• It’s the “March on the Brandywine” this Saturday, Oct. 18, at Unionville High School. The event is a high school marching band competition featuring 10 regional schools followed by an exhibition of Unionville High’s 2014 show called “Mirage.” Food, including the school’s famous, hand-cut “band fries,” will be available for purchase. Tickets are $12 for adults, $10 for students and seniors. It’s free for children 5 years old and younger. The competition begins at 6:30 p.m.

•  This weekend more than 15,000 students representing Penn State will dedicate their weekend to the fight against childhood cancer. Penn State Dance Marathon (THON) volunteers will launch the 2015 fundraising season with the first canister solicitation weekend starting Oct. 17. Student volunteers spend the weekend collecting funds by standing on street corners and at storefronts during daylight hours in order to raise funds and awareness for childhood cancer. All funds collected benefit THON’s sole beneficiary, Four Diamonds at Penn State Hershey Children’s Hospital.

• The Brandywine Conservancy is holding a tree planting at Wyebrook Farm on Saturday, Oct. 18. It’s part of the conservancy’s reforestation project to plant 50,000 trees by its 50^th anniversary in 2017 and focuses on water quality and plant and animal habitat. Register by calling 610-388-8351. There will be another tree planting On Oct. 25 at the Robert B. Gordon Natural Area in conjunction with the Greater West Chester Sunrise Rotary Club.

• Crozer-Keystone will host an open house at its Brinton Lake location on Evergreen Drive in Concord Township as part of Medicare’s open enrollment period. Those interested can meet with representatives from various insurance companies that offer plans to augment Medicare. The date is Oct. 22 from 2-4:30 p.m.

• The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation will hold an open house public meeting on Thursday, Oct. 23 at 7 p.m. for the proposed plan to improve the intersection of U.S. Route 202 and Route 926 (Street Road) in Westtown and Thornbury townships, Chester County. The meeting will be held at the Westtown Township building at 1039 Wilmington Pike in West Chester.

• For the first time, Longwood Fire Co. will hold its annual open house under the stars. This year’s event will be from 6 to 9 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 23 at the firehouse near Longwood Gardens. The public event is free and will include demonstrations and family activities. There will be refreshments available and the company store will be open. There will be a vehicle rescue demonstration at 7 p.m. and also fire extinguisher simulations, kid-friendly fire prevention activities along with tours of the station. Longwood Fire Company has served the communities of Kennett, East Marlborough, Pennsbury and Pocopson townships since 1921.

• Concord Township will hold its annual Harvest Fest event on Saturday, Oct. 25 from 1-4 p.m. at 40 Bethel Road. Halloween Parade, music, caricatures, pony & petting zoo, antique cars & machinery, hay rides, pumpkin painting, face painting, crafts and more. There will also be a Dog Costume Contest at the Concord Dog Park, 30 Bethel Road. Judging begins at noon.

• St. Thomas the Apostle will hold its annual Harvest Fest Saturday, Oct. 25 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the school. The event is family friendly and offers games and activities inside and pony rides outside. Tickets and wristbands will be sold at the entrance.

• The Smithsonian Mobile Exhibit "Animal Connections: Our Journey Together," visits the Delaware Museum of Natural History Friday, Oct 24 and Saturday, Oct. 25. From the cows that provide the milk for a bowl of cereal to the deer nibbling on a shrub in the park, and from sea lions working with their trainers at the zoo to puppies chasing balls in the yard, the connections humans have with animals are vast. Admission is free.

• Natural Lands Trust invites you to kick up your heels at the ChesLen Chase for Open Space on Saturday, Oct. 25. Proceeds from the event will benefit ChesLen Preserve — one of the largest private nature preserves in southeastern Pennsylvania. Natural Lands Trust will plant one native tree on the preserve for every race registrant. Runners can choose a 10K or 5K run or a 1.5-mile run/walk. There will be a post-race party with live music, craft beer and BBQ from Victory Brewing Company, and an awards ceremony. Registration is $45 for the 10K race, $35 for the 5K race, and $25 for the 1.5-mile fun run/walk. Learn more and register online at natlands.org/cheslenchase.

• PAWS for People, a Newark-based pet therapy organization, will hold its 6th annual Wag-n-Walk & 5K run on Saturday, Oct. 25 at Newark’s Glasgow Park from 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Leashed dogs are welcome to participate. A one-mile Doggie Walk follows the 5K. Registration fees are $25 for the 5K and $30 for the Doggie Walk. There will be a $5 discount for those who register before Oct. 18. To register, phone 302-351-5622 or go to http://www.pawsforpeople.org/events/wagnwalk/

• Grammy-nominated music group Minas brings their blend of Brazilian Jazz to Darlington Arts Center’s Coffee House Concert Series on Saturday, Oct. 25. Led by Delaware County husband and wife duo Orlando Haddad and Patricia King, Minas is one of the most established Brazilian Jazz groups in the US today, celebrated as “a marriage made in musical heaven” (Sounds of Brazil) with three decades of experience performing and recording original music. The concert is BYOB and begins with an open mic at 7:30 p.m., followed by Minas at 8. Tickets are $15 and include free coffee, tea, and desserts. A four-concert pass is available for $40. Advance ticket purchase is recommended by calling (610) 358-3632 or ordering online at www.darlingtonarts.org.

• On Monday, Oct. 27, at 7 p.m. Willowdale Chapel’s Celebrate Recovery program invites people to join them for their special open house anniversary evening as they celebrate their fifth year of bringing this faith-based 12 Step recovery program to the area. They invite you to come and see for yourself the life changing effects and miracles Celebrate Recovery has had on individuals who will share their experience, strength and hope with you. The evening is filled with music, stories of changed lives, giveaways, and special teaching on recovery and how it plays itself out in our lives. It ends in the café with desserts and snacks featuring homemade pies. Willowdale Chapel is at 675 Unionville Road, near intersection of routes 82 and 926.

• The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation has launched an online survey to collect public feedback on safety, education, and mobility needs to help guide future mobile service development. The survey is available until Nov. 12 at www.dot.state.pa.us on the “Submit Feedback” page. The brief survey asks participants to prioritize safety and mobility needs related to PennDOT business areas such as public transit and driver and vehicle services.