Fall has officially arrived- both in the air and on the calendar -so what better time to look forward to some of the things that make this season great?

The southwest metro has it all when it comes to fall - from crisp red apples and giant orange pumpkins to family-friendly corn mazes and spook-tastic attractions. Here are just a few of our fall faves.

By Chuck Friedbauer

Homecoming activities for Chaska High School will once again be located both at the high school and in downtown Chaska. The annual parade will wind through the city at 4 p.m. Friday, Sept. 24.

Coronation of the royal court, which included “couples” from each Chaska elementary school, was held Monday evening at City Square. Taylor Diles is homecoming king and Lauren Beck is homecoming queen.

Visit the Rapids Lake Education & Visitor Center to learn more about the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge and America’s public lands on Saturday, Sept. 25, “National Public Lands Day.”

Music by the Lake kicks off its sixth season of bringing music to Waconia and the surrounding community.

The series begins with the Tantalus Guitar Quartet. “This is going to be a fun concert,” says Charley Streiff chair person of the MBTL series. “We are extremely fortunate to have a guitar quartet of this caliber come to our community. They are very accomplished musicians who love to perform.”

Carver County Parks is asking the public’s help to remove buckthorn, an exotic plant, on Saturday September 25 from 10 a.m. until 12 p.m. at Lake Minnewashta Regional Park located on Highway 41 between Highway 5 and Highway 7 in Chanhassen.

Carver County Parks has a morning dedicated to restoring Lake Minnewashta Regional Park to a more natural state.

Groups, families and individuals are invited to take part in the Carver County Parks Buckthorn Roundup.

By Unsie Zuege

Move over Superman; make room Wonder Woman. There’s a new superhero in town.

“Faster than tornado winds. More powerful than a dump truck. Clears garden pests with a blast of power breath. Look above the Arboretum! It’s a cloud, it’s a fog bank. It’s the Planter!”

So begins a fictional, magical mystery tour of the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, created, written, and illustrated by Georgia Kandiko, a Chanhassen watercolorist, mosaic artist, and art instructor.

The weekends are limited and the campground at Baylor Regional Park will be closing Oct. 17 for 2010, so now is the time to make your fall camping reservations.

During the last weekend of the season, participate in the 7th Annual Baylor Campground Chili Cook-off on Saturday, Oct. 16.

The campground at Baylor Park has many large shade trees that provide protection from sun and wind while creating a natural camping environment, according to a county press release.

By Unsie Zuege

Jeremy West has a farmer’s market right outside his front door. Creating inventive, tasty and fresh-from-the-garden meals this summer has been effortless and a lot of fun for West, who in addition to being a gardening enthusiast, loves to cook.

West, 32, of Chanhassen, has re-imagined his suburban lawn. Instead of cultivating a lush fairway of clipped green turf, set off with landscaping standbys like hosta and arborvitae, West’s lawn is an edible garden of plenty.

Poor diet contributes to four of the six leading causes of death (heart disease, cancer, stroke and diabetes), and it is estimated that healthier diets could reduce $71 billion per year in medical costs, lost productivity and lost lives, according to a Minnesota Landscape Arboretum press release.

One approach to improving the American diet, as recommended in the 2010 USDA guidelines, is that we eat more plants—vegetables, fruits, seeds, whole grains and legumes.

A new exhibit displays 15 works of art by students in the District 112 Community Education course “Working with Acrylics & Water Mediums,” taught by Sara Hanlon.

The exhibit is on display at Auburn Manor, 501 North Oak Street, through the month of September. The hours of the show are Tuesdays and Thursdays 2-4 p.m.; and Sundays 1-4 p.m.

The artists of this exhibition, as submitted by Hanlon, are: