If you are looking for a reason to stay close to home on Saturday, October 3, downtown Rome is making a pretty strong case.

Fiddlin’ Fest returns that day from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., stretching across the 100, 200, 300 and 400 blocks of Broad Street and into the River District on Fifth Avenue. The festival will feature live performances on two stages, arts and crafts, food vendors, sidewalk sales, the Armuchee Ruritan Cars on Broad show, and a 7 p.m. after-party concert in the River District. Admission is free.

One of the day’s most interesting additions is the Georgia’s Rome Plein Air Showcase, a one-day outdoor painting event held during Fiddlin’ Fest. Artists check in and have their canvases stamped at 8 a.m. at the Rome Area History Center, 305 Broad Street, then paint downtown scenes until noon. The event is open to artists from beginner to professional, with an entry fee of $25 for participants.

That alone would make for a busy Saturday, but downtown’s history offerings make the day even stronger.

The Roman Chariot Downtown History Tour also starts from the Rome Area History Center. Guests meet at 9:45 a.m., the tour departs at 10 a.m., lasts about 60 minutes, and is led by historian and Rome Area History Center Director Selena Tilly. Tickets are $10, and proceeds benefit the Rome Area History Center.

And for folks who want one of the best views in town, Clocktower Tours are offered seasonally in October through the Rome Area History Center. Visitors can climb the 107 steps to the top for a sweeping view of downtown, then explore the restored clockworks and murals at the base that trace Rome’s history from its founding to the present day.

So on one Saturday, you can watch painters at work, wander Broad Street, admire classic cars, hear live music, shop downtown, take a guided history tour, and even climb one of Rome’s most recognizable landmarks.

That is not just a festival.

That is a very solid case for staying in Rome.

There are Saturdays when Broad Street is made for cruising.

And then there is Saturday, October 3, when several hundred yards of downtown Rome become a parking lot we actually want to walk through.

The Armuchee Ruritan Club’s Cars on Broad returns to the 300 and 400 blocks of Broad Street, bringing cars, trucks and automotive enthusiasts downtown as part of this year’s Fiddlin’ Fest. The club says this will be its only car show of 2026.

This year comes with a little extra star power. Courtney Hansen, television host of Ride of Your Life and a longtime automotive enthusiast, is scheduled to appear as the show’s special guest. Hansen grew up around racing; her family formerly owned Minnesota’s Brainerd International Raceway, and her father won 27 Sports Car Club of America national championships.

Cars on Broad has roots well beyond polished paint and chrome. The Armuchee Ruritan Club began sponsoring car shows in 2002 as a fundraiser for its community work and joined Downtown Rome’s Fiddlin’ Fest in 2017. The club says the event has since become its primary fundraiser, supporting scholarships and other projects throughout the Armuchee community.

For those bringing a show vehicle, gates open at 9 a.m., with registration closing at noon. Advance registration is $25 per vehicle, while registration on the day of the show is $30. The event will be held rain or shine.

For everybody else, just come downtown and start walking.

Cars on Broad takes place during Fiddlin’ Fest, which runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. across the 100 through 400 blocks of Broad Street and the River District. The festival also includes live music, arts and crafts, food vendors, sidewalk sales and the Georgia’s Rome Plein Air Showcase, with free admission.

With that much happening within a few blocks, this is shaping up to be another weekend when the smartest travel plan may be very simple:

Stay in Rome.

Quick details

Cars on Broad — Saturday, October 3, 2026
Location: 300–400 blocks of Broad Street, Downtown Rome
Show vehicle entry: Beginning at 9 a.m.; registration closes at noon

Advance vehicle registration: $25
Day-of registration: $30
Special guest: Courtney Hansen, scheduled to appear

Bernard Lawrence has everything under control.

At least he thinks he does.

The American architect living in Paris has managed to arrange his romantic life with almost military precision. He is engaged to three different airline stewardesses—Gloria with TWA, Gretchen with Lufthansa and Gabriella with Alitalia—and none of them knows the other two exist.

The secret to Bernard's success is simple: airline schedules.

As long as the planes arrive and depart when they're supposed to, Bernard can keep everybody separated. His long-suffering maid, Berthe, helps keep the elaborate arrangement running smoothly.

