The great pumpkin fest, Germantown jazz and Dracula’s back in this week’s ‘Things to Do’

This week includes both a look at history and a chance to share your own as fall moves in with a wide variety of socially distanced and virtual events.

Pumpkins on deck

Yardley’s Shady Brook Farm is hosting FallFest through Oct. 31. Pumpkin-picking is naturally a part of it, along with wagon rides, a hay maze, a 5-acre corn maze, and the Barn of Horrors and Alien Encounter attractions — all animatronics this year with no live actors. There’s also a Tryke track course with pedal go-karts, among other family activities. COVID protocols are in effect, with mandatory mask-wearing and a 3-hour limit to timed tickets. You can also rent a private campfire site on the grounds for up to 40 people, but no outside food or drink is allowed, except for birthday cakes. Food is available on-site, but must be ordered beforehand. 

FallFest 2020
Shady Brook Farm
931 Stony Hill Rd., Yardley, Pa. (but use Morrisville for GPS) Wednesday, Thursday, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m., Friday, Saturday 10 a.m. – 10 p.m., Sunday, 10 a.m. – 8 p.m., $12 – $18

All that jazz

Woodmere Art Museum in Germantown is hosting Saturday Night Jazz through Oct. 17. This Saturday is dedicated to the music of Linda Ronstadt, who made three jazz albums with the late Nelson Riddle. Next Saturday, trumpeter Will Wright and pianist Adam Faulk will pay tribute to bebop innovators Lee Morgan and Horace Silver. Concerts are outdoors and seating and food is BYO. Parking is available on the grounds and potentially nearby although it should be noted that nearby Bells Mill Road is currently closed. Tickets can be purchased online and by phone.

Saturday Night Jazz
Woodmere Art Museum
9201 Germantown Ave., Philadelphia
Saturday, Oct. 10 and Saturday, Oct. 17 at 5 p.m. and 7 p.m., $25

Golden moments

Families are the focus this Sunday at the American Swedish Historical Museum. Their Book Fair and Family Fun Day takes place on the museum’s outdoor terrace in South Philly’s FDR Park. The day kicks off at noon and includes craft stations, a story corner and a children’s book sale from multicultural vendors that include Harriett’s Bookshop, Hakim’s Bookstore, Main Point Books and the museum’s own Swedish book collection. ASHM is also highlighting their current exhibit of work by illustrator Gustaf Tenggren. Every child who attends will receive a free Golden book. 

Book Fair and Family Fun Day
American Swedish Historical Museum
1900 Pattison Ave.
Sunday, Oct. 11 noon-3 p.m., free

The future is female

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote. The Museum of the American Revolution is bringing together some dynamic contemporary women to discuss the rights of women throughout U.S. history and the ongoing efforts to give them an equal voice at home, in corporate boardrooms, and in public service. World Affairs and the Enduring American Revolution: Human Rights is a virtual discussion hosted via Zoom by Errin Haines, MSNBC contributor and the editor-at-large for The 19th, a news platform with a focus on gender, politics and policy. She’ll be joined by Jovida Hill, executive director of the Mayor’s Office of Engagement for Women in Philadelphia; Rachel B. Vogelstein, director of the Women and Foreign Policy program at the Council on Foreign Relations; and Rosemarie Zagarri, an author and history professor at George Mason University.

World Affairs and the Enduring American Revolution: Human Rights
Virtual
Tuesday, Oct. 13, 5 p.m., $9.

Bright history

Germantown’s history will shine during the three-week Night of Lights celebration. The fourth annual event, put on by the Chestnut Hill Conservancy, showcases the history of the neighborhood while asking for participants to share their own. Through Oct. 25, specially crafted light installations projected onto storefronts, along with the illumination of historic dwellings, will tell the story of the past while looking to the future. There are eight projections this year, along with storyteller stations and the chance to share your own story for future archival purposes. A QR code is available at each stop, with a textable keyword, and participating restaurants will stay open late. Filling out a Pastport, available at participating retailers, can win you a prize. 

Night of Lights
Various locations, on and near the 8000 block of Germantown Ave. Through Oct. 25, 7-10 p.m., nightly
Free

Vampire hour

Dracula is as enduring an anti-hero as literature has ever produced and during this time of year, the bloodthirsty count is always highlighted. The University of Delaware’s Resident Ensemble of Players, or REP, is paying homage to everyone’s favorite vampire with an audio series based on Bram Stoker’s abiding novel. Michael Gotch wrote and directed the five-episode drama that airs on 91.3 WVUD on successive Fridays in October starting at 7 p.m. If you missed it, the first episode is below. 

“Dracula”
Every Friday through Oct. 30, 7 p.m.
On 91.3 WVUD

Out and proud

The coronavirus may make this year’s celebration slightly different from previous years — OK, a lot different — but Philadelphia’s National Coming Out Day is still on. This year’s event has gone virtual and will be celebrated on Saturday at 6 p.m. via livestream. Paula Deen-White and Icon Ebony Fierce will co-host a night of performances with special messages from organizations that support the LGBT+ community and local supporters including Mayor Jim Kenney, the Mazzoni Center, the William Way LGBT Community Center, the Attic Youth Center and more. This year’s theme: Unity in the Community.

OutFest for Community Unity
Virtual
Saturday, Oct. 10, 6 p.m.
Free

‘Fur’ the love of pets

The Pennsylvania SPCA is hosting a unique event – a drive-in screening of “A League of Their Own” to benefit the animal welfare agency. The 1992 movie starring Geena Davis, Madonna and Tom Hanks as part of a women’s barnstorming baseball league in the 1940s is now part of the National Film Registry. The benefit screening takes place Saturday, Oct. 10 in the Ikea South Philly parking lot. Prices range from a per-car price to one that includes a large charitable donation and preferred seating, er, parking. 

Drive-in Movie Night with the Pennsylvania SPCA
Ikea Philadelphia, 2206 S. Christopher Columbus Blvd.
Saturday, Oct. 10, 6:30 p.m.
$40 and up

Keep checking in with “Things To Do” as we continue to provide our picks for entertainment during the industry’s COVID-19 hiatus. Please consult our coronavirus updates to keep up with the latest information regionally.