The Weekend Ahead: Oktoberfest at Mountain Creek, the Renaissance Festival’s Last Weekend, and History Day in Newton

Good morning, Sussex County. This is the weekend the fall calendar has been building toward: Oktoberfest opens at Mountain Creek, the Sparta Renaissance Festival plays its last two days, Vernon closes Main Street for a street fair, and the Historical Society takes over the Academy Green in Newton. Here is what is on, what is happening on the roads, and what is at town hall next week.

Before you go anywhere: two roads

Route 15 in Lafayette. The emergency closure between Mudcut Road and Morris Farm Road/Meadows Road, in place since September 1 for drainage repairs south of the Paulins Kill bridge, was no longer listed on the state's 511nj incident feed as of Thursday morning, which suggests the detour has lifted. We have not seen a formal reopening notice from NJDOT, so treat that as encouraging rather than confirmed. The separate bridge-replacement project on the same stretch continues through fall 2027 with periodic lane closures. Check 511nj.org before you go.

Route 206 in Andover, coming. The bigger road story this week is one that has not started yet. NJDOT plans to close Route 206 completely for about nine months where it passes under the Lackawanna Cutoff fill at the southern end of Andover Borough, to replace the 1909 tunnel structure. Commissioner Chris Carney told the Board of County Commissioners on September 9 that the state's current plan is a full closure with traffic pushed onto local roads, and that he has asked NJDOT to consider round-the-clock work to shorten it. No start date has been announced. TAPinto Newton has the full report; we will have more in Monday's government brief.

Friday, September 18

Mountain Creek Oktoberfest — 200 Route 94, Vernon. Three days, Friday through Sunday. Admission ($25 and up; under 6 free) covers sky rides, lawn games, the petting zoo, inflatables and the main-stage music. The published entertainment schedule is Saturday and Sunday from noon; Friday is the opener, so check Mountain Creek's site for Friday hours before you drive up.

Friday Night Classic Car Show — 4 PM, Lentini Farms. Weekly through October 9.

Astronomy Star Gazing at Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge — 7:30 PM, hosted by the Friends of Wallkill River. Clear skies permitting.

Saturday, September 19

Sparta Renaissance Festival, closing weekend — 10 AM to 6 PM, Camp Sacajawea, 844 White Lake Road, Sparta. Ninth year, third and final weekend. $25 for adults, $10 for ages 6 to 12, free under 6. If you have been meaning to go, this is it until next September.

Sussex County History Day — 11 AM to 4 PM, Academy Green behind the Tully House, 79 Main Street, Newton. Free. The Long Hill String Band plays two sets (11:15 and 2), the 27th New Jersey Volunteer Infantry sets up a Civil War encampment, and there are demonstrations of lacemaking, chair caning and blacksmithing, plus displays from a dozen local historical societies. Ron Dupont gives a talk on the history of Vernon and Deborah Drumm of the Stillwater Historical Society talks about restoring the Stillwater mill. Tours of the Old Newton Burial Ground at noon, 1 and 3, limited to 20 people each, $10 for adults and $5 for seniors, veterans and ages 12 to 18; this year's tours focus on local militia who fought in the Revolution. Parking in the former McGuire lot next to the Academy building, courtesy of Sussex County Community College.

Vernon Street Fair — 11 AM to 3 PM, Main Street, Vernon. The Vernon Chamber of Commerce's twelfth annual fair: 80-plus vendors, a petting zoo, a dunk tank, a magician, a DJ and food.

Franklin Train Show — 9 AM, Franklin Borough Elementary School. The Sussex County Rail-Club's annual show: operating layouts, vendors and swap tables.

Franklin-Sterling Gem and Mineral Show — 9 AM, Franklin Mineral Museum, Franklin. It caps the museum's reopening week, which runs through Sunday. Franklin is the self-described fluorescent mineral capital of the world, and this is the weekend the collectors come.

Hampton Township Townwide Garage Sale — Saturday and Sunday from 9 AM, at homes across the township.

Sussex Christian School Fall Festival — 10 AM to 3 PM, Sussex County Fairgrounds, Augusta.

Morning Bird Walk at Dark Moon Preserve — 9 AM, with the Ridge and Valley Conservancy. Fall migration is under way.

Gary Gulman: Grandiloquent — 8 PM, Newton Theatre, 234 Spring Street, Newton.

Also Saturday: a Childhood Cancer Awareness blood drive at St. Kateri Tekakwitha Church in Sparta from 7:45 AM (New York Blood Center), and day two of Oktoberfest, with John Steven's Polka Band at noon and stein-holding, hay-bale toss and pie-eating contests through the afternoon.

Sunday, September 20

Sussex County Day — 11 AM to 4 PM, Sussex County Fairgrounds, Augusta. The Sussex County Chamber of Commerce's free family day, a showcase of local businesses, organizations and food.

Sparta Renaissance Festival — final day, 10 AM to 6 PM.

Mountain Creek Oktoberfest — day three, with the polka band back at noon and The Benjamins closing the main stage at 5:30.

Meet and Greet with Connor Tomlinson of "Love on the Spectrum" — 11 AM, Pandora's Box Toys & Collectibles.

Five for Fighting with String Quartet — 7 PM, Newton Theatre, with Lace & Lee opening.

The full list, with times and links, is on our events calendar.

Looking ahead

Next Friday, September 25, Benny's Bodega holds a tricky tray at the Fairgrounds, and on Saturday, September 26, the Karen Ann Quinlan Hospice runs its Celebrate A Life 5K walk there, followed Sunday, September 27 by the ATHS Metro Jersey Truck Show. All three are on the Fairgrounds calendar. Further out: the Sussex County Harvest, Honey & Garlic Festival is Saturday, October 17.

Around the county

Project Self-Sufficiency in Newton is launching a 16-week employment program for women. Sparta is holding a fundraiser for its volunteer fire department. The Stillwater PTA has a fall craft and vendor fair coming up. And on the fields, Vernon field hockey has run its unbeaten streak to three games and Wallkill Valley girls soccer won its first of the season in double overtime. All of these are linked in our news feed.

Next week at Town Hall

A thin week on paper. Two agendas were posted as of Thursday:

Wednesday, September 23, 7 PM — Sparta Zoning Board. Application ZBA #07-26, Sparta 15 LLC, is on the revised agenda. The board's September 9 meeting was cancelled, so this is the first time the application comes back since its summer hearings.

Friday, September 25 — Newton Advisory Board of Health. Health violations, animal control and new restaurant openings are the standing items.

Monday's brief will have the full rundown, plus what got decided this past week in Newton, Hopatcong, Vernon, Byram, Hardyston and at the county. Plain-English summaries of every meeting, with links to the original documents, are in the Government section.

Heard around the county

Nothing new this week that we could stand behind. The Highland Lakes shared-workspace talk we mentioned last week is still just talk; no name, address or date has surfaced. If you know more, tell us.

If you spot something we have wrong or missed, use the "Report an error" link on any page. We would rather hear it from you than not hear it at all.

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