B4B NYC, R.I.P. Summer Edition: 5 Best Bang-for-Your-Buck Events in NYC This Weekend

NEW YORK, NY — Fall is officially here, which means it's safe to eat oysters again; all hot drinks are about to be nuked with pumpkin flavoring; and for the next month-and-a-half, every 12 seconds, another local Oktoberfest will kick off in at least one biergarten somewhere in the five boroughs. But fingers crossed this summer weather continues a little longer, because there are some fantastic events on tap in New York City this weekend — and as per usual, the Patch Culture Hound has rounded up five of the best bangs for your buck (B4B NYC) from Friday through Sunday, in every price taste and price range.

SUMMER 2016 IS DEAD. LONG LIVE SUMMER 2016. Now let's mourn in style, with the...

BRYANT PARK SQUARE DANCE

Where: Bryant Park, Midtown [map]

When: Friday, 9/23, 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.; Saturday, 9/24, 3 p.m. to 9 p.m.

What: A sack race? Roping lessons? Heaps upon heaps of countrified vittles? This can only mean one thing: The Bryant Park Square Dance is back in town! Bring your boots and a straw hat, and leave your sense of shame at home — along with your partner, if you wish, as square-dance caller Dave Harvey of New York City Barn Dance will happily pair you up another incredibly attractive New Yorker and send the two of you swinging down the line. On the sidelines, enjoy a game of cornhole; enter giveaways and raffles; or kick up your dogs and chew the fat with all your new dancer friends in the Western-themed lounge area — just like on a real live ranch! I drink YOUR milkshake! More information here.

How much: FREE!

PYLON REENACTMENT SOCIETY

Where: Shea Stadium, Williamsburg [map]

When: Friday, 9/23, 8 p.m.

What: You could easily spend a king's ransom on live music this weekend: Diplo is at at Flash Factory, Morrissey plays Kings Theater, Weird Al's at Radio City, Adele rocks the Garden and (omgomgomg) Brian Wilson plays Pet Sounds at The Beacon. (Turn a trick or two, and you might even be able to get your hot cross buns on a ticket to see Kesha's new band at Warsaw.) But for all you mere mortals looking to stretch your tip money on something nutritious and affordable, look no further than the Pylon show at Shea Stadium. These 1980s proto-punksters, who in their latest iteration are calling themselves Pylon Reenactment Society, were much admired by R.E.M. and the B-52s — their peers from Athens, GA. Find out why Friday night, when the band's original lead singer, Vanessa Briscoe Hay, will tear through all the legendary '80s band's original hits. Sets from Denver popsters Dressy Bessy and Brooklyn trio Patio make this triple bill the deal of the month in music. More information and tickets here.

How much: Tickets are $10

QUEEN'S COUNTY FAIR

Where: Queen's County Farm Museum [map]

When: Sunday, 9/11, 3 p.m.

What: This one's a little tough to get to for the automobile-challenged among you — but if you can find a way to get yourself to the 34th Annual Queens County Fair, it's well worth the trip. Just think of it as the perfect opportunity to show the rugrats what life is like for their country-mouse cousins. (Doesn't everyone outside New York City grow champion hogs as a hobby?) There will be craft stations and games galore; pig races; pony rides; colonial cooking demos; worms for adoption (?); and, of course, the ever-popular hayride and corn maze. You might not catch a glimpse of the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, but you can probably get a photo with his thousand-pound cousin — and a couple blue-ribbon gourds, to boot! More information and tickets here.

How much: Admission costs $10 for adults and $5 for kids (plus additional fees for specific events and activities)

REAPING THE REWARDS: HARVESTING HONEY

Where: Building 3, Brooklyn Navy Yard, [map]

When: Sunday, 9/25, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

What: Here's a sweet idea for a late-September Sunday: Reaping the Rewards, a honey-harvesting seminar and demonstration hosted at super-cool rooftop farm Brooklyn Grange. Start upstairs at the apiary, where the process begins; there, you'll see the honey in its earliest phases and observe as resident bee keeper Tim Cerniglia handles his little flying friends. Then head downstairs to the lab, roll up your sleeves and get your hands nice and sticky while extracting, filtering, tasting and jarring the honey yourself. Two hours later, you'll go home with a small container of the golden fruits of your labor. More information and tickets here.

How much: Tickets are $45 each (and going fast!)

BROOKLYN POUR CRAFT BEER FESTIVAL

Where: Brooklyn Expo Center, Greenpoint [map]

When: Saturday, 8/23, 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. (VIP entry at 2 p.m.)

What: The other liquid gold also plays a starring role this weekend at the sixth Annual Brooklyn Pour Craft Beer Festival, sponsored by the recently revived Village Voice. Seventy breweries from New York state and beyond will be serving over 125 brews, meads, ciders and other adult beverages to savor (or slam). Connoisseurs will appreciate the nuance, while noobs will positively flip at the crazy new concoctions these mad-scientist brewmasters have devised of late — spiked seltzers, hard root beers and a bunch of other things you've never heard of. More information and tickets here.

How much: Admission is $55 and up

STILL NOT IMPRESSED? Here are some other cool things going on this weekend...

Wellness Weekend at the Hester Street Fair

Saturday, 9/24, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Seward Park on the Lower East Side. Most events are FREE.

NYC Dumpling Festival

Saturday, 9/24, from noon to 5 p.m. at Sarah D. Roosevelt Park on the Lower East Side. FREE.

Lower East Side Pickle Day

Sunday, 9/25, from noon to 5 p.m. on Orchard Street between Delancey and Houston streets. FREE.

Oktoberfest 2016

Saturday, 9/24, and Sunday, 9/25, from noon to midnight at the South Street Seaport. General admission is FREE. Beer-tasting tickets are $60 each.

Submit your event to arts@patch.com to be considered for the B4B NYC weekly roundup.