Acorn Fest, Culture Days and a Fall Fair Fill Downtown Oakville on October 3

The giant acorn is back on the grass at Towne Square, and it is the easiest place in Oakville to meet someone this weekend. Acorn Fest runs Friday from 5 to 10 p.m. and again Saturday from noon to 5 p.m., and three other free things are happening within a few blocks of the square on Saturday afternoon.

Friday is the quieter half. Duke Street Turnaround plays country from 5 to 7 p.m., then the square turns into an outdoor cinema at 7:30 p.m. for Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. Saturday fills up quickly. Classic cars line George Street with the Oakville Lions Club from noon to 3 p.m., stilt walkers and a strolling squirrel work the crowd until 2 p.m., and a live falcon show from Hawk Eye starts at 1:30 p.m. Stereo Flavour plays at 2:30 and again at 4, the Oakville Public Library runs storytime at 2:30, and Fred Astaire Dance Studios has everyone line dancing at 3:30.

Culture Days closes out at the museum

The Oakville Museum at Erchless Estate is the Culture Days hub on Saturday, open 1 to 4:30 p.m. Historic house tours run through the estate and the craft tables are spread across the property: crepe paper flowers at the museum, garden eco prints on the West Porch, botanical stamped cards in the Old Post Office, and shibori indigo bandanas in the Coach House. Everything there is free.

Lakeside Park belongs to the dogs from 1 to 5 p.m. Toronto artist Micah Lexier is running an afternoon called Dog Days, where a carnival guesser tries to guess a dog's age or weight and hands over a custom minted coin in exchange for a donation to a local dog charity. A sketch artist draws your dog for free, while a second artist sketches the first artist at work.

At 110 King Street, the Oakville Historical Society is holding its Fall Fair with homemade preserves, baking and hand knitted goods for sale. The reason to stay is the photo booth: pioneer costumes, props, and a picture taken in front of the society's old fireplace.