Happening This Weekend: Peach Fest, Orchard Bliss and More

Where/When: Up and down Harper Avenue, from Old Eight Mile to Bayside; 4-9 p.m. Aug. 31.
Why Go: Head on over to Harper and take in live music, classic cars and old-fashioned fun close to home, as the Harper Charity Cruise once again gets under way.
Pricing: Free.

PEACHY FUN
Where/When: Downtown Romeo; Sept. 1-5.
Why Go: It's time for the annual Michigan Peach Festival of Romeo, with everything you could ever want from a festival: Food, golf, carnival rides, art, crafts, live music, pet and baby photo contests, pasta and chicken dinners, the Peach Queen reception on Friday night, Vegas games, Festival of Cars Parade on Sunday, bake sales, and Monday's children's and VFW Peach Festival Floral Parade and much more. Plus, there's the Kidsfest Saturday morning, with races, dress-up stuffed animal contests, bike and trike decorating, pie-eating contests, a water balloon toss, petting zoo, moonwalk and much more, most of it free.
Visit St. Clair Shores Patch's events calendar for daily highlights.
Pricing: No cost to attend the festival, but just try not to buy something.

Where/When: Metro Beach Metropark, 1 p.m. Sept. 1.
Why Go: All ages are welcome to sign up for this fun and colorful lesson, where everyone will gather to do a craft and activities, plus take a hike where guests will hunt for all the colors of the rainbow found in nature.
Pricing: $3 per person. Park admission is $5 per car, unless you have an annual pass.

Where/When: Downtown Royal Oak, near Washington and 11 Mile; Sept. 2-5. Festival hours are roughly 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Friday through Sunday, and 11 a.m.-9 p.m. on Monday.
Why Go: If you feel like hitting the road for a tiny excursion with a big payout, try this weekend's Ford Arts, Beats & Eats festival. Dozens of artists will flaunt their wares. More than 100 musicians and entertainers will be there to amuse you. And there will be nearly 70 dining options to sample. Specially for the kids is the Oakland County Parks Kids Stage, in the Meijer Zone, on West 7th near Washington street, with puppet shows, clowns, magic shows, mysteries, cool tricks, children's music concerts, Radio Disney and more.
Pricing: $3 admission each day. Food and beverage tickets are 16 for $10. Children under age 3 get in free. Parking in all downtown lots and structures will cost $15. There's remote parking, too, at Royal Oak High School, at 1500 Lexington Blvd., which costs $10 and you can take a free shuttle to and from the festival.

Where/When: Blake's Big Apple, 10 a.m.-6 p.m., weekends in September and October.
Why Go: September is almost upon us, and that means fall-themed fun is in the air. Blake's Big Apple Orchard kicks off its Fall Festival and craft show on Labor Day weekend. Enjoy crafts, baked goodies and more, and then there's the fun Blake's is known for: pony rides, hay rides, Barnyard Funland, the Cornfield Maze, Straw Mountain and more.
Pricing: $8.50 for the whole experience.