Today will begin a weekend of fun in downtown Buchanan as the city celebrates Fair on the Square and welcomes the return of the annual Haralson County Historical Society’s Pumpkin Caper.

Buchanan’s Fair on the Square was scheduled to take place last month; however, the event was rained out and rescheduled for this weekend.

As was previously planned, vendors will set up their tables and booths as early as 8 a.m. today, and the live entertainment will begin in front of the Buchanan-Haralson Public Library at 10 a.m. Local entertainers include Michelle’s Academy of Dance, The Fever Performing Arts Studio, The Howlers and Elly Elephante’s School of Self Defense as well as other local singers and performers.

At noon, residents will be treated to a parade, which will begin at Buchanan Primary School, progress down Business Highway 27, circle around the square and then return to the school via Van Wert Street.

Of course, according to Haralson County Historical Society President Karen Higgins, there will still be plenty of food, crafts and fun games for the kids.

To continue this week’s festive atmosphere, the Haralson County Historical Society will host the Pumpkin Caper at the Buchanan-Haralson Public Library from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Monday.

“The Pumpkin Caper is just a great way for us to give back to the community for supporting us all year,” Higgins said.

At the Pumpkin Caper, area school children will have the opportunity to decorate a pumpkin and line up their creations around the library. There was also a suggested theme for this year’s decorations to help get residents excited about the upcoming Smithsonian exhibit, Key Ingredients: America by Food, which will be making its last stop in Buchanan in January.

“This year we asked the students to follow a theme if they wished: ‘When is a pumpkin not a pumpkin?’” Higgins said. “We challenged the students to turn their pumpkin into another type of food.”

However, the theme is a suggestion not a requirement, so children are still welcome to bring their spooky pumpkins to the library as well. All pumpkins will be lit after dark.

Local children are also welcome to participate in the Buchanan Elementary Sponsored Halloween costume contest, which will be held on the second floor of the library. Children aged 0 to 14 years are eligible to participate for only $3, which will benefit the school. The contest will be broken down into age groups in two-year increments, and there will be a first, second and third place prize in each age group. However, Higgins says everyone who participates will receive a treat.

“We’ll also have a pie-eating contest if we have enough volunteers,” Higgins said.

If the pie-eating contest receives the green light, contestants will be divided up into the 7- to 9-year-old group and the 9- to 11-year-old group. It will cost $1 to enter the contest. Contestants will then have 2 minutes to eat as many pie pieces as they can, and the winners will receive a gift card.

Of course, there will also games, hot dogs, trick-or-treating at the local businesses, and hot chocolate if the weather is chilly.