This weekend has the stink of Halloween all over it.  Oh, some folks might try to pull the cobwebs over your eyes, talking about “autumn” and “the harvest.”   Yeah, that’s why we’re hitting every pumpkin patch and hayride within a 50 mile limit.  For autumn. And throwin’ candy in kids’ bags is totally a harvest thing.

We all know where this is heading. Four weeks of Halloween mania will give way to two solid months of … the C word. (Not the bad one, the good, merry-jolly one, but I don’t want to say it too loud lest little ears get ideas).  Wouldn’t it be nice if we had a little something up our sleeves, something to help you get an early start to your holiday prep?  Silly old bear!  Anyway, you know what they say: giveaways - you never have them until you’re having them. Surprise! We're having one! (You can do that sort of thing when you have 500 Facebook followers.)

This weekend holds tons of other surprises, like the Kinetic Sculpture Race, a skateboard art workshop, LA’s Largest Block Party and the Jewish County Fair, a concert at the beach and a chance to look to the stars.  Might even be enough to distract someone who has pumpkin on the brain. Or hunny…

Keep reading for our favorite picks for the weekend, and to get the deal on that giveaway…

Okay, gods of Carma: we get it. We Angelenos are at your mercy. At your word the roads close and we’re glued where we stand. Now in your benevolence you have released us, and allowed us to pursue the infinite sources of entertainment within our reach. And there is a lot going on this weekend.  A lot. (You would think it’s a holiday weekend or something, but it’s not. Maybe in other places it is, but here it’s a run-of-the-mill, random, not-a-holiday weekend. With so much to do).

But I think you’ve taken it a little too far, my friends. Now, instead of being stuck at home, you want us to be in half a dozen different places at the same time. We’ve got the folksy fun of  Folk Festival Weekend at Underwood Farms in Moorpark, the playfully spooky Pumpkinliner in Fillmore, the Aquarium Kids Fun Run and Southeast Asia Day at the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, the Angel Festival  in Sierra Madre, the Los Angeles International Children's Film Festival at LACMA, and Abbot Kinney Festival and Discover Marina del Rey Day on the West side. (Seriously, festivals in the Marina and Venice on the same day, who thought of that? Oh, that’s right, you did, {cough} Carmaggedon {cough}. Thanks for that).

And CicLAvia?  The event that winds its way through the city, a giant street party incorporating landmarks such as Exposition Park, Little Tokyo, MacArthur Park, Chinatown and the grand opening of downtown’s Grand Park… and all of it done without automotive interference? Oh Carma gods, now you’re just toying with us.  What are you trying to tell us? Do we need our cars?  Are we better off without them..?

To be continued next weekend, as the Space Shuttle Endeavour winds its way through surface streets en route to its new home at the California Science Center. Is it a plane? A car? Or something else entirely… stay tuned!

Keep reading for our favorite picks for this weekend!

Look up in the sky:  it’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s… well, yeah, it’s a plane.  But look at what’s on top of the plane: the Space Shuttle Endeavour. After 25 missions and more than 122 million miles, Endeavour is en route to its new home at the California Science Center. First stop LAX, but, like any good tourist, Endeavour wants to catch all the sights before it lands. Wherever you find yourself Friday morning, take a moment to look up and you might just see history flying by. And that's the beauty of Los Angeles: sometimes all you have to do is step outside to find inspiration.

Name your interest, there are a thousand ways to pursue it. Kids moved by Endeavour's salute can gaze at the stars at the Griffith Observatory or watch more earthbound flyers at Santa Monica Airport's Open House. Future poli-sci majors can rock with all 44 American presidents, or root for the underdog senator played by Jimmy Stewart in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. Creative hyphenates can find their muses at Pasadena Museum of California Art's birthday party, Hammer Kids' LitLab, or the art & music festival ZAMFEST. Whatever your passion, Los Angeles has you covered, and the sky's the limit!

Keep reading for our favorite picks for this weekend...