Get down there! Buy some fresh, local produce. Sample regional food products. See if there are kittens to adopt. Stock up on ChicoBags. Run into that person you haven’t seen for a few months. Then, sit on the curb and chomp on a tasty tamale.
I’m thinking of taking Alec to Tots Night Out at Athletic Horizons. It’s tonight, Saturday, Nov. 8, from 6 to 8:30 p.m. If your kid’s not in diapers, you can leave and do grownup stuff, or you stay if you want. Alec loves the gymnastics classes he’s been taking at Athletic Horizons so I’m sure he’s have fun at this monthly event. It includes snacks, art projects and games and is $12 per child ($10 for additional siblings). The Tots Night Out events are held the second Saturday of each month, but there won’t be one in December. Reservations are recommended. I’ve also heard the Friday morning playtimes at Athletic Horizons are super fun.
After you vote Nov. 4, savor some tasty Ben & Jerry’s ice cream. One cone per customer from 5 to 8 p.m. Now there’s a proposition everyone can agree on.
There’s some good, old-fashioned (literally) family fun coming up. Go back in time Nov. 2 with the 4th Annual Harvest Festival at Bidwell Mansion State Historical Park. It takes place from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Low-cost activities include: gold panning, rag doll making, “pie walks,” weaving and local vendors. For free are: 1800s games and crafts, butter churning, live animals (pet them; not keep them), rope making, an art station and more. The mansion is at 525 Esplanade. Call 895-6144 for more information.
Every year the Downtown Chico Business Association sponsors Treat Street, where children can stroll the downtown collecting candy from friendly merchants. It’s free and fun, and so cute to see the kids in costume. Kids 12 and under check in at the Plaza and get a sticker before visiting as many as 80 participating merchants. It all takes place between 2 and 5 p.m., Friday, Oct. 31.
You could also head out to the Chico Mall for its Safe and Sane Halloween (as opposed to an unsafe and insane Halloween.) It’s from 5 to 7, with a costume contest starting at 5:30 in four age categories. While you’re there, if check out the Halloween store, be advised some of the displays might be too scary for little kids.
Also on Oct. 31 1078 Gallery is showing the movie Wallace & Gromit in the Curse of the Were-Rabbit. Show up for the “Spooky Cinema” at 4:30, in costume!
Alec and I will be heading down to Toys R Us this Saturday, Oct. 25, for Family Video Game Day, which runs from noon to 4 p.m. (I have my eye on a Nintendo DS Lite). People who show up for the event get a $10 off coupon good on one of six particular DS or Wii games. The cool part is, you get to “test drive” a bunch of different game consoles.
This Saturday, Oct. 18, is the first ever Monster Dash, a 5K Halloween-themed fun run/walk and costume contest sponsored by nonprofit Chico Nursery School. It’s going to be epic. It takes place in Bidwell Park near One-Mile and participants can still register today at Fleet Feet or even tomorrow before 9, when the race starts. The costume contest–with prizes–will be after the race, around 10:30. More info is on the Monster Dash web page.
There’s a lot going on for families this weekend in Chico. On Saturday, starting at 11 a.m., is the Chico Library Fall Festival, held on the lawn and in the conference room. There will be games, music, art, a book swap and sale, emergency vehicle tours, food and the chance to meet local authors and illustrators. You could also head out to the University Farm for family day. Save some energy for the Rancho Chico Parade of Lights, which starts around 7:30 p.m. We’ll be there! It’s Alec’s fourth birthday, and his preschool, Chico Nursery School, will have a float (not for his birthday, though I think he deserves one) and will promote the Monster Dash Fun Run/Walk set for October 18th.
