5 Things for Families

Some spooky stuff, some science stuff, some do-gooder stuff–we got a little bit of everything this weekend.

October 15, 2014; 7:12 AM • by Valerie Catrow

1. Haunted Henricus: Things That Go Bump in the Night

There’s only one thing better than haunted tours: historically-based haunted tours. Find out what it was like to be a colonist living in a dark, mysterious “new world” and chat with representatives from Transcend Paranormal who will share their findings of present-day heebie-jeebies-inducing activity at Henricus Historical Park.

• Thursday, October 16th and 17th • 7:00 — 9:00 PM
• Henricus Historical Park, 251 Henricus Park Road
• $8 for adults, $6 for kids ages 6 to 12 (not recommended for kids 5 and under)

2. Science After Dark: GLOW!

Spend the evening making glow-in-the-dark crafts and playing games, all while learning about luminescence and phosphorescence. You can also take part in a little backlight bowling and stargazing with the folks from Richmond Astronomical Society. The evening includes a 6:30 PM screening (in The Dome, of course) of Science After Dark: The Glow of the Universe and an 8:00 PM showing of Tron.

• Friday, October 17th • 5:00 — 9:00 PM
• Science Museum of Virginia, 2500 W. Broad Street
• $5

3. HandsOn Day

The family that volunteers together stays together…or at least is more likely to rear children who do better in school and are less likely to get in trouble. Choose from over 60 different community partners with whom to spend the morning giving back to our fair city, and then close out the day with an after-party at Hardywood.

• Saturday, October 18th • 9:00 AM — 1:00 PM
• Richmond-wide
• All it’ll cost is four hours of your time

4. Free Flu Shot Clinic

Hey, this column is called “5 Things for Families”, not “5 Always Fun Things for Families.” According to the Center for Disease Control, flu season really starts to gear up in October, and everyone six months old and above should get vaccinated–if not for themselves than for the immunosuppressed or teeny tiny babies in their lives. Flu shots will be available for both children and adults. To reduce wait-time, visit watkinsER.com to fill out your paperwork before you head over.

• Saturday, October 18th • 9:00 AM — 1:00 PM
• Bon Secours St. Francis Watkins Centre, 601 Watkins Centre Parkway
• Free

5. The Adventures of Harold and the Purple Crayon

“One night, after thinking it over for some time, Harold decided to go for a walk in the moonlight.”

That’s the first line to one of the best children’s books ever written, in my humble opinion. And lucky for us, we have the chance to watch this book come to life on stage with the help of animation, puppetry, and original music. I’m already a little choked up.

• Sunday, October 19th • 3:00 PM
• Modlin Center for the Arts, 28 Westhampton Way (University of Richmond)
• $10-$18 (recommended for ages 5 and up)

Photo by: anjrued

October 15, 2014 7:12 AM 0