WKXC-FM (Augusta, GA)

Fall is officially here, and there’s no better time to get out and enjoy everything the season offers! From pumpkin patches and apple cider to live music, seasonal treats, and festive activities, fall festivals are a great way to make the most of cooler weather. What a year to celebrate the life of Dolly Parton with no other plans than visiting Dollywood! The Dollywood Harvest Festival is happening until October 31.

The Augusta Dream Center now serves about twice as many people at its hot meals, and food pantries on both sides of the Savannah River are running short. The Salvation Army of Aiken sees the same jump. Its leaders called the demand "astronomically high," per WRDW. At the Augusta Dream Center, the bags of food keep getting lighter while the line of people seeking help grows longer. "We have to get creative," said Kellie Newman, executive director of the Augusta Dream Center.

Columbia County deputies arrested former Richmond County jailer Matthew Weber on a county ordinance charge of disorderly conduct. They say he used a white strobe light on his SUV to confront another driver in Evans, Georgia. Deputies responded to the 200 block of Mineral Court on Thursday after a reckless-driving complaint, per WRDW. Weber went to the Columbia County Detention Center in custody.

An Augusta woman has launched the CSRA's first Death Cafe, a meetup where people talk about death over coffee, tea, and sweets. Dr. Jen Whitford held the first one in June. Her third comes this month. The next Death Cafe is set for Oct. 25 at 4 p.m. at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Augusta. Entry is free, and the church provides coffee, tea, and sweets. Whitford is an end-of-life doula. She gives her time at no charge to people who are dying and to the family and friends who care for them.

The Western Carolina State Fair runs Oct. 16-25 on May Royal Drive in Aiken. This year's theme is "Let Freedom Ride." Some shows cost nothing. A demolition derby takes place Oct. 16 and 18. The rodeo arrives on Oct. 24 and 25. The Batesburg-Leesville Middle School choir sings at 6 p.m. Oct. 16, and County Road 49 plays at 8 p.m. that night.

Living History Park in North Augusta will hold its yearly "Colonial Times: A Day to Remember" festival on Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 17 and 18. Admission is free for the community. Historians and reenactors will show visitors how people lived in the South Carolina backcountry during the 1700s, and guests can try some of the work themselves. This weekend brings a first. The Slave Dwelling Project is visiting North Augusta for the first time.

The Richmond County Sheriff's Office wants to expand and renovate the Charles B. Webster Detention Center in Augusta, Georgia. The price tag is $81.3 million. Crowded cells and old security equipment drive the plan, which would add 288 beds. Major Chester Huffman oversees detention services for the office. He said the building has 1,066 beds but holds 1,257 inmates, per WJBF. Thirty more inmates are in the jail system but live somewhere else.

Taylor Hill via Getty Images Kacey Musgraves turned a holiday-eve concert into a flashpoint, and the internet has not stopped talking about it. During the second of two back-to-back shows at Dallas' American Airlines Center on Sunday, Musgraves paused her Middle of Nowhere tour set to note that the following day was Columbus Day. Fans quickly booed and shouted back that Monday belonged to Indigenous Peoples' Day, and the eight-time GRAMMY winner wasted no time siding with the crowd.

A stretch of Seventh Street in downtown Augusta closed to through traffic on Oct. 14 and is expected to remain closed through Oct. 31. City officials said crews will install drainage pipes and run test digs along the road between Broad Street and Reynolds Street, according to WRDW. They expect the job to wrap up by Oct. 31. Shops and offices will still be reachable from Reynolds Street while the road is shut. Officials asked drivers to plan ahead and pick another route through the area.

The SPCA Albrecht Center for Animal Welfare has three fall fundraisers coming up in Aiken, and every dollar goes to homeless pets. The lineup: Aiken's Top Dog live competition on Oct. 24, the SPCA Thrift Store Holiday Party on Nov. 2, and the 17th Annual Bloodies & Bagels on Thanksgiving Day. Aiken's Top Dog is back for a second year at Good Girl Brewing Co. at noon. The champion gets a trophy, prizes, and a craft beer that Good Girl Brewing will name in its honor.