Like everyone else, I’m totally surprised to find that the calendar page declares it is the end of another month. How can that be, and why has fall arrived already?

There were so many summer activities I wanted to participate in yet. Oh well, fall has tons of fun and exciting events, too, and here are just a few:

•The Friends of the Library is hosting its annual Fall Used Book Sale on Friday and Saturday.

There will be good quality used books, CDs, DVDs, cassettes, audio books and great children’s materials available. All funds raised provide programming and materials for the Austin Public Library.

Memberships to the Friends of the Library are available at the circulation desk for just $10 per family per year. Join now, and you can attend the pre-sale for members only from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Thursday.

• “Eurydice,” directed by Lindsey Duoos Williams, will be performed at the Frank Bridges Theatre at Riverland Community College starting Thursday and running through Sunday, Oct. 7.

Pulitzer Prize finalist Sarah Ruhl re-imagines the classic myth of Orpheus through the eyes of its heroine. With contemporary characters, ingenious plot twists and breathtaking visual effects, “Eurydice” is a fresh look at a timeless love story.

•Since it is fall, it’s time for the yearly Halloween Warm-Up at Jay C. Hormel Nature Center on Friday and Saturday. This event will be held at the Nature Center’s trails area, and is co-sponsored by Matchbox Children’s Theatre. Visitors to the event will be led into the forest to meet the assorted spirits residing there. The program is appropriate for children ages 4-11. All ages are welcome, and ticket price includes apple cider and a cookie. Get your tickets ahead of time at Superfresh Produce, online at www.matchboxchildrenstheatre.org or by calling 437-7519. Just a reminder, tickets generally sell out fast.

•Another great fall-time festival is the Shooting Star Scenic Byway Fall Fest. Events held at the Rose Pedaler in Rose Creek, included horse and wagon rides, all set for Friday and Saturday. For full details, contact Becky Hartwig at 507-434-0500 or bhartwig4902@yahoo.com.

•The Jay C. Hormel Nature Center’s 10th annual Thanksgiving Feast at St. Edward’s Corcoran Center is set for Saturday, Oct. 27. This is an annual fundraiser for the Nature Center in Austin, and includes a social hour, silent and live auctions and a special Thanksgiving Feast program. Call 507-437-7519 for tickets.

We are excited to announce that the State Pepsi Bowling Tournament will be held in Austin at Echo Lanes for a weekend May 2013, which will bring approximately more than 250 young people.

•Also, a major convention will be coming in for four days in June of 2014 that will also bring in hundreds of visitors to our area. This particular group is meeting in Spokane, Wash., in 2013, so we feel very fortunate that they have chosen Austin for 2014.

We are always working ahead, to keep leisure and family travelers, business travelers, motor coach groups, reunion groups, and convention attendees interested in making Austin their destination of choice.

Vote Travel. http://votetravel.org/. Check us out on our website at www.austincvb.com or at our facebook page https://www.facebook.com/pages/Austin-Convention-Visitors-Bureau/315110621875?ref=ts&fref=ts.

As always, you can call my staff members and I at the Austin Convention and Visitors Bureau office for events and information at 437-4563. Let us know what is happening with your group or organization, so we can help promote it to our visitors. Make the most of all Austin has to offer this fall season.