It is the last weekend of September and there are many events planned for September, 26th 2026.
First, tonight Thursday, September 24, at 6 PM the Mother Lode League of Women Voters will host a candidate forum for Tuolumne Utilities District 1. Both candidates on the ballot will attend: Ron Ringen and Tom Crosby. The forum is for the public to get to know the candidates before they vote on November 3rd. Details are in the event listing here.
Support the Mi Wuk/Sugar Pine Fire Station by calling soon to place enchiladas orders. The Fire Station on Highway 108 in Sugar Pine will be the pick-up location next month. More details are in the event listing here.
Tomorrow is the homecoming parade before the Sonora football game as detailed here.
The Word of Life Fellowship Church is hosting a special night of worship and the arts on Friday. Details are here.
Saturday is the 3rd Annual Downtown Sonora Sidewalk Sale. Shoppers are invited from 10 AM – 5 PM to discover special offers, sidewalk bargains, and unique merchandise, as downtown merchants clear out seasonal inventory and prepare for the 2026 Christmas shopping season. More than 30 downtown businesses are participating as detailed here.
Join the Watershed Watch of Calaveras this Saturday at a Training and Orientation Day in Murphys Park. The volunteer-led program begins at 10 AM to train more citizen scientists to collect water quality data on a quarterly basis. Watershed Watch of Calaveras is looking to expand the program to monitor critical riparian sites throughout Calaveras County as detailed here.
At Westside in Tuolumne the open air concert pavilion will host the 2nd Annual Nancy’s Hope Music Festival starting at 11 AM. The entertainment line-up has performances scheduled through 6 PM with Dominick Restivo, Mark Grauer and Katie Doherty, Clan Dyken, BZ Smith, Joe Craven, Jimbo Scott, and The Lack Family. In addition to the music there will be vendors, and a kid zone, it is an alcohol free and family-friendly event.
The Ironstone Concours d’Elegance is this Saturday. The event features local antique and classic cars as well as vintage trailers, motorcycles and wooden boats. Proceeds from the Ironstone Concours d’Elegance benefit Central and Northern California youth in agriculture, including Future Farmers of America (FFA) and 4-H.
The Twain Harte Area CERT team and Steve Machado from the California Highway Patrol team are hosting a workshop on Traffic Control. Details on how to RSVP are in the event listing here.
The 42nd Annual Columbia Fiddle & Bango Contest is this Saturday at the Gazebo in Columbia Historic State Park. The misspelling of banjo is a feature of this free to attend musical event, contestants pay an entry fee of $15 for adults and it is free for ages 19 and under. Sign-ups are 9 AM to 10:30 AM with contest categories that include fiddle, banjo, guitar, mandolin, vocal, miscellaneous, and original song.
This year’s banjo contest will honor Steve LaVine’s memory, who he served as the voice of the contest and passed away earlier this year. Stories about LaVine’s signature warmth and wit will be shared throughout the contest with a special lunchtime performance by Cactus Bob, Prairie Flower, and friends highlighting many of LaVine’s original songs. The event’s new Master of Ceremonies will be Jessie Valentine. In addition to the Fiddle & Bango Contest, Columbia will also host the Poison Oak Contest at the St. Charles Saloon, as well as a chili cook-off between many of the eateries in town. More details are here.
In Murphys Community Park enjoy an Oktoberfest celebration on Saturday from 11 AM – 4 PM. The event will include sausages and other German fare, beer on tap, a stein holding contest, cornhole and trivia. Music by the Murphys Community Band from 1 – 3 PM.
As detailed here, Pat’s Pocket Dinner and Concert on Saturday will raise money to help Christian pastors, missionaries and other Christian workers from independent churches who have a significant financial, medical, housing or other need. Tickets will be available at the Motherlode Fairgrounds Sierra Building door. More details are here.
This Friday is the last Angels Camp Farmers’ Market. It will be held from 4:30 – 7:30 PM at Utica Park. The Sonora Farmers Market will be open from 7:30 – 11 AM every Saturday through October 31st. Sunday morning from 9 AM – 1 PM is the Murphys Park Farmers Market at Murphys Park. It will continue into October.
Railtown 1897 State Historic Park will present Tales of the Roundhouse, a lantern-lit evening of true railroad tragedies and haunting tales. Tours begin at 6:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday as detailed here.
The restaurant of the month in our dining guide is Seven Sisters. Check out movie times in Angels Camp and Riverbank. Next weekend there are a lot of events, all listed here.
