🍁 Best fall festivals

😀 There you are, Friday!

☁️ Cloudy with highs climbing to around 74. Rain possible all day.

🌀 Situational awareness: The remnants of Hurricane Helene are expected to bring scattered showers and clouds to the Philly region over the coming days, per the NWS.

🎂 Happy birthday to our Axios Philadelphia members Sharon Hartson Stine and Larissa Larson! And happy early birthday to Deborah Montgomery!

Today's newsletter is 881 words, a 3.5-minute read.

Fall has arrived in the Philadelphia region, bringing with it some of the most-anticipated festivals and events of the year.

Why it matters: Take advantage of your last chances to spend time outdoors before the winter cold arrives. Plus, there's something for everyone!

Here are some of the top festivals to add to your calendar:

Key: 🎉 party, 🎨 artsy, 🎶 music, 🍂 outdoorsy, 😋 foodie, 👶 kid-friendly, 🐶 pet-friendly

Pumpkinland at Linvilla Orchards

👶 🍂 | Through Nov. 3 | Free to enter, pay as you go

• This Media farm goes all out for the fall harvest with hayrides, colorful pumpkin displays, a corn maze and pick-your-own apples.

Philly Cider Week

😋 🎶 | Oct. 19-27 | Pay as you go

• Toast to more than a week of tastings, trivia nights, music and special events dedicated to cideries based out of Pennsylvania.

Roxtoberfest

👶 🐶 | Oct. 5 | Pay as you go

• This street festival on Ridge Avenue in Roxborough has something for everyone: a market with dozens of vendors, beer garden, artwork, kids activities and a scarecrow display.

Armory Oktoberfest

🎉 😋 🎶 | Oct. 11-12 | Tickets: $25-$95

• A two-day Oktoberfest bash brings the Deutschland to the city, where you can raise a glass of German beers and chow down on pretzels and bratwurst.
• Oct. 11, 7:30-11:30pm; Oct. 12, 1-5pm and 7:30-11:30pm

OURfest

🎉 👶 🎨 | Oct. 11-13 | Pay as you go

• Turn out for the annual LGBTQ parade on Oct. 12 at 5th and Market streets. On Oct. 13, a festival takes over the Gayborhood from noon-7pm, with family-friendly events, beer gardens and performances.

Philadelphia Film Festival

🎨 | Oct. 17-27 | Tickets: Coming soon

• This jam-packed festival features dozens of films, discussions and programming.

More festivals

Pennsylvania's top financial watchdog office is on the Nov. 5 ballot.

Why it matters: The auditor general provides checks and balances on state spending, and analyzes whether departments are hitting their goals.

Between the lines: The statewide office comes with a four-year term and serves as a launch pad to higher office.

Who's running? Tim DeFoor (R) vs. Malcolm Kenyatta (D)

🔴 Tim DeFoor: He's seeking a second term after becoming the first person of color to hold a statewide row office in 2021. DeFoor is also a former special agent for the state attorney general and an ex-Dauphin County controller.

• While in office, he's issued hot-profile audits on pandemic waivers and loopholes around how school districts raise taxes.
• His second-term priorities include cutting "wasteful government spending" and pushing to end what he calls "political loopholes" that allow state agencies to keep some contracts hidden, per his campaign website.

🔵 Malcolm Kenyatta: A progressive state representative in North Philly since 2018, he was the first openly LGBTQ+ member of color in the state Legislature.

• Kenyatta has called to create a bureau of labor to investigate union busting and wage theft.
• He has pledged to increase transparency around how hospitals and nonprofits use state dollars, and intends to focus on school accountability.

The intrigue: Kenyatta is also running unopposed for re-election for his 181st District seat in the state House.

• He would have to leave his House seat if he won the auditor general post.

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📺 A Phillies superfan is getting the Netflix treatment. "The Turnaround," which premieres Oct. 18, is a short documentary about Jon McCann, who inspired the 2023 standing ovation for shortstop Trea Turner that's credited with turning around his slumping season. (Deadline)

🚧 I-76 eastbound lanes will close from the University City exit to the 34th Street on-ramp from 9pm tonight until 4am Monday for planned repair work. (NBC)

🚢 The SS United States is one step closer to becoming an artificial reef. Officials in Okaloosa County, Florida, are expected to take a final vote next week on a $10-million deal to buy the famed vessel. (CBS)

Nearly 150 facilities in the tri-state area practice Responsible Care, the chemical industry's leading safety and sustainability initiative.

The impact: Responsible Care companies have a worker safety rating 4x better than the U.S. manufacturing sector.

Learn more.

The 2025 Philadelphia Flower Show's theme is "Gardens of Tomorrow."

Why it matters: The spectacle of flowers and plants is one of the most anticipated annual events.

Driving the news: The Flower Show returns to the Pennsylvania Convention Center from March 1-9 for its 196th year.

• Tickets: $20-$90

Zoom in: Next year's theme will challenge designers, expert gardeners and novices to imagine "how to cultivate the possibilities of tomorrow through gardening," per a news release from the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, which puts on the show.

What's new: A Floral Fanatic Pass ($90) will grant daily access to the show, plus premium seating at the event's lectures.

What to expect: Perennial favorites will return, including the entrance garden featuring water features and lit archway, as well as the houseplant and indoor plant competition.

• Plus: Butterflies Live!, workshops and crafting.

💭 Mike's thought bubble: I hope the future of the Flower Show will bring a return outdoors to FDR Park.

Heads up: You can now order four free COVID-19 tests from the federal government, thanks to yesterday's relaunch of the at-home test distribution program.

How to order: Visit COVIDTests.gov, which directs you to a U.S. Postal Service site.

• The tests will detect current COVID variants and can be used through the end of the year, according to the Department of Health and Human Services.
• Tests will start shipping next week, per the site.

Go deeper

The safety and sustainability of chemical operations and products is a core priority for the chemical industry.

Responsible Care is our industry's commitment to continuously enhance the health and safety of our employees, the communities we operate in and the environment as a whole.

Learn more.

🤸‍♂️ Mike is jumping for joy after being told he didn't have to report to jury duty!

🏖️ Isaac is OOO.

Today's newsletter was edited by Alexa Mencia.