One of the annual epiphanies for many Newtowners slipping into fall routines after a summer of off-and-on vacationing elsewhere, is that there really is no place like home. We cannot think of a vacation spot we have been to lately that can come close to matching the sheer beauty of western Connecticut at this time of year. Yes, the weather is as varied as the colors in the trees, but even the experience of morning mist and fog lingering in the hollows and valleys can be as spectacular as a sparkling sunny day. New England’s beauty runs deep at this time of year, and so does our impulse to get outside and enjoy what our town has to offer. Fortunately, Newtown obliges with an astonishing array of events and activities that suit the season perfectly.

This weekend, for example, scarecrows will materialize on the front lawn of the Newtown Middle School featuring all the frightful trappings a modern adolescent mind can muster as part of the school’s annual Scarecrow Contest. Everyone gets to vote on the winner over the course of the next week. See ballots and details in this week’s Bee. If things that go bump in the night are not your thing, there is a Harvest Fair at the Senior Center on Riverside Road, and a home-grown art show and sale at The Meeting House on Saturday and Sunday, sponsored by the Society of Creative Arts of Newtown.

For those who just cannot wait until Halloween for their ghost stories, there is a “Ghosts Among Us” program at the Booth Library on Sunday afternoon. And if you think all this traveling around town will make you feel dizzy, take a turn in the Paproskis’ corn maze off Sugar Lane — that will keep your head spinning.

This full schedule of community events and opportunities for fun seem to run concurrently each year with the homestretch of the election season, providing much needed diversions from all the serious political talk. If Election Day is the exclamation point at the end of Newtown’s annual autumnal statement of identity, Halloween weekend is always the surprise ending. Halloween in Newtown has evolved into a full-blown, informal festival on Main Street on Halloween night, but this year the weekend will feature a new event on Saturday, October 30: The Great Pumpkin Race. This new Lions Club event will judge pumpkins not only on decoration, carving, and taste (yes, pumpkin pies), but on speed. Competitors will race pumpkins on wheels down the hill behind Edmond Town Hall on Main Street. The event runs from 1 to 4 pm; check it out! Of course, this is just a sampling of what’s happening. For the full menu of events, check out The Bee’s community and cultural calendars this week.

So, put away all those travel brochures. The best destination at this time of year is just on the other side of your front door.