October means pumpkins, apples, fall decor and of course Halloween! Here are some fun October events in and around Portland.

The Portland Fall Home Show

October 4-7 at the Portland Expo Center. The best place to start your next home project is at the Portland Fall Home Show! The show is the perfect place to meet remodeling professionals, get plenty of ideas and visit with hundreds of great companies so you can launch or finish your home project. New this year - Oktoberfest theme complete with German music, a biergarten, special German food and kid-friendly activities. Enjoy festive fall decor as you stroll among the exhibitors, local artisans and marketplace.

The Wedge Cheese Festival

October 6 at 100 SE Alder. The Wedge is a Farmers Market-style festival celebrating cheese and everything that goes with it. Sample and purchase local, artisan cheese, specialty foods, beer, wine, and cider. Bring a cooler and stock up!

Hood River Harvest Festival

October 12-14 in Hood River. With booths overflowing with Hood River Valley specialties ranging from apples to wine, this festival is the place to be for all things autumn in the Hood River Valley. This old-fashioned fall festival brings together more than 120 vendors offering local produce and food products, plus original local arts and crafts from the Gorge Artists collective and others.

New for 2018 is a wine area curated by the Hood River Downtown Wine Alliance, featuring wines from several local vineyards. It will join longtime favorite vendors from around the Fruit Loop and beyond who will be offering pears, apples, pumpkins, and flowers, plus pies, jams, cured meats and more. Adding to the Hood River flavor are local artisans with unique art, crafts and jewelry.

Fun live events include a giant pumpkin carving exhibition, local music and fruit pie-eating contests that are open to festival goers ages 15 and up on Saturday and Sunday at 2 p.m. Youngsters will love the kids’ activity area, which includes a rock wall, bouncy houses, face painting and other activities.

Apple Tasting at Portland Nursery

October 12-14 and 19-21 at the Portland Nursery. About the time the leaves begin to change color, it's time to celebrate the abundance of apples and pears. Portland Nursery is always well-supplied with a large variety of apples and pears to taste and purchase by the pound, as many as 60 different varieties in all! Tasting lines, as well as the fresh-pressed cider demonstration and tasting, will be open during all six days of this free event.

West Coast Giant Pumpkin Regatta

October 20 in Tualatin. In 2004 the Pacific Giant Vegetable Growers were looking for a location to do an end-of-season paddle with a handful of giant pumpkins. Today the West Coast Giant Pumpkin Regatta, held at the Lake at Tualatin Commons, has grown into an event with a national reputation that draws thousands of people each year.

If you have never seen the Pumpkin Regatta then you probably have never seen costumed characters paddling 1,000 pound pumpkins around the Lake of the Commons in a series of wacky races.

The Regatta also includes a giant pumpkin weigh off, pie eating contest, kids' costume contest, pumpkin golf, pumpkin bowling, clown shows, hot food and much more.