Ronnie’s Awesome List: Oct 5-15

“So much time, and so little to do! Strike that, reverse it.” Willy Wonka

I love that quote! It sums up how I feel month after month. Especially in October since it marks the start of holiday celebrations (…spiraling out of control.) Just another reminder how fast time flies! So, take a little time out and book the sitter for two great causes!

Don’t miss the Marin Charitable Riverboat Gala on Oct. 15 for a New Orleans-themed evening aboard the San Francisco Belle! On board, enjoy the breathtaking views of the San Francisco Bay at sunset while dining on a gourmet, Louisiana-inspired, seated dinner. Marin Charitable is an all volunteer organization with 100 percent of funds raised going back to the community of Marin in the form of grants to non-profits with programs supporting kids with limited opportunities.

On Saturday, Oct. 29, check out the Bay Area Discovery Museum’s Spooky Soiree, celebrate creativity at play with first ever, grown-ups only masquerade party in San Francisco. And don’t miss every kids favorite Goblin Jamboree.

And another not to be missed performance every Saturday and Sunday from Oct. 1 – Oct. 23 is the Magic School Bus, Live! by the amazing Bay Area Children’s Theatre at Freight & Salvage in Berkeley. My daughter and I cannot wait to join Ms. Frizzle for a ride on the MSB!

I am also REALLY excited about the inaugural Bay Area Science Festival scheduled for Oct. 29-Nov. 6 with 100′s of science and technology activities for the whole family given throughout the Bay Area.

And don’t forget Fleet Week, Mill Valley Film Festival and all the amazing places to take your family, all listed below. Be sure to check back – I am always updating my blog as I find out about other awesome events. Enjoy the month of October!

For more information, visit us at Marinhood.

Cheers,
Ronnie

Thursday, Oct. 6

~ EVENT Fleet Week, 12–7pm.

~ FILM Mill Valley Film Festival

~ STORYTIME French Immersion Storytime with Le Petit Jardin, 10:30 a.m. - 11:00 a.m., Council Chambers, San Anselmo.

Friday, Oct. 7

~ EVENT Fleet Week, 12–7pm.

~ FILM Mill Valley Film Festival 

~ MUSIC Tim Cain, 3:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m., Council Chambers, San Anselmo.

Saturday, Oct. 8

~ ANIMALS Hawk Talk and Banding Demos, get an up-close view of the fall raptor migration with the Golden Gate Raptor Observatory with an hour-long talk about hawk monitoring and identification using photos and other props. A newly banded wild hawk is brought up and shown to the crowd and released. No registration necessary. Meet on top of Hawk Hill in the Marin Headlands at noon.

~ ANIMALS Incredible Insects! 11:00 am, Explore the fantastic lives of beetles, millipedes, tarantulas, walking sticks, whip scorpions and more! Come learn about the extraordinarily diverse world of insects and other arthropods while naturalists teach you about their key role in the web of life. Please call (927-5134) or email (library@cityoflarkspur.org) the library to RSVP. Larkspur Library.

~ ART Randall Museum, Become your own Halloween costume tailor as you make and paint a vest for your costume this year, 1 p.m. and 4 p.m.

~ CRAFT Make-a-Scarecrow, San Anselmo Library for this very special autumn program. Bring old clothes and hats to dress up your creation. Heads, bodies, hay and assorted decorations will be provided.

~ CRAFT Disney Discoveries, 1 p.m. – 3 p.m. Don’t miss your train! Using recycled materials, you will create a decorative train that will be a keepsake of your fun-filled journey to the museum!

~ EVENT Fleet Week, 12–7pm.

~ EVENT LEAP Sand Castle Contest, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m., Ocean Beach, San Francisco.

~ FARM Woolly Egg Ranch Tour, Come visit a working farm with chickens, a bountiful garden and sheep. 503 Tennessee Valley Rd, Mill Valley, R.S.V.P. required, $5 per person, 388-6393 or email info@tcsd.us.

