For more information, call 800-554-8540 or visit www.warrennet.org/warrencounty/edt/tourism.html

Belvidere displays its Victorian heritage, bicycle racers speed through Phillipsburg, Hope’s history is flaunted and the stars are shining over the observatory at Jenny Jump State Forest. What better way to enjoy summer’s waning days than to wander through Warren County? Moreover, plan ahead! Pencil in (or better yet, use a pen) the "Mark Your Calendar’’ items found at the end of this latest edition of Warren County Wanderings. You will be glad you did.

Saturday & Sunday, Sept. 7-8: Victorian Days, Belvidere. Step back in time and stroll the tree-lined streets of Victorian Belvidere. The historic town comes alive with turn of the century flair annually during Victorian Days, which includes house tours, porch and garden tea parties, antique and craft vendors, vintage car show, vintage fashion show and nonstop entertainment. Call 908-475-4124 or visit www.victorianbelvidere.com.

Saturday, Sept. 7: Phillipsburg Criterium bicycle races and Health and Fitness Expo. See professional and amateur racers speed through Downtown Phillipsburg in a series of contests, while you can learn more about keeping fit at the Phillipsburg Downtown Association’s Health & Fitness Expo at Shappell Park. 8am-2pm. Call 908-454-0432.

Saturdays, Sept. 7 and Sept. 14: Guided Walking Tour of Hope. Tours of this village of 18^th Century stone buildings, many built by the Moravian settlers, are conducted by H.O.P.E. (Help Our Preservation Effort). The tour begins at 10am at the Inn at Millrace Pond, Route 519, Hope, $8 donation. Call 908-459-9177.

Saturday, Sept. 7: Edible Wild Plants & Ecology at Well-Sweep Herb Farm. "Wildman’’ Steve Brill, naturalist and author, hosts a lecture and walk through the farm’s fields and woods identifying wild plants and mushrooms, and their uses. Reservations required, $16. Well-Sweep Herb Farm, 205 Mt. Bethel Rd. Port Murray, 1-4pm. Call 908-852-5390 or visit www.wellsweep.com.

Saturday, Sept. 7: Astronomy for the Public: The September Sky. Free lecture by Lonny Buinis of Raritan Valley College, and viewing of the night sky with the United Astronomy Clubs of New Jersey, Inc. at their observatory in Jenny Jump State Forest, Hope. 8-10:30pm. Call 908-755-6932 or visit http://users.erols.com/njastro.

Sunday, Sept. 8: California…Here We Come! Food & Wine Pairing at The Roaring Rock Restaurant. A six-course meal of Contemporary Northern California cuisine paired with 3 white and 3 red wines from the Fetzer Winery of Mendocino. Pre-registration with payment required; $35/person. 12:30-3:30pm, Brass Castle Road at Hartman’s Corner, Washington. Call 908-453-2322 or visit www.roaringrockrest.com.

Sunday, Sept. 8: Irish Feis at Waterloo Village. Experience Irish culture firsthand. Activities include a dance competition, bagpipe exhibition with massed bands, vendors and other entertainment. Join in the traditional ceili or enter the soda bread baking competition. 8:30am-6pm, Waterloo Village. Call 973-584-4985 or 973-887-2439 or visit www.waterloovillage.org or www.iaanj.org.

Sunday, Sept. 8: The Difference, in concert, Phillipsburg. Bring blankets and lawn chairs to this free outdoor rock’n’roll concert in The Gazebo at Shappell Park, South Main Street. The band is sponsored by Air Products and Chemicals, Inc., and all members are volunteers from the company. In a nationwide competition of corporate bands last year, The Difference won first place and performed at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio. 6pm. Call 908-454-5003.

Saturday, Sept. 14: Soap Making at Well-Sweep Herb Farm. Learn how to make all natural, homemade soap. Choose from a varied selection of herbs to create your own specialty soap. Reservations required, $25. Well-Sweep Herb Farm, 205 Mt. Bethel Rd. Port Murray, 1-4pm. Call 908-852-5390 or visit www.wellsweep.com.

Saturday, Sept. 14: 3^rd Annual Fireback Fiddle Contest. Bring blankets or lawn chairs and enjoy an afternoon of fiddle music, plus – new this year – banjo competitions as well. Presented on the lawn of Shippen Manor by the Warren County Cultural and Heritage Commission. $3,000 in prize money. Contestants must pre-register. 12noon, Shippen Manor Museum, 8 Belvidere Ave., Oxford. Call 908-453-4381 or visit www.wcchc.org.

