• GiggyBites in Olde Ridge Village and Concord Township celebrated Halloween in their own special ways last week. GiggyBites held a Halloween “Paw-tay” for costumed four-legged critters while Concord held its annual Harvest Festival that included a costumed parade (see top photo) with young two-legged types.

• A reminder that the first annual Brandywine Battlefield 5K Run is scheduled for this Saturday, Nov. 2 at 8:30 a.m. The run benefits the Brandywine Battlefield Park in Chadds Ford Township. Runners will exit the park and turn left onto Route 1. They will go to Heyburn Road and turn right, then go to Ridge Road where they will make another right to Ring Road, then down Ring to the Chadds Ford Township municipal building.

• Reins of Life, which provides therapeutic horseback riding for children and young adults with disabilities and special needs, is the beneficiary of The Mane Event at Oberod, to take place 7-11 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 2, at Oberod Estate in Centreville. Cost is $65 per person with pre-registration; $75 at the door or $120 per pre-registered couple or $130 at the door. The event raises money for the care of therapy horses and the Reins of Life Children’s Scholarship Fund. Contact Judy Hendrickson at Reins of Life 610-274-3300 or reinsoflife@verizon.net.

• Saint Cornelius Parish is hosting a Ten Thousand Villages Fair Trade Festival on Nov. 2 and 3 at the parish Life Center. Ten Thousand Villages is a source for unique handmade gifts, jewelry, home decor, art and sculpture, textiles, serve ware and personal accessories representing the diverse cultures of artisans in Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Middle East. One of the world's largest fair trade organizations and a founding member of the World Fair Trade Organization, the company strives to improve the livelihood of tens of thousands of disadvantaged artisans in 38 countries.

• Lori Kaluzny, a former employee of the Kennett School District, is the new office manager at Longwood Fire Co. “I answer questions about programs we offer including our certified car seat installation program, file of life, ambulance subscription club, birthday parties and fire house tours,” she said in a press release. Longwood Fire Co. has served the communities of Kennett, East Marlborough, Pennsbury and Pocopson townships since 1921

• Mattson Road in Concord Township will be closed from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 6. Mattson will be completely closed between Concord Road and Swan Lake Drive. Work is being performed by a subcontractor of the township. Detour Routes: Mattson to Willits to Smithbridge Road and Mattson to Valleybrooke to Concord Road. One lane will be open on Thursday, Nov. 7, while the area is being paved.

• The 2013 Unionville High School Art Gala will be held on Friday, Nov. 8 from 6-9 p.m. and Saturday, Nov. 9 from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. in the Modern Art and Performing Arts Center in the high school at 750 Unionville Road in Kennett Square. The event will feature pieces by more than 60 local working artists from varied mediums including, and not limited to, painting, photography, glass, jewelry, metal, clay and wood works alongside art from UHS art students. A portion of the proceeds, 30 percent, will go to support a diverse range of educational programs and projects at Unionville High School.

• The Delaware Museum of Natural History's popular adult program, Science After Dark, returns Saturday, Nov. 9, from 7-9 p.m. Step back in time to the icy world of extinct creatures like mammoths, mastodons, and more. Guests can mingle around the museum and learn more about the Ice Age and how this chilly time in our planet's history dramatically changed the biological landscape. The museum will also play the 1992 film Encino Man in the DuPont Auditorium and the 2008 film 10,000 B.C. in the Hall of Mammals. Admission is $10 per person. Must be 21 or over to attend and show valid ID at the door. For more information, visit www.delmnh.org or call 302-658-9111.

• "Imagine Brandywine," a new exhibition space at the Brandywine River Museum for the display of creative art projects by area school students and inspired by the museum's collection and landscape, debuts on Nov. 10. The inaugural display features more than 150 works by students in kindergarten through sixth grade from the Avon Grove Charter School, located in West Grove and Kemblesville. The exhibition by the students from AGCS will be on view through Jan. 5 on the lower level of the museum. Future exhibitions of work by students from the museum's partner schools, including Caln Elementary in Coatesville and Chester Charter School of the Arts, will take place in 2014.

• The Kennett Area Senior Center sponsors a Book Club session on Tuesday, Nov. 12, from 10 – 11 a.m. The Book Club meets on the second Tuesday of each month and is always looking for new members to join the group for stimulating and interesting discussions. They will be reviewing the book “The Good Lord Bird” by James McBride. Please contact Cindy Engle at 610-444-3947 if you would be interested in joining the club.