~ FESTIVAL Oktoberfest, Redwood Avenue and Tamalpais Drive, Corte Madera, 12 - 5 p.m.

~ FESTIVAL Harvest Festival, Become a share-cropper for a day and help harvest this year’s Indian corn and popcorn crops! Enjoy fresh apple cider, hands-on crafts making, hoedown music and the bounty of another harvest season. Ardenwood Historic Farm, Tilden Park.

~ FILM Being Elmo: A Puppeteer’s Journey Who is Elmo? Elmo is joyous. Elmo is love. Elmo is Kevin Clash. Long before his furry red friend became an international superstar, Clash discovered his passion in life.  Ages 4+ 11:30 a.m. Sequoia Theatre, Mill Valley.

~ FILM Magic Silver, In Norwegian with English subtitles. These blue gnomes control the sky’s transition from night to day! In this charming fantasy adventure based on a popular Norwegian television series, a community of gnomes discovers the secret power of a shimmering silver liquid that bubbles deep within their mountaintop home. Ages 6+, 4:15 p.m. – 142 Throckmorton Theatre, Mill Valley.

~ PERFORMANCE Children’s Fairyland, Tales from the Pearl of the Eastern Sea. A collection of stories from the Philippines tells of how the islands came to be, why mosquitoes are like that, and how even the lowliest worm can become a prince if he takes good care of the world around him. 12:30 p.m. and 3 p.m. Storyteller John Weaver will entertain with his lively, humor-filled stories for children of all ages. 1:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. Oakland.

~ SCIENCE Drop-In Science, It’s not a solid. It’s not a liquid. It’s a polymer!  Understand how cool polymers can be by creating a chemical reaction and taking home your own colorful goo! Randall Museum.

~ SHOP Green Halloween, Costume swap, Marin Kids Consignment, 814 West Francisco Blvd., San Rafael.

~ STORYTIME Scott the Storyteller, puppeteer and storyteller, will be at Book Passage in Corte Madera at 11 a.m.

~ THEATRE Magic School Bus, Live!, Grab your imagination and get on board with Ms. Frizzle and her class as they learn why it matters that the polar ice is melting and what they can do to help. Bay Area Children’s Theatre at Freight & Salvage in Berkeley, 2 p.m.

Sunday, Oct. 9

~ ART Drawing Inspiration, Do you doodle? Draw on your imagination and make your mark at the museum as we sketch, scribble and squiggle our way through the wonderful world of drawing, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, 11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

~ EVENT Animal Families of the Headlands, It’s true what they say: Birds of a feather flock together! Join us for an afternoon outdoors and discover the unique familial characteristics of animals who call the Marin Headlands home. $15/person, pre-registration required. All ages are welcome. Baby carriers are suggested for children 4 and under.

~ EVENT Fleet Week, 12–7pm.

~ FESTIVAL Harvest Festival, Become a share-cropper for a day and help harvest this year’s Indian Corn and popcorn crops! Enjoy fresh apple cider, hands-on crafts making, hoedown music, and the bounty of another harvest season. Ardenwood Historic Farm, Tilden Park.

~ FESTIVAL MALT Day at the Nicasio Valley Farms Pumpkin Patch.

~ FILM Light of the River, In Japanese with English subtitles. In this warmhearted, amusing, beautifully animated adventure about finding your way in a strange world, a family of river rats is driven from its riverbank home by a human construction project. Ages 4+, 2:30 p.m., 142 Throckmorton Theatre, Mill Valley.

~ FILM Circus Dreams, Stuff a clown-sized hankie up your sleeve for this wonderfully heart-squeezing documentary about a traveling youth circus on the brink of closure. As the performers get a true taste of circus life, with all its highs and lows, we get a rare glimpse behind the big top at the real people who bring a special kind of magic to life. Ages 8+, 12:00 p.m. – Smith Rafael Film Center, San Rafael.

