As a kid growing up on our dairy farm, October was my favorite month. It was high harvest season. After-school hours and weekends were filled with hard physical labor that seemed more palatable when working in the cool, crisp fall days. I remember watching my father tour the farm buildings every year around Halloween.

Have you heard of the free eBird app from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology? I use it to record the birds I see and other data including date and location of the sighting. It keeps track of my “Life List” — my personal cumulative record of every bird species I’ve ever seen. I also use it to generate reports using a variety of filters.

Grace Lutheran Church, 501 S. Main St., Oconto Falls, is this area’s point of collection for Samaritan’s Purse Operation Christmas Child shoebox collection.

Last year, over 1,000 shoeboxes were gathered from individuals, churches and organizations, then loaded and shipped from Grace. These shoeboxes provide supplies to children around the world.

The Nu Chapter of Delta Kappa Gamma, an organization of women educators, has announced that it is offering one $500 scholarship to an eligible college student who is pursuing a degree in education.

Applicants must be college or university students who have been admitted to an education program. Interested college students from Waupaca and Shawano counties are encouraged to apply. Completed applications are due Nov. 8.

FRIDAY, OCT. 17

SURING: Bakery/Soups and Vendor Sale, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Emmanuel Evangelical Lutheran Church, 13334 County Road AA.

NAVARINO: Farmtoberfest, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Porter’s Patch, W4314 State Highway 156. Variety of family activities, 60 varieties of pumpkins for sale, food, live music. Details at porterspatch.com. Weekends through Oct. 26. Admission $12.32 plus tax per person; ages 3 and younger free.

What started as a hobby has turned into a difference-making venture for a Marion company.

The Rogers family, which has owned and operated Great Lakes Veneer Inc. in Marion for more than a century, purchased an airboat manufacturer in Ontario, Canada, about a decade ago.