OneManchester

WHAT TO DO? Friday night presents two appealing options. The annual Fall Fest at Northwest Park runs from 5-8 p.m. and includes bounce houses, a Scarecrow Village, a Jack-O-Lantern Zombie Walk and, yes, lots of candy for costumed kids. Over at MHS, "The President's Own" United States Marine Band will perform at 7:30 p.m. We have details below as well as another addition to our 'Humans of Manchester' gallery.

That's right. Because of the Monday holiday, the board meets tonight and the agenda features a Hiring and Talent Development Update. The meeting is at 7 at Lincoln Center but also streamed lived on the district FB page and you can participate virtually. Here's how that works.

In addition to having a wide array of more conventional academic opportunities, Manchester High students can also learn in wood shop (left) and manufacturing lab. You'll find more photos from MHS and other schools on the district FB page.

• MHS HOMECOMING: Spirit Week at Manchester High culminates on Friday, Oct. 28 with a Homecoming Parade on Brookfield St. followed by a MHS football game vs. Windsor at Memorial Field. Click here for more details.
  
• PROJECT GRADUATION: It takes a lot of work but makes a special night even more memorable, Click here to learn about Project Graduation or here for info about their 'Mums the Word' fundraiser. And if you want to get involved contact Jennifer Smyth at b59jsmyt@mpspride.org.

• Manchester Adult & Continuing Ed: Dr. C-K celebrates Joy Harjo, the first Native American poet laureate of the US. and recently deceased Sacheen Littlefeather, who was booed at the 1973 Oscars…STEAM Camper interviews from last summer…Low cost Wi-Fi, community conversations and don’t forget: Bark in the Park is Saturday, Oct 22.

BAND AND ... BANDWITH? Pictured above are members of the IMS Marching Band while at right students in the library get a little tech talk.

MARQUEE EVENTS

The town's Department of Leisure, Family, and Recreation is hosting its annual Fall Festival at Northwest Park, with more pumpkin carving tonight and then an extravaganza tomorrow.

Also on Friday the United States Marine Band is performing at MHS. The concert is free but tickets are required and here is the link

THE DAILY BREAKDOWN

Thursday, Oct. 13
8 a.m. -- Manchester Economic Development Commision meeting at Lincoln Center.
5-7 p.m. -- Pumpkin carving at NW Park

6:30 p.m. -- Mandala Pumpkin Painting Class at Whiton Library.
7 p.m. -- BOE Meeting at Lincoln Center

Friday, Oct. 14

5-8 p.m. -- Fall Fest at NW Park

7:30 - 9:30 p.m. -- US Marine Corps Band at Bailey Auditorium, Manchester High School.

Saturday, Oct. 15
8 - 11 a.m. -- BSA Troop 27 can and bottle drive at St. Mary’s Church, 41 Park St.

8 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. -- MACC Farmers Market in the Forest St parking lot.

10 a.m. - 4 p.m. -- House Tour Fundraiser for the Sculpture Project.

1 p.m - 3 p.m. -- Harvest Costume Carnival at Manchester Church of Christ, 595 Tolland Tpk.

Sunday, Oct 16
1 -2 p.m. -- MACC Charities Crop Walk starting at 1790 Ellington Rd. South Windsor.

Monday, Oct. 17

1 p.m. - 6 p.m. -- Red Cross Blood Drive at Manchester Church of Christ, 595 Tolland Tpke

6:30 p.m. -- Dementia Friends at Mary Cheney Library.
7 p.m. -- Manchester Garden Club presents ‘Raised Garden Beds’ at Assumption Church Hall, 27 Adams St.

Also: The last of three free golf days for Manchester residents at Manchester Country Club.

Wednesday, Oct. 19
4:30 - 7 :30 p.m. -- Farmer’s Market at Northwest Park.

6-8 p.m. -- Community conversation on race at Mahoney Leisure Labs.

6:30 p.m. -- Building Resiliency: Herbal Remedies for the immune system at Whiton Library.

FURTHER DOWN THE ROAD

• Manchester Pipe Band has open houses scheduled for consecutive Thursdays (Oct. 20 and 27) and you can learn more here.
  

• On Saturday, Oct. 22, downtown businesses will be passing out candy from 11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m. and at 1 p.m. Bark in the Park returns to Center Memorial Park. Details are here.

• The Lutz will host a Spooktacular Playdate with games, crafts and more on Saturday, Oct. 29 from 9 - 11:30 a.m.
  

• Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 8. Click the link for details.

• The Manchester Road Race is Nov. 24 and online registration has begun. Click for more.
  

Also coming up is Halloween, which prompts a reminder that we will be sharing throughout the month: Accidental drug overdoses are now the leading cause of death in Connecticut. As fentanyl use skyrockets, state residents are now more likely to die from an accidental drug overdose than a car accident. So please review and respect the warning you'll find here.

Supporters of the plan to build a new public library on Main St. will be at Urban Lodge on Friday, Oct. 21 to talk about the project. A referendum seeking $39 million to build a new library will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 8. To read the text of the resolution excerpted above click here.

• Scott Hughes, formerly a BOE member and town council PTA President, has a new book out (under his pen name, Eckahart Aurelius Hughes). “In It Together: The Beautiful Struggle Uniting Us All” can be found here.
  

• Manchester Historical Society: Lecture series and membership drives are on…October television show describes Cheney Hall through Illustrations and stories…jigsaw puzzle features Educational Square and the House Tour to benefit the Sculpture Project is Saturday.
  

• Orders for compost bins and rain barrels must be placed with the town by Saturday (Oct. 14). Click here for details.
• For information about kids' karate classes, click here.

Also:

• SCARECROWS ON MAIN: Complete the Scarecrow Scavenger Hunt and check out the stories behind this year's entries. It's all here.

MHS senior Augustine Manu makes a move and teammate Juan Solis celebrates after scoring the first goal in the Red Hawks' 2-0 win over Northwest Catholic last Thursday.

ALSO

• Manchester Travel Basketball (for boys and girls in grades 4-8) has team evaluations scheduled for Friday, Oct. 21. Click here for details.
• The Hartford Shockers will be running a 'Junior Shockers' basketball academy for boys and girls 8-18. It will be on Saturdays starting Oct. 22 and there's more information here.
  

National Hispanic Heritage Month ends Saturday, although our recognition of the histories, cultures and contributions of those whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America should not (and will not) stop there. Today we present another member of our Hispanic community in the 'Humans of Manchester' gallery,

The latest addition is Tessa Casiano-Diaz, a behavior tech at Verplanck Elementary. Click the image for her story; you can find the complete gallery on our FB page,

OneManchester is compiled by Jim Farrell of the school district's communications office; he can be reached at b11jfarr@mpspride.org or 860-268-6377. OneManchester has been published since August 2017 and features the photography of Paul Ofria. Want to subscribe? Just click here.