As I sit here writing this, I am in the throes of a nasty fall cold. My brain is muddled (that's a fair warning to my editor) but somewhere in the back of my head I seem to remember being sick last year right around Columbus Day Weekend. Is it something about the change of the seasons? The fact that my daughter is back in school surrounded by germs — or that I recently chaperoned a school field trip to Jaeschke's Orchard in Adams with 60-plus of the little germ carriers themselves? Or is it just my body's way of saying slow down, as fall is an extremely busy time of year for me in my "day job"?

 

Maybe it's all of the above, but I do hope I'm feeling up to some fun fall activities this Columbus Day Weekend. And since I was already speaking of Adams, let's start there, because, as the Facebook page flier says, "Adams is Columbus Day Weekend."

On Sunday, Oct. 13, Ramblefest kicks off with a party from 1 to 6 p.m. at the Adams Visitors' Center on Hoosac Street. There will be food, vendors, music, games and activities for the kids, and more — all to gear folks up for main event. And what's that? The Ramble itself, when thousands of people climb Mount Greylock via the Cheshire Harbor Trail all at once — well, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Here's the scoop on that: There will be a free shuttle from the Adams Free Library to the trailhead from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. with return shuttles running through 4 p.m. The first 2,000 hikers will receive certificates of accomplishment, and there will be awards for the first, the youngest and the oldest hiker to reach the summit, and to the hiker who has traveled the greatest distance to participate. Leashed pets permitted. The walk, by the way, is about 6.6 miles, takes about four to five hours and is considered moderately strenuous — but the views at the top will be worth it!

 

(And while you're in Adams, do try to visit Jaeschke's. Four-foot-tall germ-carriers aside, I had a lot of fun, and the orchard is teeming with delicious, juicy apples, and apple-picking is one of the best ways I know how to spend the holiday weekend! There are other places to pick; visit www.pickyourown.org/massveg.htm for some other local options.)

 

There are other things to do this weekend that aren't in Adams. On Saturday, kids can decorate pumpkins at the Berkshire Co-Op Market in Great Barrington. Kids should dress to get messy as they will be using acrylic paints to decorate the pumpkins. To sign up or for more information, call 413-528-9697, ext. 10, or visit berkshire.coop. And on Monday, a free Public Safety Day will be held from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Dower Square Community Center at 253 Wahconah St. There will be a display of an array of the police's and fire department's vehicles. For more information, call 413-499-9367.

 

Whatever you do this long holiday weekend, stay healthy. Believe me ... you don't want what I have!

 

Berkshire County native Rebecca Dravis of Williamstown is a former journalist who now works for the Girl Scouts of Central and Western Massachusetts. She can be reached at rdravis@verizon.net.