The oppressive heat of summer seems to have let up, and that means a variety of festivals are just around the corner in Johnston County. The reasons to celebrate range from mules to music to railroads, but each event offers a chance to enjoy the crisp fall weather.

Here is a rundown of what's coming up in the next few weeks:

Benson Mule Days

Mules will be taking over the streets of Benson for the 60th year Sept. 24-27. The event will again feature rodeos, a parade, live music, barbeque and carnival rides.

Benson Chamber of Commerce Director Loretta Byrd said the chamber has added more live music than in past years. And the Shriners, after several years away, will be back in Saturday's parade with their miniature cars and antics.

"They're always a lot of fun," Byrd said.

New for this year is a mule shoot tournament, which is similar to horseshoes. That event will take place Saturday.

Byrd said that the best description of Mule Days comes from a parade judge who once visited. "He said that it was like a slice of Americana," she said. "He felt like he was having a Norman Rockwell moment."

The chamber is expecting 40,000 to 50,000 people to come, an attendance number that's down a bit because of the economy.

The complete schedule is available at www.bensonmuledays.com.

International Food Festival

On Saturday, Sept. 26, St. Ann Catholic Church will stage its second annual celebration of food and music from 15 countries. The festivities will take place from 11:30 a.m. till 6:30 p.m. at the church on U.S. 70 Business between Smithfield and Clayton.

Event chairman Joe Boizin said he expects 2,500 to 3,000 people to attend, up from 2,000 last year. Proceeds benefit the church, which raised about $35,000 last year.

Among the many cuisines are Polish, Italian, Greek and Hungarian, and all food is made by church members, whose families hail from all over the world. "We have a pretty diverse ethnic group here at St. Ann's," Boizin said.

About 350 church members are working to put the festival together, he added. "Everything is done by the parishioners," he said.

The live music will be just as diverse as the food and will include a Celtic group, a Mariachi band and Honduran drummers.

The festival will also feature a silent auction of items like Carolina Panthers tickets, rounds of golf at local courses and cookware items. In addition, the event will offer games for children. New this year is a mascot for the festival, a cooking-themed character named Le Chef.

Faith Festival in Smithfield

Also on Saturday, local churches are partnering with the Downtown Smithfield Development Corp. for an evening of Christian music at the Neuse River Amphitheater.

From 5 till 10 p.m., groups including Flowers for Faye, When Forever Come, The Sacred Code and PB&J will perform. Christian rock band Isaiah Six will headline the event with a performance at 8:30 p.m., and Christian hip-hop artist Lawrence Davis will be master of ceremonies.

The event is targeted towards kids and teens, and organizers hope many local church youth groups will attend together.

"We wanted to reach out to the youth by offering them a very high-energy rock-type of entertainment, but with a Christian message," said Tommy Cook, youth director at First Baptist Church.

Admission is free.

Selma Railroad Days

This fall brings Selma's 34th annual Railroad Days festival, which will run Oct. 3-4. The two-day festival began in the 1970s as a fundraiser for the town's railroad station, which had fallen into disrepair. Joe Carter, the town's parks and recreation director, said the festival helped transform the building into the renovated Amtrak station that still stands today.

The Town of Selma has a few new activities planned for Railroad Days. This time around, kids will have a bigger and better play area, and the festival will stage a cornhole tournament.

Carter said he expected 15,000 visitors, about 3,000 more than last year. Zilphia Meeks Bailey, a longtime Selma resident, will serve as grand marshal for the festival.

Visitors can also take in live entertainment, browse vendors, see model train displays and take a trolley ride. There will also be a Railroad Days parade, a five-kilometer run and a family walk.

The town will take vendor registrations, entries for the cornhole tournament and entries for the parade until this Friday. Call Carter at 919-975-1411.