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Today
Get a glimpse of the night sky with the Omaha Astronomical Society tonight at Cunningham Lake, 72nd Street and Rainwood Road.
From 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. — clear skies permitting — society members will have telescopes set up to view the moon, planets, galaxies, star clusters and more. Or bring your own telescope and get help from members on how to get the best look.
Information: www.omahaastro.com.
A closing ceremony will begin at 2 p.m. at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Lentz Center for Asian Culture, to recognize completion of a mandala sand painting, a project begun Wednesday by Tibetan Buddhist monks. The event is free and open to the public.
A mandala, used by Buddhist practitioners to help rid themselves of negative emotions, is a cosmic diagram. The Lentz Center is at 1155 Q St., the lower level of the Hewit Place Building.
Today and Sunday
The parking lot of the Old Mattress Factory Bar & Grill, at 13th and Cass Streets across from the Qwest Center Omaha, will be transformed into a firefighting obstacle course for a regional Firefighter Combat Challenge. The public can watch area firefighters compete for the best time on the grueling course starting at 11 a.m. today and at noon Sunday. The event is free, as is a kids course, where children can go through a scaled-down version of the real thing.
Get a jump on the holidays and enjoy the autumn season at Mahoney State Park this weekend.
The annual Holiday Craft Show and Old West Cookout will take place at the Peter Kiewit Lodge from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. today and Sunday, offering a range of crafts, face painting and activities.
The cookout, featuring buffalo stew, will run from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. today and from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday. Admission is free, but a park entry permit is required.
A program for dog enthusiasts is set for this weekend in Hastings, Neb.
The Canine Companions for Life-Nebraska 4-H Dog Expo will be held today and Sunday at the Adams County Fairgrounds, beginning at 10 a.m. each day. University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension is sponsoring the event.
Participants will demonstrate dog-handling skills in obedience, showmanship and agility. The program also will include a dog costume parade and dog trick contest. Dog care clinics, information on grooming, nutrition, health care and training also will be available.
Admission is $3; children under 7 are free.
Sunday
It’s time again for the annual Petersburg Punkin’ Chunkin’ event.
Contestants in four divisions — air gun, mechanical, trebuchet and catapult — will see who can launch a pumpkin the farthest. Last year’s winning pumpkin flew 3,071 feet.
The action will start at 1 p.m. one mile east of Petersburg, Neb. Other activities will accompany the competition, including a petting zoo, pie-eating contest, treasure hunt and aerial pumpkin drops for kids.
Grilled hamburgers and hot dogs, homemade dessert bars and drinks will be available as well.
Admission is free, but check the weather. The rain date is Nov. 1.
Get into costume and head to the Downtown Family YMCA for the Spooks and Goblins Family Extravaganza.
Face painting, pumpkin decorating, games and snacks will be available from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Kids also can swim with an inflatable polar bear, jump in a huge space bouncer or navigate through an inflatable obstacle course.
Admission is free. The downtown Y is at 430 S. 20th St.
The Omaha Symphony invites families to Symphony Spooktacular at 2 p.m. at the Holland Performing Arts Center. Concertgoers are encouraged to dress up and arrive early for a costume contest.
There also will be an “instrument petting zoo” and trick-or-treating in the lobby.
The Omaha Symphony will perform favorites from “Star Wars,” “Harry Potter,” “Pirates of the Caribbean” and more.
Tickets are $9.75 for adults and $7 for kids. Information: www.omahasymphony.org.
The Winds of Freedom, part of the U.S. Air Force Heartland of America Band at Offutt Air Force Base, will perform at the Brownville Concert Hall in Brownville, Neb.
The free concert begins at 2 p.m.
Friends of the Omaha Public Library’s Fall Book Sale starts at noon at the Swanson Library, 9101 West Dodge Road. Hours today and Monday are noon to 5 p.m.
—Compiled by Kenton Krueger
Looking for more?
Want more ideas for how to spend your weekend? Listen to World-Herald reporters Josie Loza or Veronica Stickney — your best sources for entertainment and community ideas — each Friday at 8:30 a.m. on the “Arthur and Riell” show on Star 104.5 FM. Or catch a replay on Omaha.com/entertainment.
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