Last weekend for sumertime fun Celebrate Labor Day weekend with fairs By Sarah Riley News-Chronicle 1. Marshfield The Wisconsin State Fair is one of the biggest events of the summer in the Milwaukee area, but Marshfield gets its weekend in the sun for Labor Day with the Central Wisconsin State Fair. The Central State Fair is a great - and less crowded - way to get a taste of a fair for just a few dollars. By day, the farming and dairy industries take center stage with llama and horse shows, exhibits and animal judging at different times throughout the day. Children's entertainment and family shows are popular during the day, too. At night, the fair turns into a party with national acts taking to the grandstand stage for free. On Friday it's Cheap Trick, the Midwestern band turned '80s favorites with songs like "I Want You to Want Me" and their new song, "Scent of a Woman." On Saturday Herman's Hermits starring Peter Noone, one of the leading British Invasion bands, headlines; and on Sunday country star Mark Wills takes the stage. The fair runs through Monday. Tickets are $7 before 3 p.m. and $8 after. Kids ages 6-12 pay just $3. For more information, call 715-387-1261 or visit www.centralwisconsinstatefair.com. 2. Mineral Point In the same vein but on a slightly smaller scale, the 143rd Iowa County Fair runs today through Monday. There's a real hometown feel to this fair with its 4-H exhibits, carnival rides, tractor pulls and exhibits. If you're feeling daring, the fifth annual Mud Volleyball Tournament runs Saturday at the fair. Otherwise a hypnotist and children's entertainers will appear during the weekend. The big country music show takes place Sunday night with Gerry Lehr and Andy Griggs. Grandstand shows are included in the admission price. For more information, visit www.iowacountyfair.org or call 608-987-3490. 3. Malone Love fall? If you can't wait for the season to start, check out the harvest events at The Little Farmer, a farm and market just north of Fond du Lac. This weekend the hay rides start and several fall-favorite foods will be available, like apple pie, caramel apples and cranberry muffins. In true Wisconsin fashion, there will be a brat fry this weekend, too. Hay rides are $1.50 per person for a ride through the woods. Visiting the farm is free. The farm is open from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. daily. For more information, visit www.thelittlefarmer.com. 4. Blue Mounds Two seemingly unrelated destinations in Southeast Wisconsin - Little Norway and the Cave of the Mounds - have joined forces to make the trip to Blue Mounds easier for travelers. A combination ticket is available for tours of the caves and the historical park. Little Norway is on the National Register of Historical Places because of its collection of Norse antiques and historical buildings. It shows a pioneer homestead with a cabin dating to 1856 and an example of Norse church architecture built for the Colombian Exposition in 1893. Objects from Scandinavia and America are incorporated into the park. The nearby Cave of the Mounds, a National Natural Landmark, is a cave discovered in 1939 when a quarry was built. Crystallized rock formations and water pools can be seen on a cave tour. For more information, visit www.littlenorway.com or www.caveofthemounds.com. Fall color report available The Wisconsin Department of Tourism has released a free travel guide to the best spots to view fall colors. The guide, Wisconsin Fall Sampler, is available by calling 1-800-432-8747 or visiting www.travelwisconsin.com. The 16-page guide outlines the state's most popular fall destinations and activities. Up-to-date information on peak colors is available at the phone number and Web site above starting Sept. 4. Peak colors start at the Lake Superior shoreline in mid-September and continue down the state to Southeastern Wisconsin in mid-to-late October.