You can probably guess where this is headed.

Berry College Theatre Company opens its fall season with Boeing Boeing, Marc Camoletti's classic farce about one man's carefully constructed romantic timetable coming apart at the seams.

When changes in flight schedules bring all three women back to Paris at roughly the same time, Bernard's beautifully organized system begins heading straight for the runway. Making matters even more complicated, his friend Robert arrives for a visit and suddenly finds himself drafted into Bernard's increasingly desperate efforts to keep everyone apart.

From there, expect doors opening at precisely the wrong moment, frantic explanations, near misses and the kind of escalating confusion that makes a good farce so much fun.

Christine Fuchs directs the Berry College Theatre Company production, running October 1–3 at 7 p.m. and Sunday, October 4 at 2 p.m. at Sisters Theatre.

Tickets are $10.

The production is recommended for ages 12 and older and contains mature themes.

With so much already happening around Rome that weekend, Boeing Boeing gives us yet another excuse to skip the drive to Atlanta and stay in Rome.

We all know Peter Pan eventually finds his way to Neverland. We know about Captain Hook, Tinker Bell, the Lost Boys and that unfortunate crocodile.

But how did any of that get started?

Shorter University takes audiences back to the beginning with Peter and the Starcatcher, playing October 1–3 at 7:30 p.m. at Tiscornia Theatre on the Shorter University campus.

Adapted for the stage by Rick Elice, the Tony Award-winning play is based on the 2004 novel Peter and the Starcatchersby Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson. The story serves as an imaginative prequel to J.M. Barrie’s Peter and Wendy, filling in some wonderfully creative blanks about Peter, Hook, Tinker Bell and even Mrs. Darling.

And this is certainly not a quiet little bedtime story.

There are heroes and villains, adventures at sea, shipwrecks, pirates, mermaids, Mollusks and a mysterious substance known as “starstuff.” Somewhere along the journey, an ordinary orphan begins becoming the Peter Pan generations of audiences have come to know.

The show combines comedy, fantasy and old-fashioned storytelling, creating the kind of theatrical adventure that can work just as well for adults who grew up knowing Peter Pan as it does for younger audiences discovering Neverland for the first time.

With Rome already packed with festivals, music, art and activities during the first weekend of October, Peter and the Starcatcher gives us another good reason to stay in Rome once the sun goes down.

Performances: Thursday–Saturday, October 1–3, 7:30 p.m.
Where: Tiscornia Theatre, Shorter University, 315 Shorter Ave., Rome

General Admission: $20

The first weekend in October is shaping up to be one of those weekends when leaving town makes absolutely no sense. Weekends like this is why this newsletter exists.

From October 1 through 4, Rome will be loaded with festivals, theatre, music, history, art and enough activity downtown to keep most of us busy without ever getting in the car for a road trip.

Saturday’s Fiddlin’ Fest will bring live music, vendors, food and crowds to Broad Street, while the Georgia’s Rome Plein Air Showcase puts artists throughout downtown painting Rome as it happens.

And right in the middle of all that, the Armuchee Ruritan Car Show will take over the 300 and 400 blocks of Broad Street, filling downtown with classic cars, hot rods and enough polished chrome to require sunglasses.

Elsewhere around town, the Georgia Mushroom Festival runs October 2–3, while the FRLS271 Conference fills the Forum River Center.

Add Downtown History and Clocktower Tours, and you’ve already got a full weekend.

But apparently Rome wasn’t done.

The theatre lineup includes Boeing, Boeing at Berry College, Peter and the Starcatcher at the J.W. Tiscornia Studio Theatre and Broadway on Broad from Upstagers at the Rome City Auditorium.

Then there’s Rome Shakespeare Festival’s Poe Night at La Scala, just in case your weekend needs a little candlelight, mystery and Edgar Allan Poe.

And on Sunday, Rome Festival Brass closes things out at Garden Lakes Baptist Church.

So yes, Helen has Oktoberfest.

But this particular weekend, you may want to leave the lederhosen in the closet.

October 1–4, Rome is the destination.

If you own a restaurant or food truck, you need to order a few more groceries.