~ HOLIDAY Italian Heritage Columbus Day Parade

~ MUSIC Octopretzel, puppets in an interactive, engaging, danceable, singable, and super-fun experience for kids and their parents. 3 - 4:40 p.m., $4/kids, $6/adult, Ashkenaz.

~ PERFORMANCE Children’s Fairyland, Tales from the Pearl of the Eastern Sea. A collection of stories from the Philippines tells of how the islands came to be, why mosquitoes are like that, and how even the lowliest worm can become a prince if he takes good care of the world around him. 12:30 p.m. and 3 p.m. Storyteller John Weaver will entertain with his lively, humor-filled stories for children of all ages. 1:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. Oakland.

~ STORYTIME Storytime with Christopher Smith Sunday, 11:00 a.m. Book Passage 51 Tamal Vista Blvd. Corte Madera.

~ THEATRE Magic School Bus, Live!, Grab your imagination and get on board with Ms. Frizzle and her class as they learn why it matters that the polar ice is melting and what they can do to help. Bay Area Children’s Theatre at Freight & Salvage in Berkeley, 2 p.m.

Monday, Oct. 10

~ AUTHOR Jon Agee! Presents his new picture book My Rhinoceros. Maurice Sendak says: “Yes, Jon Agee’s My Rhinoceros is a genuine masterpiece. Even better, every kid will love it.” For ages 2-6, 10 a.m., Book Passage, Corte Madera.

~ CAMP One Day Camp: Spooky Science, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. Get a head start on your Halloween spirit this year with the Exploratorium’s Spooky Science, a day camp featuring a cauldron’s worth of spine-tingling activities for children 7-10 years old. Kids can engage in a number of eerie activities like learning how to shrink a head, make a flying ghost and listen to cutlery scream. Cost is $85 ($70 for non-members). Exploratorium.

~ EVENT Museum Mondays for Little Ones, Enjoy stories, movement games, and arts and crafts activities designed for children ages 1 to 5 and their caregivers. $5 per child. Up to two adults per child are free before 11 a.m. After 11 a.m. Regular museum admission applies. Schultz Museum.

~ EVENT Fleet Week, 12–7 p.m.

~ FILM Mill Valley Film Festival

Tuesday, Oct. 11

~ EVENT Fleet Week, 12–7 p.m.

~ FILM Raiders of the Lost Ark, come celebrate the 30th anniversary of Raiders of the Lost Ark—in all its big-screen glory! 7:00 p.m. – Century Cinema, Corte Madera.

~ LECTURE How Girls Bully, (10 – 14 years) Unlike boys, who tend to bully acquaintances or strangers, girls frequently bully within a network of “friends.” This dynamic makes it more difficult to identify when girls are bullying and intensifies the harm to the victim. We will address how to understand and recognize relational aggression and bullying between girls, how girls use cyberspace to bully, how to empower your daughter if she is being bullied, and how to prevent your daughter from bullying. $35, Holly Pedersen, MFT, PhD. 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 pm.

~ POETRY Young Poet’s Club for Kids, 6-12 years, 3:45 p.m. - 4:45 p.m. San Anselmo Library.

~ STORYTIME French Immersion Storytime with Le Petit Jardin, 18mo – 4 yrs, 10:30 a.m. Preregistration required, Belvedere-Tiburon Library.

Wednesday, October 12, Indigenous Peoples Day, National Fossil Day, Full Moon

~ EVENT Picture Books & More, Grades 1 and 2. Cool stories, outrageous crafts and super special snacks. Advance sign-up required. The Creekside Room, The Mill Valley Public Library, 2:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.

~ EVENT FREE Estate Planning Educational Event, 6 p.m. Mill Valley Community Center, Forest Room, 180 Camino Alto.

~ EVENT Muir Woods After Dark, Explore the evening magic of Muir Woods, learning about the secret nightlife of an old-growth redwood forest. This special walk begins one hour before sunset and will conclude with the dark of night! We’ll listen for owls, look for bats and use our senses to guide us along the trails. This is an easy, two-mile walk on paved trail. Bring your flashlight, dress in layers, and wear good hiking shoes. Children under 8 not advised. Reservations required. (415) 388-2596.

