By Evelyn Cairns
A performance of “Jack and the Beanstalk” by Wild Swan Theater will highlight the third annual Halloween Family Fun Day of Wayne County College Downriver Oct. 26 at the Taylor campus, 21000 Northline.
The play will be staged at 2 p.m. in the Heinz C. Prechter Educational and Performing Arts Center. The production is a humorous version of Jack’s ad-venture climbing the magic beanstalk.
Fun activities will begin at 12:30 p.m. with children painting the windows of the theater lobby. Afterward, the youngsters will participate in a mask-making workshop. Registrations for the workshop, limited to 100, will be accepted on Oct. 21, 23 and 25 by calling 734-374-3200.
At 3 p.m., children will parade across the stage in their costumes, then visit stations manned by the college’s dental and honor students for trick-or-treating.
There is no charge for the play or any of the activities.
Wild Swan Theatre, based in Ann Arbor, is nationally known and recognized and supported by organizations including the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Michigan Council for the Arts and Cultural Affairs and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.
Trenton sets pumpkin fest
Family members, friends, Scout troops, church groups and other organizations are encouraged by the Trenton Recreation Department to participate in Great Pumpkin Festival carving sessions Oct. 22 and 26 in preparation for the DTE Community Lite Nite observance.
Sponsored by the Trenton Firefighters Charities, Exchange Club and senior citizens, the workshops will be held from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Oct. 22 at the Westfield Activities Center, 2700 Westfield Road, and from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Oct. 26 at the Trenton Cultural Center, 2427 West Road.
The carved pumpkins will be accepted beginning at 3 p.m. Oct. 26 at the Cultural Center, which is expected to be ablaze with 1,000 pumpkins by the time the official count is announced at 7 p.m.
Refreshments will be served at the announcement, and the pumpkins will be available for purchase. DTE will donate $1 for each pumpkin sold to the First Step Women’s and Children’s Domestic Violence Center. For additional information, call 734-675-7300.
Artist call is extended
A call for artists who wish to participate in the Fall Festival of the Arts Juried Fine Art and Holiday Boutique has been extended to Oct. 21, according to spokeswoman Maureen Cassidy Keast.
The three-week festival will open on Nov. 1 with a reception at the James R. DeSana Center for Arts & Culture, 81 Chestnut, Wyandotte.
Applications are available at www.downriverarts.org and the DeSana Center. For additional information, call Keast at 734-777-6109, or email [email protected] or [email protected].
Parade is Scheduled
With Halloween almost here, can Thanksgiving be far behind?
The Parade Company has announced that Art Van Furniture will be the presenting sponsor for the 87th America’s Thanksgiving Parade on Nov. 28.
A record eight new floats will travel an extended two-mile route, and more than 10,000 grandstand seats will be available for parade viewers.
Coming up . . .
Oct. 24 — Henry Ford Community College annual scholarship dinner, 6 p.m. in the Fifty-One O One Restaurant; a benefit for the college’s scholarship fund, the event will follow a wild game theme; for tickets. $45. or more information, call 313-845-9620.
Oct. 26 — Downriver-based Children With Hair Loss Charity Ball 9; dinner, dancing, hair and clothing fashion show; 6 p.m. at Laurel Manor in Livonia; tickets are $75; former Miss America Kay Lani Rae Rafko and other current or former beauty queens will be guests; for more information, call 734-379-4400.