Brown Bag, Live at 5 concerts set for October

October is one of the months I look forward to every year — not just because I can begin to feel the change in the seasons but also because there are so many great things to do.

For starters, there's the Hattiesburg Arts Council's Brown Bag Lunch Concert Series at lunchtime every Thursday in October at the fountain outside City Hall.

October also signals the return of the Live at Five concerts every Friday night of the month at Town Square Park in downtown Hattiesburg.

This year you can get back-to-back performances by local favorite Tommie T-Bone Pruitt as he kicks off the start of both Live at Five and Brown Bag. Look for Pruitt from 11:30 to 1 p.m. Oct. 6 at the fountain park and starting at 5 p.m. Oct. 7 at Town Square Park.

You can bring your own or pick up a lunch for $6 each week at the Brown Bag concerts, but come early, as they don't last long. The lunches are provided by local restaurants. The Keg & Barrel will be the featured restaurant at the Oct. 6 concert.

Food, beverage and other vendors will be at the Live at Five concerts, or feel free to bring your own food and drink as well as lawn chairs and blankets.

As much as I look forward to the concerts, the fun begins well before those series start.

Festivals

St. John Lutheran Church will hold its annual Oktoberfest from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at the church, 2001 Hardy St., Hattiesburg. Traditional German foods, beverages and entertainment will be offered throughout the day. You can pick up meals to go or stay and listen to some oompah music while you eat. There also will be baked goods and crafts for sale at the event.

Laurel's Loblolly Festival returns Saturday to celebrate the city's sawmill-town heritage. Again, there'll be lots of food and music to be heard. The event will be from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 401 Central Ave. in Laurel.

Art exhibit

Hector Boldo, who has been making a name for himself on the local art scene since moving to Hattiesburg, is the next featured artist at the Hattiesburg Arts Council's Open Studio on Front.

Boldo will hold an opening reception beginning at 6 p.m. Saturday at the studio, located in the America building, 207 E. Front St.

Breast cancer awareness

Breast Cancer Awareness Month also kicks off Saturday. The Southern Miss football team will wear pink in some form or fashion to honor survivors and patients. Attendees also are asked to wear pink.

Waiting for a Cure members (including myself) will be handing out pink ribbon stickers to anyone who wants to recognize the disease that affects tens of thousands of women annually. The Golden Eagles (3-1) will take on Rice (0-4) with kickoff at 6 p.m.

This will be the Eagles' last home game until homecoming, which is Oct. 29.

On Monday the group will hold its annual Celebrity Waiter fundraiser starting at 6 p.m., with lots of local celebrity guests and some surprises.

I'll write about more breast cancer awareness events in the coming weeks, so stay tuned!

Lici Beveridge is the breaking news reporter for the Hattiesburg American. Reach her at lbeveridge@hattiesburgamerican.com or (601) 584-3104.