Saturday, Sept. 14: Hackettstown Harvest Festival. Activities and entertainment in Downtown Hackettstown include a baking contest (spectators welcome), pie eating contest, scarecrow contest, petting zoo, M&M games, and horse & carriage rides. 10am-4pm. Call 908-852-2120.

Saturday, Sept. 14: "The Tillie Walk." Who really killed Tillie Smith remains a mystery 104 years later. Trace her last steps on this guided historical tour through Hackettstown. Presented by the Centenary Stage Company at Centenary College, Hackettstown. Call 908-979-0900 or visit www.centenarystageco.org.

Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 14-15: Wilbur’s Country Craft Fair. Featuring 75 crafts people are artists, funnel cakes and other food at Wilbur’s Country Store & Barn Shops, 735 Route 94, Frelinghuysen Twp. (between Blairstown and Newton), 10am-5pm, rain or shine. Call 908-362-8833.

Saturday, Sept. 14: Astronomy for the Public: Light Pollution. Free lecture by Neil Wendt of Amateur Astronomers, Inc., and viewing of the night sky with the United Astronomy Clubs of New Jersey, Inc. at their observatory in Jenny Jump State Forest, Hope. 8-10:30pm. Call 908-755-6932 or visit http://users.erols.com/njastro.

Opening Saturday, Sept. 14: "Uncommon Women and Others’’ presented by the Country Gate Players. Theatrical work by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Wendy Wasserstein begins with a reunion of five college friends and tells their story in a series of flashbacks. Performances are 8pm on Sept. 14, 21 and 28 and 2pm on Sept. 29, Country Gate Playhouse, 114 Greenwich St., Belvidere. Call 908-475-1104.

Opening Saturday, Sept. 14: Hillcrest Camera Club Photography Show & Nonmember Competition, through Nov. 1. Artists Reception is September 22, 2-4 p.m. Photos by club members plus a competition open to nonmembers. Weekdays 9:30am-4pm, Oxford Municipal Building Gallery, 11 Green Street, Oxford. Call 908-459-5815 or visit http://community.nj.com/hillcrestcameraclub.

Thursday, Sept. 19: Ice Harvesting is the topic at the Oxford Historical Society’s Fall 2002 meeting. Presented by area historian Myra Snook, who will describe how ice was obtained in the years before freezers were invented, 7pm, Oxford Municipal Building, 11 Green St., Oxford. Call 908-453-3142.

Fridays, Sept. 20, 27: Jazz Guitarist Walt Bibinger at The Roaring Rock Restaurant. Hear one of the area’s top jazz artists in this charming country restaurant. 9pm-12midnight. The Roaring Rock, Brass Castle Road at Hartman’s Corner, Washington. Call 908-453-2322 or visit www.roaringrockrest.com.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR! (More on these events in the next edition of Warren County Wanderings):

Sept. 21: Phillipsburg Riverside Festival of the Arts, Kobble Beach on the Delaware River by the Free Bridge, Phillipsburg. Call 908-213-9100.

Sept. 21: Civil War Torchlight Tour at Shippen Manor, Oxford. Call 908-453-4381.

Sept. 21-22: 8^th Annual Sheep & Fiber Festival, Warren County Fairgrounds. Call 908-730-7189.

Sept. 21-22: Festival of Music at Four Sisters Winery, Belvidere. Call 908-475-3671.

Sept. 28: Upper Delaware Wildlife Heritage Festival at Pequest Trout Hatchery & Natural Resource Education Center, Oxford. Call 908-637-4125 or visit www.upperdelaware.org.

Oct. 4-6: Hope and Dreams Film Festival, Blair Academy, Blairstown. Visit www.hopeanddreams.org.

HOT TIP OF THE WEEK: We had dinner last week at the Knowlton Restaurant and thought it was terrific. The filet mignon was cooked to perfection, the veal with crab stuffing was mouth-watering, and the menu is full of interesting dishes. Meanwhile, they have a children’s menu and the kids scarfed down their chicken fingers and fries. Tucked away at 3 Decatur Street in the village of Columbia, it’s just off Route 80 exit 4. Call them at 908-496-0123.

OTHER HOT TIP: The Phillipsburg Downtown Association’s Virtual Fleamarket just launched this week, informing subscribers to an email newsletter about great deals from Phillipsburg merchants and association members. If you’d like to subscribe, email them at PhillipsburgDA@msn.com. If you want to check it out first, send a reply email to me and I’ll forward you a copy.

For more information on places to stay, things to do, where to eat and other attractions in Warren County, click right to http://www.warrennet.org/warrencounty/edt/tourism.html or call the Warren County Tourism Department at 800-554-8540. We hope to see you soon.