Booktoberfest — Beers for Books
Legal Draft Beer Co.
500 E. Division St., Arlington
6-9 p.m. Thursday
Free
Literacy and alcohol have enjoyed a longstanding fellowship. Just ask Hunter Thompson or O. Henry or pretty much any writer, ever. The tradition continues with Legal Draft Brewery and nonprofit reading advocacy group Room To Read, who are teaming up to present Booktoberfest. It's the same Oktoberfest you've come to know and love, with sausage and beer available for purchase, but with the added fun of literacy! A percentage of proceeds raised will go to local Read-a-Thons or toward the purchase of books for children overseas. — Kathryn DeBruler
Oak Cliff Flamenco Fest — Bishop Arts Barrage 2017
Bishop Arts District
Bishop Avenue at Davis Street
7 p.m. Thursday
Free
The Oak Cliff Flamenco Festival is a weeklong celebration of the Spanish music and dance known for captivating beats and footwork so fast it can seem like a blur. Between the performances, paella cookout, outdoor cinema and more comes the Bishop Arts Barrage from 7-10 p.m. Thursday. More than 10 restaurants, bars and businesses will offer live flamenco while musicians and fully clad dancers will make the rounds so strolling patrons can get a glimpse at the passionate art form. Fans are encouraged to dress in their best “Andalusian chic” to get into the spirit. The Bishop Arts Barrage is free and is family friendly. For more on the Barrage and the Oak Cliff Flamenco Festival, search each on Facebook. Performance schedules for the festival are available at flamencofever.org.
Subjective Juncture
Gallery 7NINE
830 Exposition Ave.
5:30 p.m. Thursday
Free
In relationships, each party changes its shape and its role with regard to the other as time progresses. Texas artist Greg Piazza addresses this adaptation in Subjective Juncture, which opens with a reception from 5:30-9 p.m. Thursday and runs through Dec. 31 at Gallery 7NINE, 830 Exposition Ave. The exhibition features more than 30 of Piazza’s minimalistic paintings that showcase the relationship among forms as an examination of how they can work with and morph from one another. Color palette plays a large role in his presentation of distance and how the viewer interprets the space between forms. Outside of scheduled events such as the Subjective Juncture opening, Gallery 7NINE is open by appointment only. Visit gallery7nine.com or email [email protected] to schedule. — Merritt Martin
Friday the 13th & A Nightmare on Elm Street Double Feature
Coyote Drive-In
223 N.E. 4th St., Fort Worth
8 p.m. Friday
$3
For horror film buffs who buy their tickets in advance, this Friday the 13th double feature at a drive-in theater offers a chance to see two of the greatest slasher flicks of all time for $3 in the comfort of your own vehicle. Bring along a carload of friends, family or fiends to re-ignite the never ending debate about which infamous lead character from a horror franchise has the best introduction in their first movie. This usually comes down to an argument about whether Halloween (which is not screening), Friday the 13th or A Nightmare on Elm Street is the better kickoff for the “big bad’s” series of sequels. No matter how you slice it, audiences love Freddy Kreuger, Jason Voorhees and Michael Myers, who all scared their way into the Top 10 on Forbes’ 2016 list of the 13 highest-grossing horror film franchises. And, speaking of slashing, tickets typically cost $8 for movies at Coyote Drive-in Theater & Canteen, 1901 Midway Road in Lewisville, but Friday’s a $3 double feature of Friday the 13th and A Nightmare on Elm Street. Visit the event’s Facebook page for tickets. — Daniel Rodrigue
Cocktails for Kitties and Beer for Barn Cats
Ten Bells Tavern
232 W. 7th St.
Friday-Sunday
Free
Don't just say you're an animal lover: Be one by attending Cocktails for Kitties and Beer for Barn Cats at Ten Bells Tavern. Money raised from the sale of specialty cocktails and 3 Nations Brewing beer will help Feral Friends and Barn Cats Inc. organizations and all of their furry beneficiaries. — Kathryn DeBruler
22nd Annual ArmeniaFest
St. Sarkis Armenian Church
1805 Random Road, Carrollton
Friday-Sunday
Free
Come celebrate Armenia, everyone's favorite former member of the Soviet republic, at Armeniafest. For those of you who appreciate elements of other cultures besides food, there will be folk dances, art exhibits, music demonstrations and more. For those of you who like to push past the dancers, musicians and art to get to the good stuff, here's the rub: cheese boerek, lahmajoun (a minced meat topped flatbread), kofta, dolma and lots and lots of baklava will be available for purchase. Also of note is the pilaf eating contest, held at 4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Admission and parking are free. – Kathryn DeBruler
Plano International Festival
Haggard Park
901 E. 15th St.
11 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday
Free
Certain members of the Observer staff would be inclined to say something snarky about the Plano International Festival, whose tagline is “explore the world in a day.” Ignore them. Some members of our staff consider anyplace north of Mockingbird Lane as something akin to Timbuktu, only filled with vanilla people. Those of us who live in Plano know that the booming city is a melting pot of cultures drawn by lucrative jobs in technical industries. So where else better in DFW to celebrate the food, music, dance and art of more than 100 cultures from around the globe? The festival includes a children’s village and a screening of the film Song of Lahore, a documentary that follows a group of Pakistani musicians as they travel to perform at New York’s Lincoln Center. The film screens at the Courtyard Theater, 1509 Ave. H, at 2:30 p.m. Saturday and includes live musical performances and a panel discussion.. The festival itself takes place at Haggard Park, 15th Street and Avenue H in downtown Plano, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. It’s free to attend. Suggested donations for the film are $15 for adults and $10 for children. Visit planointernationalfestival.org for more information. — Patrick Williams
Meredith Pardue: Cenote Falls
Laura Rathe Fine Art
1130 Dragon St., Suite 130
5-8 p.m. Saturday
Free
Texas-based painter Meredith Pardue celebrates the splintering of light through crystalline elements such as water, precious stones, glass and differing atmospheres in her latest body of work, Cenote Falls. Inspired by the malleable and fleeting nature of light, Pardue’s paintings illuminate with fluorescent hues that reflect her appreciation of the vast landscapes and vegetation of the American South, Pacific Northwest and Northeast. Soft ink stains play with heavy brushstrokes of highly pigmented paint, forming assorted textures, layers of color and negative space, allowing the contemporary pieces in Cenote Falls to breathe. The exhibit’s opening reception begins at 5 p.m. Saturday, with an artist talk with Pardue at 6:45 p.m., at Laura Rathe Fine Art, 1130 Dragon St. Cenote Falls continues Tuesdays through Saturdays until Nov. 11. For more information, visit laurarathe.com. — Diamond Victoria