ARCADIA CLIP CLOP: As far as well-known, well-covered, and well- just about everything else horse races go in this world, the Breeders' Cup, which will run at Santa Anita Park on Friday, Nov. 1 and Saturday, Nov. 2, is just about at the tippy of the top. But whether there'll be more drama on the track -- and there certainly will be, given that the creme of the pony and jockey set'll show -- or off, what with the parties, hobnobs, and hat-wearing, shall be seen. Count on both ends of the Cup to be entertaining, to say the least.
DIA DE LOS MUERTOS: Calacas make-up, over-sized hair flowers, a shawl, and a skeleton's visage? If you're wearing this look, you just might be on your merry way to a Day of the Dead celebration. Several are set to unfurl around Southern California over the first weekend in November, but the Hollywood Forever gathering will have Aztec dancers, over a hundred altars, Mexican food for sale, music, and activities that glance beyond the veil. Saturday, Nov. 2.
MOVEMBER: November 1 may be the day when you give away all of those leftover miniature candy bars sitting inside the plastic orange pumpkin, but it has even more whimsical meaning than that. Well, whimsical and oh-so-important: Movember kicks off. Men across the world will shave down to the cheek and chin, the better to start growing a month-long mustache. Why? To raise money for men's health initiatives. Several shaving parties'll get it going.
LINDA VISTA HOSPITAL DANCE: The Heidi Duckler Dance Theatre has twirled in many an offbeat location around the region, but the troupe's next performance is truly stunning (and maybe, according to some, a little supernatural). They'll be moving, leaping, and swaying inside a long-shuttered hospital in Boyle Heights. Intrigued? It's happening over two weekends, starting on Friday, Nov. 1.
GIBBON FUNDRAISER: Animal-minded fundraisers are very nice indeed, and there's one just ahead at Santa Clarita's own Gibbon Conservation Center. But here's the sweet, coo-worthy bonus: You'll be able to see Dennis, a white-cheeked gibbon, who was born on Oct. 28. Ohhhh yeah -- he's a cutie, and getting well-loved on by his mom and big sister. An adult ticket to the Nov. 2 fundraiser is $60.
