar Lakes Area.

Here are some of the events we’d like to highlight this month:

September 4 – 14th Annual Trolls Classic Car Show
Enjoy this annual classic car show put on by the Trolls Car Club every year on Labor Day. There will be food available for purchase, craft and homemade items for sale and cash drawings with door prizes.

September 9-10 – Atwater Threshing Days
Bring along the entire family for a fun weekend at the Atwater Threshing Days! This event is a historical representation of agricultural and farming practices in the mid-twentieth century. Threshing grain, gas engines, hot air engines, saw mill, wheat grinding and much more will be on display. There are women’s activities including food demonstrations, quilting, and rug making, as well as kids activities include rope making, barnyard, and a playground. There will also be live music, a treasure hunt, and the State Sanctioned Kids’ Pedal Pull on Sunday. Definitely an event you won’t want to miss!

September 9-10 – Willmar Gun Show
Enjoy the 26th annual Willmar Gun Show at the Willmar Civic Center September 9-10th. General admission is only $5 and women, children under 16 and current military are FREE! Make sure you enter for the door prizes as they will be drawn for every half hour.

September 9 – Prairie Pothole Day
Everyone looks forward to this annual event celebrating outdoor sports! Attendees have the opportunity to participate in events ranging from shooting sports to Dock Dogs fun to educational seminars. FREE kids events include kids archery, BB gun shoot, environmental learning activities, and a climbing wall. There will also be over 20 vendors on the main farm, seminars, axe throwing outback, dog jump competition, sporting clays, trap shooting, archery… so many things you don’t want to miss!!

September 9 – Welcoming Week in Willmar
You are invited to this year’s Welcoming Week event in Downtown Willmar! Come and enjoy music, dancing, food, kids’ activities and community resources. The goal is to share and learn from each other about the cultures and heritages we have living in Willmar.

September 9 – Monson Lake Opry Festival
Get your tickets and come listen to a Saturday of country music starring Mark Chesnutt, Mo Pitney, Confederate Railroad, & Kentucky Thunder with special guest Boby Dale! Camping is available. Click the event name for more details.

September 9 – “I Am, He Said” – Celebrating the Music of Neil Diamond
Enjoy a night of music celebrating the one and only Neil Diamond! Matt Vee, along with cousins Jeff and Tommy Vee, local music scene veterans and sons of the legendary Bobby Vee, join forces with their family and friends as The Killer Vees to celebrate the music from a timeless catalog. With songs like “Cracklin’ Rosie,” “America,” and “Sweet Caroline,” Neil Diamond sold over 100 million records worldwide with music that became the soundtrack to one generation after another with hits spanning five decades. Don’t miss this amazing concert!

September 15 – 10th Annual Mayor’s Bike Ride
Register ahead of time for this FREE annual community bike ride and picnic. Meet at the starting location in your community at 5:00pm. Mayor’s from Spicer, New London and Willmar will be leading a ride in each of their communities from their starting point to Robbins Island Regional Park for a picnic.

September 16 – Harvest Star Market
Harvest Star is an inaugural celebration of local agriculture and arts happening at The Land in Spicer. Enjoy a farmer/vendor market, a multi-course choreographed dinner performance by Sod House Theatre, and music concert with Good Time Gals and Mississippi Hot Club! (Tickets sold separately for all Harvest Star events)

September 16 – 4th Annual Harvest Fest at Rustic Designs Flower Farm
Bring the whole family along to the 4th Annual Harvest Fest at Rustic Designs Flower Farm. Wander the flower field and cut your own flowers to take home or shop the pumpkins, gourds, Indian corn, broom corn, flower bundles, and fall mums in the shop. And don’t forget your camera to keep memories of this event forever!

September 21-24, 28-30, October 1 – The Barn Theatre Presents: Four Old Broads
Grab tickets for the production of Four Old Broads and journey into the hilarious world of Magnolia Place Assisted Living. Retired burlesque queen Beatrice Shelton desperately needs a vacation from Magnolia Place Assisted Living. The “Sassy Seniors Cruise” may be just the ticket if she can convince her best friend to stop praying and go with her. But strange things have been happening ever since Nurse Pat Jones began working here. The new resident is losing her memory, another is obsessed with planning her funeral, and the retired Elvis impersonator keeps trying to bed every woman in the building. Can they solve the mystery before her ship sets sail?

September 23 – Harvest Noon Market & Harvestfest Puppet Parade
Celebrate the first day of fall with a larger than life puppet parade on the streets of New London! First enjoy a vendor market from 10am-3pm at Neer Park and then take part in or watch the puppet parade at 11:00am!

September 23 – Oktoberfest at Goat Ridge Brewing Co.
Join Goat Ridge Brewing Co. for a fun day of live music, food specials, games, and of course the Mad Goat Märzen!

September 23 – Foxtoberfest
Get your lederhosen and dirndls ready for the annual Foxtoberfest event taking place at Foxhole Brewhouse! Come hungry as Heglund Catering will be serving up some delicious German grub from 3-8pm. There will also be live music, bean bags, a stein holding contest and of course hammerschlagen!

September 28 – A Perfect Pairing with The Fox and The Cow: Beer & Cheese Tasting
Enjoy this perfect tasting between Redhead Creamery cheese and Foxhole Brewhouse’s craft beer. You’ll even get to hear about their processes and why these cheese and beer combinations work well together! Get your tickets today before this event sells out!

September 28 – Tidlos at the Little Theatre Auditorium
You’re not going to want to miss this unique Norwegian band that is now on their fourth US tour! New London is proud to be the first stop on their US itinerary! Norwegian hymns and folk tunes have always been the most important for Tidløs, and the importance of keeping these treasures alive so that future generations can also enjoy them. With a mixture of modern and traditional instruments, and the members’ different musical backgrounds, the result is a very special sound. A timeless sound, where present and past meet. Find out more by clicking on the event name.

September 30 & October 1 – Willmar Country Quilters Guild Quilt Show “Stitches in Time”
Check out this unique Quilt Show that’ll have more than 300 traditional, contemporary, modern & vintage quilts, fabric art and needlework! And you’ll definitely want to see the demonstrations and the trunks shows and maybe purchase a few items for yourself!

And continuing throughout the month of September is The Land Summer Music Series and public cruises on Green Lake Cruises!

For the most udpated listing of events, please see our Events Calendar.