By Mary Sisk
Rock River Current
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ROCKFORD — This weekend you can attend charity events, partake in spooky fall festivities and buy original artwork downtown, so we better not catch you at home.

Here are 14 events in Rockford that you can attend this weekend:

Walk to end hunger

The Rockford Area CROP Hunger Walk is back Sunday after a two-year hiatus.

The walk is approximately 4.7 miles. It begins at Riverfront Museum Park, 711 N. Main St., Rockford. Registration begins at 1 p.m. and the walk starts at 2 p.m.

Online registration can be found here.

Things to do: Looking for free Halloween fun? Here’s are free trunk-or-treat events in the Rockford region

Buy some art downtown

Nicole Landreth hangs art at 317 Art Collective on Tuesday, Oct. 11, 2022, in preparation for the “Mis Raíces, Mis Alas” gallery show debuting during Fall Art Scene in Rockford. (Photo by Kevin Haas/Rock River Current)

Fall Art Scene is back this weekend from 5-9 p.m. on Friday and 4-9 p.m. Saturday.

The biannual gallery walk will feature 29 venues with the majority located downtown and some offering refreshments and live music.

Admission is free, and information on the event can be found here.

Full story: A tiny gallery in a vault, a display of diversity and a tribute to video games: Get ready for Art Scene

Support community theater

Artists’ Ensemble Theater is collaborating with League of Women Voters of Greater Rockford to premiere “Julie & Jane,” a play about Julia Lathrop and Jane Addams by Margaret Raether.

The show will play at 7:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday in the Cheek Theatre in the Clark Arts Center of Rockford University, 5050 E. State St., Rockford.

Tickets and more information can be found here.

Express yourself with neon paint

The Pottery Lounge, 6059 E. State St., is hosting a black light glow painting event on Friday.

The event will take place from 6-7:30 p.m., and tickets must be purchased in advance. You can buy tickets here.

Love all things spooky?

True Tales of Things that Go Bump in the Night happens from 7-10 p.m. Friday at Tinker Swiss Cottage.

The event, presented by Haunted Rockford, will feature spooky presentations and paranormal stories at the historical cottage, 411 Kent St.

Tickets are $25 and must be purchased in advance. They can be bought here.

Attend a masquerade ball for a good cause

The fourth annual Superhero Center masquerade ball happens from 6-11:30 p.m. Saturday.

The event is hosted by Superhero Center for Autism and will be held at Radisson Hotel & Conference Center- Rockford, 200 S. Bell School Road.

There will be dinner, dancing, drinks, a silent auction and more to support the Superhero Center for Autism.

Tickets are $75 and can be purchased here.

Whiskey, wine, live music

Rockford City Market visitors gather under the pavilion on Friday, Sept. 30, 2022, for the final market of the 2022 season. (Photo by Kevin Haas/Rock River Current)

Whiskey & Wine at the Rockford City Market pavilion goes from 3-6 p.m. Saturday.

The event will feature live music, food trucks and samples provided by Artalé Wine Co. at the outdoor market grounds at the corner of Water and State streets in downtown.

Admission is $50 or $60 on site, and guests must be 21 or older. Tickets can be purchased here.

Related: As Rockford City Market wraps up its season, more of its vendors are set to graduate to storefronts

More fall fun

The YMCA is hosting its fall festival from noon to 5 p.m. on Saturday.

The festival will take place at Camp Winnebago, 5804 N. Main St., and will feature food trucks, crafts, games and more.

Admission is free, but some activities have a fee in which the proceeds go back to YMCA summer camps. More information can be found here.

Celebrate art and health

Rockford Ready is hosting SouthsideScene to celebrate art and health with this year’s Rockford Youth Poet Laureate Giulyana Gamero.

The event goes from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday outside Comprehensive Community Solutions, 917 S. Main St., Rockford.

There will be music, art, poetry readings, health screenings and other activities. Admission is free.

Last chance for dreams and nightmares

Dancers perform Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2022, during a preview of Somnium: The Book of Dreams and Nightmares on North Madison Street in Rockford. (Photo by Kevin Haas/Rock River Current)

It’s closing weekend for “Somnium: The Book of Dreams and Nightmares,” a multimedia public art exhibit that combines performance and visual art by artists from across the Rockford area and the world.

There are 7:30 p.m. and 9 p.m. showings Friday and Saturday at 715 N. Madison St. in downtown Rockford.

Tickets cost $22 and can be purchased HERE.

Full story: Explore dreams and nightmares in this art show ‘that brings the audience through a journey’

Photograph fall beauty in South Beloit

Staff from Nature at the Confluence and local photographers will lead a walk through picturesque fall scenery. Photographers of all skill levels are welcome, whether you have a high-end DSLR or just a smart phone.

The event, called Cameras at the Confluence, happens from 4-5:30 p.m. Sunday at Nature At The Confluence, 306 Dickop St., South Beloit.

The cost is $5 and tickets can be reserved HERE.

More fall scenery: Here are 5 scenic spots to see the seasons change in the Rockford area

Get crafty at the fairgrounds

The Holidazzle Craft Show returns to the Winnebago County Fairgrounds this weekend with more than 150 vendors selling various handmade goods.

The event runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday at the fairgrounds, 500 W. First St., Pecatonica.

It costs $5 at the gate to enter. Children 12 and younger enter free. You can get more info HERE.

Get The Led Out at Coronado

Led Zeppelin cover band Get The Led Out brings “A Celebration of the Mighty Zep” back to the Coronado Performing Arts Center, 314 N. Main St., at 8 p.m. Saturday.

You can get tickets and more info HERE.

A lighter listen

Mendelssohn Performing Arts Center presents Jennifer Woodrum, a rising star in the classical clarinet world, at 7:30 p.m. Friday at the Starr Center, 415 N. Church St.

Woodrum will present a program primarily by African American composers.

You can get tickets and more info HERE.

Related: Former Mendelssohn property envisioned as new home for performing arts venue

This article is by Mary Sisk. Email her at msisk@rockrivercurrent.com or follow her on Instagram at @maryrrcurrent

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