~ FILM Mill Valley Film Festival  

~ LECTURE Food, Families, Farming & Health: Protecting Your Health & the Food We Grow, Presenting critical information from a dynamic and informative panel of local pediatricians and leading experts about emerging health concerns related to our food supply. MOMS Advocating Sustainability, a $10 donation per person is suggested, 7-9 p.m. Strawberry Recreation Center Gym.

~ NATURE Tarantulas! 4-8 p.m. This walk coincides with the annual mating season of the California Tarantula, but to see them, we’ll have to travel to the East Bay (there are no tarantulas in Marin County). R.S.V.P. contact David Herlocker at (415) 893-9508 or dherlocker@co.marin.ca.us.

~ NATURE Full Moon Hike at Roy’s Redwoods, Before the weather turns frosty, rangers will lead a short loop hike at this remote preserve. We promise the redwoods will be spectacular under light of the full moon and with a little luck, we may even see things that go bump in the night. Wear warm, layered clothes and bring a flashlight and water. Night hikes are popular—R.S.V.P. early (415) 507-2816. 5:30-8 p.m. Nicasio.

Thursday, Oct. 13

~ AUTHOR Children’s Author/Illustrator M. Sarah Klise, Children’s author and illustrator M. Sarah Klise (Regarding the Fountain, Dying to Meet You, and more) visits to read and draw from her Old Cemetery Road series. The Creekside Room, The Mill Valley Public Library, 3:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.

~ EVENT Five Little Monkeys, Toy Store will be celebrating it’s 10th anniversary! Enjoy FREE kid-friendly activities going on throughout the day, raffles, prizes, games, face painting, contests, crafts and more. 10 a.m. - 8 p.m. 852 Grant Avenue, Novato, 898-4411.

~ FESTIVAL Tolay Fall Festival, Native American Village with demonstrations,“From Earth to You” hands-on children’s area and Kiddie Corral, Night Time Creatures Barn with Creep Crawly Critters room, live animals and nature hikes. Tons of family fun on a spectacular 1,737-acre ranch outside Petaluma.

~ FILM Mill Valley Film Festival

~ STORYTIME French Immersion Storytime with Le Petit Jardin, 10:30 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. Council Chambers, San Anselmo.

Friday, Oct. 14

~ ART October Family Class, Get Ready to Get Messy: Discovering Shapes. Children and adults will explore super messy art and science activities while we take care of the clean-up! Does your young child love to squish, squeeze and smash? Give them the opportunity to unleash their inner artist in this messy class series. Pre-registration required. Space is limited to 10 children per session. Bay Area Discovery Museum, 10 a.m. – 11 a.m. and 11:15 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.

~ EVENT Spaghetti Bingo, 6:15 p.m. $7 (includes dinner and 9 bingo cards), great family event. Tam Community Center, Mill Valley.

~ FESTIVAL Tolay Fall Festival, Native American Village with demonstrations,“From Earth to You” hands-on children’s area and Kiddie Corral, Night Time Creatures Barn with Creep Crawly Critters room, live animals and nature hikes. Tons of family fun on a spectacular 1,737-acre ranch outside Petaluma.

~ FILM Movie Night for Kids grades 3-5, Spiderwick Chronicles. Registration required. 5:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.,Suggested donation of $10, Call or email the Children’s Room to sign up early for this monthly favorite for older kids. Pizza and popcorn provided. Belvedere-Tiburon Library.

~ FILM Mill Valley Film Festival

 ~ MUSIC Festival of Irish Music & Dance, Irish traditional, hybrid and fusion music. Children under 12 are free and welcome in the Fairfax Pavilion show, Fairfax Coffee Roastery, The Sleeping Lady Cafe and Sorella’s Cafe.

