Haunted seaports and a chance to stomp your own grapes are on the agenda.
SUGARLOAF CRAFT FESTIVAL
The Sugarloaf Craft Festival will come to the Garden State Exhibit Center in Somerset, Friday through Sunday. If you've never attended a Sugarloaf before, you'll be amazed by the number of artisans and vendors that occupy the expansive Exhibit Center floor. You'll find merchants selling clothes, handcrafted furniture, jewelry, photography, leatherwork, food of all kinds, and a plethora of holiday-themed items. Some artisans will also be doing live demonstrations of their work, such as iron forging and copper spinning. If you're bringing the kids, you can avoid their bored groans by having them hang at the kid's area, which is filled with activities. $8 (advance), $10 (door). Kids under 12 are free. Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. 50 Atrium Drive, Somerset.
HAUNTED SEAPORT
The Tuckerton Seaport will transform from a sleepy historic village into a full-blown Halloween headquarters, Thursday to Saturday, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. The annual Haunted Seaport features specters of sea captains and pirates walking the boardwalk, a haunted hayride, a maze in the phragmites (reeds), and glow-in-the-dark mini-golf. If you've got little ones who are more easily frightened, there's also a "non-scary" pumpkin patch at 3 p.m., featuring games, crafts, and stories. $8. Thursday to Saturday, 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. (3 p.m. for the pumpkin patch). 120 West Main Street, Tuckerton, (609) 296-8868.
HARVEST FEST
Asbury Park is the place to go this weekend to celebrate the bounty of the season. Asbury Fresh, (the city's weekly local artisan and farmers market) and Cross and Orange (the city's latest gastropub) will present Harvest Fest in Kennedy Park, Noon to 6 p.m. The outdoor market will feature the regular Asbury Fresh line-up of vendors selling delicious homemade food, homemade crafts, and fresh produce -- but with a little bit of extra flavor added to it. There will be live music from the likes of Dollys, The Sunday Blues, and Rocky Catanese & The Chapter, plus beer on tap for those looking to imbibe. There will also be games and pumpkin painting for the kids. The event will also feature a food drive for the Food Banks of Monmouth and Ocean Counties. Free (non-perishable food item suggested), Saturday, Noon to 6 p.m., Kennedy Park, Cookman & Grand Avenue, Asbury Park.
Fresh produce, cold beer, and live music will be on display at Asbury Fresh's Harvest Fest this Saturday at Kennedy Park in Asbury Park. BULLETS OVER BROADWAY
New Brunswick's State Theater gets a little touch of Woody Allen this weekend. The writer/director's musical comedy "Bullets Over Broadway" comes to the State Theater Friday and Saturday. The film, about a young playwright who gets in over his head with the mob, was released in 1994 and nominated for seven Academy Awards (winning one for Best Supporting Actress for Dianne Wiest). This musical version, which is filled with jazz and pop standards, premiered in March 2014 on Broadway with Zach Braff ("Scrubs") and Vincent Pastore ("The Sopranos"). $35 to $75. Friday (8:00 p.m.), Saturday (2 p.m. and 8 p.m.). 15 Livingston Avenue, New Brunswick, (732) 246-7469.
OLDE TIME ITALIAN FESTIVAL
If you're kicking yourself that you missed the annual San Gennaro Festival this year, take the drive to Wildwood on Saturday to fill your belly and get your 'Italian up.' The Olde Time Italian Festival (sponsored by The Sons of Italy of Wildwood) will take place from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., which certainly gives those of Italian and non-Italian descent plenty of time to enjoy all the pasta and vino they can. Beyond the food, there will be the usual fun and games for families ... and grape stomping. Yes, you can satisfy your inner desire to be Lucille Ball by hiking up your pants and stomping grapes. There will be music provided by Purple Reign, and Bobby Valli, brother of the legendary Frankie Valli (The Four Seasons). Free. Saturday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Fox on Ocean Avenue between Burk and Montgomery Avenues, Wildwood.
CHILLER THEATRE TOY, MODEL AND FILM EXPO
We'll keep the set-up short. If you're a 'con' fan, then Chiller Theatre in Parsippany is going to blow your mind with the celebrity panels and guest appearances they've lined up this weekend. The stacked line-up includes: Michael Rooker ("The Walking Dead"), Ralph Macchio ("Karate Kid"), Ian Ziering ("Sharknado"), Paul Sorvino ("Goodfellas"), Ace Frehley (KISS), Linda Blair ("The Exorcist"), the 50th Anniversary "Batman" Panel with Adam West, Burt Ward and Julie Newmar, a "Lost in Space" 50th anniversary reunion panel, and reunion panels for "Petticoat Junction," "Disney's Beauty & the Beast," "American Chopper," "The Warriors," and "Madman." There will also be a number of actors, performers, bands, professional wrestlers, and artists on hand as well. $30 (Children 12 and under free per ticketed adult), Friday (6 p.m. to 11 p.m.), Saturday (10 a.m. to 7 p.m.), Sunday (11 a.m. to 4 p.m.). Sheraton Parsippany Hotel, 199 Smith Road, Parsippany, (888) 627-8148.
'Batman' alumni Burt Ward, Adam West and Julie Newmar at Comi-Con in 2014. The trio reunites in October at Chiller Theatre Expo in Parsippany. (Kevin Winter/Getty Images)FREE SCREENING OF JOHN HUSTON'S 'MOULIN ROUGE'
There's something about the crisp fall air and a seeing a classic film: it just feels like a perfect combination. On Sunday, the West Orange Film Society will host a free screening of John Huston's 1952 drama, "Moulin Rouge" at the West Orange Public Library. The film (not to be confused with Baz Luhrmann's hyper-kinetic 2001 musical) stars Jose Ferrer, Zsa Zsa Gabor, and Christopher Lee and follows artist Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec and the various characters of the famed Parisian nightclub, the Moulin Rouge. There will be a discussion following the screening led by NJ.com film critic Stephen Whitty. Free. Sunday, 2 p.m. 46 Mount Pleasant Ave, West Orange, (974) 736-0198.
Oktoberfest in Munich. Celebrations of the beer-filled occasion abound in New Jersey this fall like the 22nd Annual Oktoberfest at Trump Taj Mahal. 22ND ANNUAL OKTOBERFEST AT TRUMP TAJ MAHAL
The question on your mind is probably, "Will Donald Trump be there, and will he be wearing lederhosen?" Sadly, we cannot answer this question (although we really want this to happen). Here's what we do know: there's going to be a lot of beer, German food, and music on Saturday and Sunday at the Trump Taj Mahal. From a musical standpoint, there will be Bavarian sounds (and dance moves) from the likes of Die Adlers, Musikverein Siershahn, Duo Herzblatt, and HSV Bavaria. There will also be authentic German plates and plenty of steins for you to hoist in the air and scream, "Prost!" $5. Saturday and Sunday, 12 p.m. to 6 p.m., Trump Taj Mahal, 1000 Boardwalk at Virginia Avenue, Atlantic City, (609) 449-1000.
Bill Bodkin can be reached at bodkinwrites@gmail.com. Find NJ.com/Entertainment on Facebook.
