A heat wave persists, bridging the short jump from August to September. Summer refuses to yield without one last performance to remember her by. Even our 18-year-old cat has bowed to the dog days of summer. Sprawled out on the baked concrete of our front porch, he’s barely able to lift a paw to order a Margarita.
September is upon us and we yearn for that first coulee breeze sliding down the valley like water from a cool rain. Temperatures drop a little further each night, gathering momentum for the fall plunge. Corn tassels wave in the breeze to signal that harvest time is near. The sun sinks below the horizon earlier, shrinking evenings down to whatever can fit between the river bluffs.
September performs these subtle theatrics as it prepares for our fall production of The Color Season in October. Anticipation hangs from every branch. The stage crew adjusts the lighting. The actors practice their lines: “The trees are starting to turn along County C,” we’ll say knowingly.
The stage is set. But first comes the celebration of September.
Having had their summer fun, Driftless Wisconsin “locals” move through September in a festive mood. A number of events will give visitors the chance to celebrate along with them. On September 6 – 8, the Villa Louis Carriage Classic in Prairie du Chien will stage one of the finest shows in the Midwest. You would have to travel thousands of miles to see a better display of handsome horses and elegant carriages than those assembled on the stately lawns of the Villa Louis historic site.
Then on September 14 and 15, artisans will gather along the Kickapoo River in Soldiers Grove for the ninth annual Driftless Area Art Festival. Extraordinary art, inspired by and created within the confines of the Driftless area, including parts of neighboring Iowa and Minnesota, will show visitors the creative side of living in the Driftless region.
On September 21, you can revisit our farming heritage at the annual Threshing Bee at Norskedalen Nature and Heritage Center, near Coon Valley. Watch our Midwestern rural history come alive with demonstrations in threshing oats, corn shelling, rope making, blacksmithing, butter churning, and cutting lumber.
On September 27 – 29, Gays Mills will host the 55th annual Apple Festival, a celebration of the fall harvest, the transition of seasons and, oh yes, the memorable crunch and drool of biting into a fresh home-grown apple.
The colors can wait until October. Meanwhile, Driftless Wisconsin will celebrate September.