Saturday, Oct. 15

~ ANIMALS Hawk Talk and Banding Demos, get an up-close view of the fall raptor migration with the Golden Gate Raptor Observatory with a docent gives an hour-long talk about hawk monitoring and identification using photos and other props. A newly banded wild hawk is brought up and shown to the crowd and released. No registration necessary, meet on top of Hawk Hill in the Marin Headlands at noon.

~ ART Doing and Viewing Art (ages 4-12). Family tours are followed by related hands-on art projects led by professional artists. Children under 8 years old must be accompanied by an adult. What’s on the Table? (Painted Things That Stay Still), 10:30 a.m. deYoung Museum.

~ ART Doing and Viewing Art (ages 4-12). Family tours are followed by related hands-on art projects led by professional artists. Children under 8 years old must be accompanied by an adult. Fashion from the Past, 2:00 p.m. Legion of Honor.

~ DANCE Dancing the Diaspora with Lisa Saunders and the Ethnic Arts Institute, 2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. Introducing a new interactive program series for children and their families of storytelling, performance and crafts from Africa, North America, South America and the Caribbean. Ganga Zumba: Stories of Liberation, a celebration of Afro-Brazilian dance that brings to life the African Diaspora in Brazilian culture. Following the performance, participants will create their own indigenous musical instruments.

~ EVENT Children’s Filmfest Circus Party Extravaganza, 2-4 p.m. Join us on our second weekend of films for a Children’s FilmFest party at 142 Throckmorton Theatre in Mill Valley, including balloons, prizes, performers and many other surprises, all served with a finger-food après-lunch by Whole Foods Market (with ice cream of course!). There’ll even some short films–about the circus, naturally! Adults must be accompanied by children. $5.

~ EVENT Harvest Celebration, Celebrate the season of harvest and bounty in the style of an old time country fair!  Create and name a scarecrow, milk a goat, feed and hold a chicken, card and spin wool from our sheep, have your face painted, make autumn crafts, learn about our native coastal plants on a guided wild lands hike, make bread, butter and cheese, or just relax in our beautiful garden while eating delicious local, organic cuisine. Throughout the day enjoy kid-friendly live bluegrass and acoustic jams and breathtaking coastal views at Slide Ranch, $25/person in advance, $30 at the gate, $80 for families of 4 or more in advance, $95 families of 4 or more at the gate, age 2 and under free. 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.

~ EVENT FREE Estate Planning Educational Event, 3:00 p.m. Mill Valley Community Center, Forest Room, 180 Camino Alto.

~ EVENT Children’s Storytime and Family Walk, 10:30 a.m. San Francisco Botanical Garden in Golden Gate Park. Join a docent-led Family Walk following Children’s Storytime in the Library, featured book “Sister Night & Sister Day” by Beth Norling. Kids and their families can dig into great garden stories, then venture out on a special tour of the Botanical Garden. Storytime begins at 10:30 a.m. and the Family Walk follows at 11 a.m. 415-661-1316.

~ EVENT Ball by the Bay at Bothin Marsh, Mill Valley. After a short stint weeding around the marsh, volunteers will enjoy a county-style fair including face painting, a bean-bag toss, wetland bingo, food, treats and music. Due to the sensitive nature of the restoration site, space is limited and registration is REQUIRED at savesfbay.org. If there are more than nine people in your group, contact Natalie LaVan at (510) 463-6809 or bayevents@savesfbay.org. Participants will receive a free T-shirt, so be sure to indicate shirt size when registering.

~ FARM A Day of Learning at the Woolly Egg Ranch Tour, “How to” for chickens an urban setting. 503 Tennessee Valley Rd, Mill Valley, R.S.V.P. required. $10 per person/$20 per family. 388-6393 or email info@tcsd.us.

~ FESTIVAL Tolay Fall Festival, Native American Village with demonstrations,“From Earth to You” hands-on children’s area and Kiddie Corral, Night Time Creatures Barn with Creep Crawly Critters room, live animals and nature hikes. Tons of family fun on a spectacular 1,737-acre ranch outside Petaluma.

