Today

Regal Cinemas Cans Film Festival will benefit the San Antonio Food Bank. A free movie and junior-size popcorn treat will be given to anyone who donates $3 or three nonperishable food items. The most needed items are peanut butter, cereal, tuna, rice, beans, pasta, canned meats, full meals in a can, and “pop top” food items. Participating theaters on the Northwest Side include Cielo Vista 18 on Loop 410 between Ingram and Culebra and Fiesta 16, behind H-E-B at De Zavala and Interstate 10. The offer is good for all movie times all day long except “no pass” attractions. Call 337-3663 for details.

Saturday

The San Antonio Charro Association will present a program at 2 p.m. on Saturday at Maury Maverick Jr. Library, 8700 Mystic Park. During this Hispanic Heritage Month event, attendees can learn about Mexican rodeos as Charro Association members share stories and traditions of the charro. Call 680-9346 for details.

Oct. 3

Put on your dancing shoes and learn how to salsa and merengue at 7 p.m. at the Maverick Library, 8700 Mystic Park. Richard Alvarado of “First Steps” and his assistants will teach the basics to get participants on the dance floor at this Hispanic Heritage Month event. All library programs are free and open to the public. For details, call 680-9346 and ask for Alice DeCristoforo.

Oct. 6

Linda Weaver Clarke, author of Melinda and the Wild West, a semi-finalist for the “Reviewers Choice Award 2007,” will be teaching a Family Legacy Workshop that is free to the public from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Great Northwest Library on Oct. 6. Registration is required. Clarke will be helping residents put their family history or autobiography into stories that will never be forgotten. To learn more about Clarke and her classes, visit: http://www.lindaweaverclarke.com.

Maverick Library, 8700 Mystic Park, will hold a papel picado workshop 11 a.m. Oct. 6. Kathleen Trenchard, local artist, will teach the basics of this traditional Mexican “punched paper” art. Samples of Kathleen’s work can be viewed at her website, www.cut-it-out.org. This workshop is limited to twenty participants age 12 and up. Workshop registration is required. Call the Maverick Library at 680-9346 for more information and to register. Library programs are free and open to the public.

Oct. 13

The 12th Annual Grey Forest Open Studios Art Show will be held Oct.13 from noon to 6 p.m. Seven gardens and studios will be open for the public to view original art created by the 17 participating artists. A wide range of work will be exhibited: Photography, sculpture, inspirational glass mosaics, oil painting (still lifes and landscapes), comic book art, birdhouses, gourd vessels, spirit figures, hooked rugs, canvas floor cloths, jewelry, functional pottery, tote bags, note cards, botanical vessels, prayer boxes, hand made dolls and personalized caricatures. Grey Forest is a small, quiet rural community located on Scenic Loop Road. The mile-long community began as a development of secluded, hill country summer homes in the 1920s. The area, incorporated in 1962, as the City of Grey Forest, still retains its rustic atmosphere, with twisted oaks, stone-pillared entrances, community parks, a spring-fed private swimming hole, rugged limestone cliffs and rippling creeks that meander through the wooded area.

The 2007 Walk to Cure Diabetes is set for Oct. 13 at The Shops at La Cantera. The 1.5 mile walk starts at 8 a.m. (7 a.m. registration start).  See http://walk.jdrf.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=walk.walk&eventID=2923&chapterid=4656 for all the details regarding the event. Related information on Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International is at http://www.jdrf.org/index.cfm?page_id=100673

Oct. 15

The San Antonio Museum of Art Docents and the San Antonio Symphony League announce an exclusive program of classical music and art exhibits at the eighth annual Music at the Museum on Oct. 15. Guests will enjoy a wine and hors d’oeuvres reception in the Great Hall beginning at 5:30 p.m., followed by an up-close musical performance by members of the San Antonio Symphony. Guests are invited to view the newly reinstalled Contemporary Galleries and enjoy a final look at the Allen Ginsberg: Beat Generation Photographer exhibition during the reception. The concert performance at 6:45 p.m. will include musical selections by Czechoslovakian composer Antonin Dvorak (1841-1904) and American composer Aaron Copland (1900-1990). In addition, the San Antonio-based Voci di Sorelle (Italian for “Voices of Sisters”), a group of twelve female a cappella singers, will present a variety of pieces by 20th Century composers. Proceeds from this fund raiser support education and outreach programs of these two nonprofit volunteer groups. Tickets are $40 per person. There is limited seating. The San Antonio Museum of Art is located at 200 West Jones Ave. For more information or to purchase tickets, call 978-8138.

Preservation Texas has announced that Oct. 15 is the deadline for nominations for the 2008 list of Texas’ Most Endangered Historic Places. Since the first list was compiled in 2004, inclusion on the list of Texas’ Most Endangered Historic Places has helped identify some of the state’s most eminent historic preservation needs and supported communities in their preservation efforts. Preservation Texas, Inc. is a statewide nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving the state’s historic resources by direct action and by empowering individuals and local and state organizations through partnerships in education, communications, and advocacy.  Judging criteria include sites that are associated with events that have made a significant contribution to and are identified with or that represent the broad patterns of Texas history in an exemplary way and from which an understanding and appreciation of those patterns may be gained. Nominations are open to the public.  The nomination form is available by visiting www.preservationtexas.org.  For more information on Texas’ Most Endangered Historic Places, phone Preservation Texas, Inc. at 512-472-0102.

Oct. 19

Join the Daughters of the Republic of Texas Library on the grounds of the Alamo for the 20th Annual Texas History Forum. Topics to be addressed include papers of the early Texas republic, the legacy of quilting in the Lone Star State, and interesting Texans that did not make the history books. The Forum is set 9 a.m. on Oct. 19.  Registration is $15. For more information, call 210-225-1071 or visit:  www.drtl.org. This event is funded by a generous grant from The Summerfield G. Roberts Foundation.