Last weekend, we officially welcomed fall to the Berkshires, but this weekend features a few events that really usher in the season.

First up is the annual Country Fair at Hancock Shaker Village in Pittsfield, which celebrates the bounty of the harvest with agricultural demonstrations, wagon rides, a farmers' market, family activities and more. The fair is free with regular admission of $18 for adults and $8 for children 13 to 17 (kids 12 and under with an adult are always free!) and runs both Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 28 and 29, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Then there is the 34th annual Lenox Apple Squeeze & Harvest Festival, which transforms downtown Lenox into a giant seasonal street fair. The festival features food, rides, shopping, live music and family fun galore from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. both Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 28 and 29. Lenox is one of the prettiest towns on the planet in the fall, so don't miss this opportunity to celebrate the season in style.

I may be partial, since I live in Williamstown, but if Lenox is ONE of the prettiest towns in the fall, I have to say that Williamstown is THE prettiest town in the fall. As hokey as it may sound, I catch my breath every time I drive along the stretch of Route 7 between South Williamstown and downtown Williamstown. On a clear day, now not only can you see Mount Greylock and its Veterans War Memorial Tower, but you can also see in the distance the wind turbines of the Hoosac Range. Leaving aside the politics and problems surrounding the turbines, I believe they make the long-distance view of this picture-perfect spot even better.

So what's in Williamstown this weekend, besides the lovely views? It's the annual Hopkins Forest Fall Celebration from 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 29. The celebration will take place within the forest, located at the junction of Northwest Hill Road and Bulkley Street. The event is free and will feature traditional woodworking demonstrations, music, apple butter and cider production, refreshments, a canopy walkway and children's activities. The forest is owned by Williams College, and this is one of the nice ways the college reaches out to the community.

Of course, these are all outdoor activities, and while crisp, cool and dry fall weather is always appreciated, I do have a fun family suggestion for Saturday, Sept. 28, should it rain.

Anyone who has been to Washington, D.C., knows that the Smithsonian Museums boast free admission, which is awesome and made my own recent trip to the Air and Space Museum even sweeter. Am I suggesting you head south this weekend? Not at all — free museum admission is coming to us! Smithsonian magazine is sponsoring Museum Day Live!, an annual event in which participating museums across the country open their doors to anyone presenting a Museum Day ticket - for free. (You can get the tickets emailed to you by going online to smithsonianmag.com.)

Here in the Berkshires, there are several options. In Massachusetts, Naumkeag in Stockbridge, the Berkshire Museum in Pittsfield and Chesterwood in Stockbridge are participating. Just north of the border in Vermont, the Bennington Battle Monument (which has an elevator up to what promises to be a gorgeous view this time of year), the Bennington Center for the Arts and the Bennington Museum are participating.

You can also stop by one of the Trustees of Reservations historic homes on Sunday for their annual Home Sweet Home open houses from 1 to 3.

So rain or shine, it's a great fall weekend for families. Enjoy!

Berkshire County native Rebecca Dravis of Williamstown is a former journalist who now works for the Girl Scouts of Central and Western Massachusetts. She can be reached at rdravis@verizon.net.

Cassandra Cleghorn of The Wandering Rocks, a Williamstown-based band, performs at FreshGrass on Friday evening.

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — FreshGrass — it's the bluegrass music festival at Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art that just keeps growing.

After a hot and humid last gasp of summer a week ago, fall came roaring back — and even brought with it a hint of winter with a frosty morning earlier this week. Ah, gotta love Berkshire weather!

But as the calendar indeed officially turns to autumn this weekend, one of my favorite Berkshire events is back: Lee Founders Weekend. Billed as "the town of Lee's annual birthday celebration," the event features three days of fun for the entire family.

The celebration kicks off on Friday, Sept. 20, with vendors and events running from 3 to 10 p.m., in the middle of which is the "Taste of Lee" event featuring more than a dozen local restaurants showing off their goods from 5 to 8 p.m. For the kids is a bounce house, pumpkin decorating, face paintings, music and more, including the "Lee Idol" talent competition at The Spectrum at 7:30 p.m.

That's a big day in itself. But wait ... there's more! On Saturday, events run from 9:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., including the highlight of the weekend for many: the Hometown Parade along Main Street at 11 a.m. Immediately after the parade will be the fireman's muster at the Athletic Field, which is especially popular with little boys, and more children's entertainment on the Lee Library lawn. Wrap up the day by giving the family a taste of culture from 4 to 8 p.m. with the Latino Festival under the tent on the green.

The fun continues on Sunday from 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. with a pancake breakfast, walking tour of Lee and the ever-popular Duck Race to benefit the Lee Youth Association. A new Sunday addition this year will be a magic show under the tent on the Green at 3:30 and 4:30 p.m.

For all the details and more information, visit Lee Founders Weekend.

So what if you have spent the entire weekend in Lee with the kids, and by Sunday night you are tearing your hair out because the kids. Just. Won't. Listen. Consider a Monday evening salve of a Child Care of the Berkshires program titled "How to Talk So Kids Will Listen and Listen So Kids Will Talk." Really, what parent among us hasn't needed something like this at some point?

The workshop runs from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Haskins Center in North Adams. It is based on the classic book by Faber and Mazlish and aims to teach parents common sense ways to help them and their children become better listeners and how to gain their child's cooperation and resolve family conflicts peacefully.

Parents will receive workbooks that follow the series and a "How to Talk So Kids Will Listen" book at course completion. Registration is required at 413-664-4821, so I guess you can't wait until the kids misbehave all weekend before you realize how helpful this workshop might be. It's OK. You can admit it now. No one is judging you. Pick up the phone. You can do it.

Berkshire County native Rebecca Dravis of Williamstown is a former journalist who now works for the Girl Scouts of Central and Western Massachusetts. She can be reached at rdravis@verizon.net.