~ FESTIVAL Fall Carnival at Venetia Valley School, 177 North San Pedro Road, San Rafael.

~ FILM Being Elmo: A Puppeteer’s Journey Who is Elmo? Elmo is joyous. Elmo is love. Elmo is Kevin Clash. Long before his furry red friend became an international superstar, Clash discovered his passion in life.  Ages 4+ 12 p.m.  Sequoia Theatre, Mill Valley.

~ FILM Magic Silver, In Norwegian with English subtitles. These blue gnomes control the sky’s transition from night to day! In this charming fantasy adventure based on a popular Norwegian television series, a community of gnomes discovers the secret power of a shimmering silver liquid that bubbles deep within their mountaintop home. Ages 6+, 4:15 p.m. 142 Throckmorton Theatre, Mill Valley.

~ HOLIDAY Randall Museum, What are you going to be for Halloween?  Join us and make a “haunted” hat to go with your costume, 1 p.m. and 4 p.m.

~ HOLIDAY Goblin Jamboree, Stroll through a haunted wonderland complete with games, attractions and live entertainment. Ride a train or real ponies, visit the spooky-but-not-scary Haunted Pier, make potions in the witches’ and wizard’s school. Visit the petting zoo and enjoy a full brew of games, activities and live entertainment. 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Bay Area Discovery Museum.

~ HOLIDAY Half Moon Bay Art & Pumpkin Festival, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.

~ HOLIDAY Adobe Pumpkin Festival, Petaluma.

~ MUSEUM Children’s Creativity Museum, Free museum admission and carousel rides. Be the first to experience our Imagination Lab and other exhibit enhancements geared toward our youngest visitors. Meet our “Creativity Critters” (peeking behind the red curtain) who you’ll see throughout the museum. You’ll also be able to make a clay animation, music video, digital art and more! 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Located at 221 Fourth St. in the heart of San Francisco’s Yerba Buena Gardens. We will be closed Sept. 12 – Oct. 14 as we prepare for opening weekend.

~ MUSIC Festival of Irish Music & Dance, Irish traditional, hybrid and fusion music. Children under 12 are free and welcome in the Fairfax Pavilion show, Fairfax Coffee Roastery, The Sleeping Lady Cafe and Sorella’s Cafe. 10:30 AM The Irish Piper Band will March from The Sleeping Lady to The Fairfax Pavilion.

~ PERFORMANCE Children’s Fairyland, Puss in Boots. What’s a kitten to do when the dogs bully her? Momma cat responds by telling the classic story of how a loyal cat with a taste for good footwear takes her human friend from rags to riches. Words and music by Tony Jonick. 12:30 p.m. and 3 p.m. Jacquelyn Lynaugh as Miranda the Gypsy tells stories and tales of magic and lore. 1:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. Oakland.

~ SCIENCE Drop-In Science, Chromatography is science of separating an objects’ colors into their basic elements.  Dissect the colors of local leaves to discover the basics of what makes them beautiful! Randall Museum.

~ SCIENCE Explorables: Science You Can Play With,  It’s child’s play at the Exploratorium’s new Explorables station. Activities focus on experimenting with everyday materials, discovery and toy-making. Kids are invited to literally play with science as they discover secret colors in black ink, create membrane-o-phones and make other fun scientific discoveries. All the materials are provided, and participating youngsters get to take home what they make. 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. Exploratorium.

~ STORYTIME Scott the Storyteller, puppeteer and storyteller, will be at Book Passage in Corte Madera at 11 a.m.

~ THEATRE The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, Saturdays 1 p.m. Sundays 1 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. Young Performers Theatre.

~ THEATRE Magic School Bus, Live!, Grab your imagination and get on board with Ms. Frizzle and her class as they learn why it matters that the polar ice is melting and what they can do to help. Bay Area Children’s Theatre at Freight & Salvage in Berkeley, 2 p.m.