Local Food: Apples can be found throughout the menu this time of year. Steven uses the versatile fruit in sweet and savory dishes including Moroccan spiced butternut squash soup with apples and leeks; beet, apple, pear and arugula salad; chicken roasted with apples and bacon and a cider blue cheese sauce. Don't forget the gingerbread with caramel apples, hot cider and Vermont's Pomme de Vie apple brandy.

Around the Galaxy: The 24 Hour Read-a-Thon starts Friday at 4 pm and continues through Saturday. Pick up a registration sheet and pledge sheet before Thursday at the bookstore.

Music Notes: Blue Fox, Montpelier's well traveled blues man, journeys to Hardwick so we can enjoy what Seven Days calls his "deep-lazy-growly-sexy" vocals and guitar work described as "ultra strength." Find Blue Fox on myspace.

Local Events: Sunday, October 18, is a busy day! Enjoy an evening pumpkin walk on the Hardwick Trails, lined with 350 lighted pumpkins carved by students at the elementary school. There will be a bonfire, donuts and cider, and a friendly witch. Bring your flashlight to the Hazen School parking lot at 6 pm. Or, if your interests involve energy efficiency, come the the Button Up Vermont workshop at the Craftsbury Library at 6:30, and learn how to improve your home's energy efficiency.