Kick the Can
Remember when kicking an aluminum can down the street was something you did, just because? Now there's a great reason. The Tarrant Area Food Bank's annual "Kick the Can" event invites the public to watch teams of costumed competitors and mascots kicking empty cans, and the proceeds feed the hungry.
When: 11:45 a.m.-1 p.m. Friday
Where: Sundance Square, on Main Street between Third and Fourth streets
Cost: Free to watch
Info: www.tafb.org
Barking Moon Barn Dance: Hearts, Moons, Stars and Chickens
2The chicken dance is that thing other folks do at weddings that you roll your eyes at. Yeah, we got your number. You shun folks who Macarena, too. Contemporary Dance/Fort Worth brings new meaning to chicken dance, as it opens its 21st season in the Poultry Barn at Will Rogers Memorial Center, with site-specific works. On Saturday, there's a post-party, wherein the audience is invited to stay and shake a tail feather.
When: 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday
Where: Small Exhibits Building (Poultry Barn) at Will Rogers Memorial Center, 3401 W. Lancaster Ave., Fort Worth
Cost: $8-$15
Info: www.cdfw.org
'And the Band Played On'
3World AIDS Day is less than a month away (Dec. 1), and to prepare, the Lone Star Film Society and Samaritan House screen this made-for-TV film. It's based on the book by Randy Shilts, about the slow response to this spreading disease by government agencies, medical organizations and scientists in the '80s. It includes an introduction by the Star-Telegram's Bob Ray Sanders, and a post-movie discussion.
When: 7 p.m. Sunday
Where: Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, 3200 Darnell St., Fort Worth
Cost: Free
Info: www.themodern.org
Romanian Food Festival
4With the vampire craze still going strong, you'd think the Romanian Food Festival would serve up some neck-shaped treats. That is the country from which the vampire king hails, no? No worries, the traditional Romanian food -- ciorba, sarmale, mititei, carnati, mamaliga and cozonac -- probably tastes much better anyway. The fest also includes folk dancing, live music and, natch, gymnastics. So that's why vampires are so nimble.
When: 5:30-10 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Saturday, 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Sunday
Where: St. Mary's Romanian Orthodox Church, 3801 Glade Road, Colleyville
Cost: $5 general admission ($3 for ages 6-12)
Info: romanianfestival-dallas.com
'Spring Awakening'
5This emo-fueled musical is based on a controversial 1893 play about teens discovering sexuality. It was actually banned in Germany for a while and it features Duncan Sheik music, so it may be a lot for some audiences to handle. But it did win eight Tonys in 2007. As an appetizer, new Cowtown theater group Q Live! will present a staged reading of the original play, subtitled A Children's Tragedy, at 8 p.m. Monday at McDavid Studio.
When: Musical at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday
Where: Bass Hall, Fort Worth
Cost: $27.50-$60.50
Info: www.basshall.com
Lady Antebellum
The "Lady" acts -- Gaga and Antebellum -- are tearing up the charts. Kenny Rogers should write a song or something. You may not see audience members in outrageous costumes at the Lady Antebellum show, but they will be singing along to insanely hooky country-pop tunes, as Lady A hits town on its "Need You Now" tour.
When: 7:30 p.m. Friday
Where: Verizon Theatre, Grand Prairie
Cost: $29.75-$39.75
Info: www.ticketmaster.com
AAA Texas 500 Weekend
7Tarrant County just hosted the World Series, and the Super Bowl is coming in February. But we already host another huge sporting event three times a year, when NASCAR big-time auto racing rolls into town. There are races all weekend, and sometimes the qualifying rounds can be the most fun (and cheapest) way to watch. We're just glad we don't live nearby. Those things are loud.
When: Thursday-Sunday
Where: Texas Motor Speedway, Fort Worth
Cost: Various ticket packages, depending on the event
Info: www.texasmotorspeedway.com
The Crosby Christmas Sessions
8It's that time of year when all kinds of artists put out holiday CDs. But trust us, you'll never have a better collection than one by Bing Crosby, whose White Christmas is the ultimate in yuletide tunage. This new collection features 10 previously unreleased songs by Der Bingle, and there's also a related but separate DVD. The Silver Bells duet with Ella Fitzgerald? Can't beat it.
When: Released Tuesday
Where: Online and in stores
Cost: $13.98
Info: www.amazon.com
Glass on the Tracks
9Speaking of Christmas (dang, we're barely through Halloween!), the holiday parties are about to start. Begin at this festivity at the Vetro Glass Blowing Studio, where there'll be music by Fate Lions and something called the "Truth or Consequences Auction." Is that like Truth or Dare? Be scared. Especially with all the glass lying about.
When: 6 p.m. Saturday
Where: Vetro Glass Blowing Studio, 701 S. Main St., Suite 103, Grapevine
Cost: $10
Info: vetroartglass.com
Lone Star International Film Festival
10The 2010 festival kicks off Wednesday and will bring great films, premieres and film personalities to town, with screenings at the AMC Palace, Four Day Weekend Theater, the Modern and the Kimbell. Screenings of oldies-but-goodies include The Last Picture Show (4 p.m. Nov. 13) and The Big Lebowski (7:30 p.m. Nov. 13). Heads-up for a rockin' ball on Nov. 12; it will honor Fort Worth's T Bone Burnett, who will perform with Ryan Bingham (together they won a Best Song Oscar for The Weary Kind from Crazy Heart). And The Dude himself, Jeff Bridges, will be in Cowtown, too. It's gonna be huge. Look for more extensive Lone Star coverage in next's week DFW.com Ink.
When: Wednesday-Nov. 14
Where: Various Fort Worth locations
Cost: Individual screenings: $8-$15; Passes: $70-$395
Info: www.lsiff.com
Merle Haggard
11The Hag is the reason anybody who's anybody plays country music. The man is a god to some of us. BTW, it's a good weekend for Billy Bob's, with Merle on Friday and, on Saturday, contemporary but traditional-minded Texan Lee Ann Womack.
When: 10:30 p.m. Friday
Where: Billy Bob's Texas, Fort Worth
Cost: $15-$35
Info: www.billybobs
'Back to the Future'
12This iconic '80s flick has been all over the place because of its 25th-anniversary DVD re-release. And now you can see it on the big screen again at the Palace in Grapevine. If you bring in a same-day receipt from a Grapevine restaurant, you get free popcorn.
When: 7:30 Friday
Where: Palace Arts Center, 300 S. Main St., Grapevine
Cost: $5
Hey there. or join DFW.com. Your account. Log out.
