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WEDNESDAY 30
Helen Fielding Books Inc, 601 Van Ness, SF; www.booksinc.net. 7pm, free. The best-selling author reads from her latest Bridget Jones tale, Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy.
San Francisco AlteredBarbie Exhibition Shotwell 50 Gallery, 50 Shotwell, SF; www.alteredbarbie.com. Exhibit hours Wed-Sat, 1-7pm; Sun, 1-6; opening reception Fri/1, 7pm-midnight; exhibit runs through Nov 17. Free. Back for its 11th year, this “creative reuse” art show presents plastic icons Barbie and Ken as you’ve never seen them before. Check out the website for a “make your own” workshop, a poetry night, and more.
THURSDAY 31
“Hacienda Halloween” Peralta House Museum of History and Community, 2465 34th Ave, Oakl; www.peraltahacienda.org. 5-7pm, free. Visit the Peralta Hacienda Historical House for a unique Halloween party, with stories of California’s early years, autumn vegetables, and maybe even an East Bay spirit or two.
“The Satanic Rites of the Vortex Room” Vortex Room, 1082 Howard, SF; Facebook: The Vortex Room. 9pm, $10. Double-feature of spooky flicks for the scariest night of the year: 1982’s don’t-put-that-mask-on classic Halloween III: Season of the Witch, followed by 1977’s don’t-go-to-ballet-school-in-Germany classic Suspiria.
FRIDAY 1
“Afro-Futurism: Envisioning the Year 2070 and Beyond” Alameda County Law Library, 125 12th St, SF; www.acgov.org. Library hours Mon, Wed, and Fri, 8:30am-6pm; Tue and Thu, 8:30am-9pm; opening reception Nov 12, 6-8pm; exhibit runs through Dec 31. Free. Kheven LaGrone curates this forward-looking art exhibit, featuring works by Durrell Owens, Ajuan Mance, Karen Oyekanmi, Malik Seneferu, and others.
“Word/Play: Illustrators vs. Authors Showdown!” Booksmith, 1644 Haight, SF; www.booksmith.com. 7pm, $10 (includes open bar). Illustrators battle authors for parlor-game supremacy in “an epic battle of wit and whimsy.”
SATURDAY 2
Dia de los Muertos open house Los Cenzontles Mexican Art Center, 13108 San Pablo, San Pablo; www.loscenzontles.com. 7pm, free. Celebrate with music and dancing by Los Cenzontles, cookie decorating, a community altar, and more.
“Discovery Days at AT&T Park” AT&T Park, 24 Willie Mays Plaza, SF; www.bayareascience.org. 11am-4pm, free. Over 150 interactive exhibits, experiments, a robot zoo, and more highlight this annual large-scale science fair.
“Meet the Animals! Live Animal Presentation” Randall Museum, 199 Museum Wy, SF; www.randallmuseum.org. 11am, free. Ongoing through Nov 30. Meet a Great Horned Owl, a tortoise, and many more of the over 100 animals living in the museum’s sanctuary.
“A Musical Dance Jam Celebration” Temescal Art Center, 511 48th St, Oakl; www.eroplay.com. 8pm, free (donations encouraged). Celebrate shaman performance artist Frank Moore — who passed away Oct 14 — at this interactive musical event aimed at honoring his unique, memorable life.
Potrero Hill History Night International Studies Academy, 655 De Haro, SF; (415) 863-0784. 5:30pm barbecue with vegetarian options, $2-6; 7pm program, free. San Francisco Historical Society founder Charles Fracchia speaks on “Potrero Hill: An Adventure in Urban Archaeology” at this 14th annual gathering produced by the Potrero Hill Archives Project.
SUNDAY 3
Kundalini Yoga and Meditation Flash Class Dolores Park, 19th St at Dolores, SF; www.kundalinico-op.com. Noon-1:30pm, free. BYO yoga mat, sunscreen, and water for this free yoga gathering in honor of the solar eclipse.
TUESDAY 5
RADAR Reading Series San Francisco Public Library, 100 Larkin, SF; www.radarproductions.org. 6pm, free. With Wendy McNaughton, Caroline Paul, Griselda Suarez, Mimi Nguyen, and Travis Jeppesen.
Anne Rice and Christopher Rice Books Inc, 601 Van Ness, SF; www.booksinc.net. 7pm, free. The mother-son author duo signs copies of the latest books: Anne Rice’s The Wolves of Midwinter and Christopher Rice’s The Heavens Rise. *