There’s no excuse for boredom today.

The first Saturday in October is arguably the busiest day in Suffolk each year, and this year is no exception. Get the kids up early, skip the cartoons, have a nutritious breakfast and head to the downtown area. When you get there, you can park the car and leave it all day, because there’s plenty to keep the whole family entertained for the whole time.

Among the highlights of the day are the following:

• The Peanut Fest 5K Run/Walk and 1-Mile Walk: Beginning at Constant’s Wharf at 6:30 a.m., this event, sponsored by Healthy People Healthy Suffolk, will get the blood pumping and take away the chill of the fall morning. The run is free and open to all ages and abilities, and it is a non-timed event. The aim is simply to encourage physical activity. Donations of canned goods for the Salvation Army’s food pantry are requested.
• The Suffolk Peanut Festival Parade: The fun begins at 10 a.m., and the parade will travel from South Broad Street down Washington Street and up North Main Street to Finney Avenue. The parade includes local high school marching bands, equestrian groups and more. This year’s chairman is George Birdsong, whose family’s business, Birdsong Peanuts, celebrates its 100th anniversary this year.
• Main Street UMC Fall Festival: During and after the parade, members of the church will hold a Brunswick stew sale and bake sale, a plant sale, a Scholastic book fair, a silent auction and a “Fabulous Finds” sale featuring furniture, clothes, books, household items, jewelry, pocketbooks, craft items and more.
• Touch a Truck, Train and More: The Suffolk-Nansemond Historical Society will reprise its popular event for kids of all ages from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Participants will be able to touch and climb on about 25 pieces of large construction, public safety and farming equipment, including excavators, fire trucks and an ambulance, a cement truck, a tractor and more. The Planters Nutmobile will be on site, as will a street sweeper, the library’s bookmobile, the train caboose that stays at the museum year-round, and more. Tickets are $4 each or four for $14.
• Oyster Roast: The Boys and Girls Clubs Suffolk Unit wraps up the day from 5 to 8 p.m. at Constant’s Wharf with its annual oyster roast and barbecue. The Island Boy band as well as members of the club will provide the entertainment. Tickets are $30 at the gate.

It’ll be a great day. Come join the fun.