Music, excitement, and great, affordable family fun - the 2012 Calabasas Pumpkin Festival is here! Come join the excitement on Saturday, October 20 and Sunday, October 21 from 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. at Juan Bautista de Anza Park. Admission is only $5 dollars (children under two are free), including free parking and shuttle service! Entry price also includes inflatables and a giant slide, reptile and bug shows, participation in pumpkin pie eating, mummy wrap and pumpkin seed spitting contests, a Business Expo and Sunday car show. Also included will be live entertainment from the ultimate eighties group “The Spazmatics”, Bruce Springsteen tribute “The Rising” and more great bands!

Stroll through the corridor of vendors and shop for jewelry, home and garden items, baby clothes, and Harvest & Halloween treats. Visit the food court and sample a variety of delicious food and beverages. Enjoy children's craft projects, balloon animals, face painting, and pumpkins! The festival offers pumpkin painting for the kids and adults will find pumpkin beer in the beer garden. Plus, don’t forget to pick your Halloween pumpkin in the pumpkin patch!

Parking and entrance begins at the corner of Lost Hills Road & Agoura Road. Please note that there is no parking along Las Virgenes/Malibu Canyon Rd. There are ATMs on site, and credit card sales are limited to select Marketplace vendors. Don’t miss this great weekend outdoors with the entire community!

For more information, www.calabasaspumpkinfestival.com.

The Calabasas Walk-In Flu Vaccine Clinic will be held on Saturday, October 27, 2012 from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at Founders Hall (200 Civic Center Way) in Calabasas. Free seasonal flu shots will be offered on a first come, first served basis (while supplies last) to Calabasas residents only. Flu shots will be administered by Passport Health, the largest provider of travel medical/immunization services in the United States. The minimum age to receive a flu shot at the clinic is 6 months. No pets will be allowed on-site for the clinic. For additional information, please call (818) 224-1620.

Three elementary and two middle schools within the Las Virgenes Unified School District, located in the City of Calabasas, will be joining schools from around the world to celebrate International Walk to School Day on Wednesday, October 3, 2012.

Approximately two thousand students from Bay Laurel, Chaparral, Lupin Hill, A.C. Stelle, and A.E. Wright will be walking to school along with parents, teachers and community leaders. In the past, the Mayor, Council Members, City Commissioners, Principals, Teachers, Representatives of the School Board and School District have participated by giving encouragement and distributing incentives along the routes. This event is being organized by the City of Calabasas and the Las Virgenes Unified School District. The event will begin at 7:30 a.m. with students, parents and community leaders walking to school from home or designated drop-off areas. This event will kick off a year-long program of “Walk to School on Wednesdays”.

In the U.S., International Walk to School Day is expected to include 5,000 schools from all 50 states. Walkers from the U.S. will join children and adults in 40 countries around the world. Walk to School events work to create safer routes for walking, bicycling, and to emphasize the importance of issues such as increasing physical activity among children, pedestrian safety, traffic congestion, concern for the environment and building connections between families, schools and the broader community.

For additional local information, please contact Anna Ford at 818-224-1600, or the PFA Traffic Representative at your specific school.

Confused by all the clutter and hype surrounding the ballot issues on the upcoming November ballot? On Wednesday, October 10 at 6:30 p.m., join the League of Women Voters representative Ellen Pangarliotas at the Calabasas Library (200 Civic Center Way) for a non-partisan analysis of these important measures. The event is free and refreshments will be served. For more information, visit www.cityofcalabasas.com/events/library/be-informed.html. Be an informed voter! 

Are you ready for an earthquake? Emergency services may not be able to respond to you in a disaster. Learn what you can do to prepare for emergencies by attending Emergency Preparedness Night during the month of October. A County of Los Angeles Fire Department CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) trained representative will be on hand to discuss how you can prepare yourself and your family for potential disasters. The City of Calabasas will promote the “Map Your Neighborhood” program and provide important materials while Pet Safe will have information on how to keep your pets safe. S.O.S. Survival Products will have a great selection of emergency supplies for you to purchase. Three nights and locations to choose from, this could be the most important thing you do for your family this month:

• Thursday, October 11 at Lupin Hill Elementary - 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

• Wednesday, October 17 at A.E. Wright Middle School - 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

• Thursday, October 25 at Chaparral Elementary - 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

For additional information, call Debbie Larson at (818) 224-1620.

You are invited to join millions of people who will drop, cover, and hold on during the 2012 Great California ShakeOut, scheduled for 10:18 a.m. on Thursday, October 18.  This high-profile, disaster preparedness drill provides a perfect opportunity for Calabasas families and businesses to make sure they are ready for potential disruptive earthquakes.   A full calendar of ShakeOut activities is available online at www.shakeout.org. The drill and other Shakeout activities are being organized to inspire people to prepare for potentially large and damaging earthquakes and to prevent disasters from becoming catastrophes. Local officials will be participating in the ShakeOut and anyone can register their participation on the official Great California ShakeOut website.  For additional information, please visit www.shakeout.org.

As a part of EPA's (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency) Clean Water Act’s 40th Anniversary celebration, the Agency is hosting a video project asking Americans everywhere to send in a 15-second video clip explaining the important role that water plays in their lives. The City of Calabasas is participating and you should too! To view the video submission by City of Calabasas, visit www.youtube.com/watch?v=uyw28Y9vzlc.

EPA will feature selected video clips on its website and "Water Is Worth It" Facebook page as part of its anniversary celebration. So grab your friends, family, coworkers, neighbors, classmates, and pets and join in. Each video should include the phrase "Water is worth it..." but the rest is up to you! Videos will be accepted through October 18, 2012. Submit your video clips today! To register, visit http://water.epa.gov/action/cleanwater40/video-project.cfm.

The City of Calabasas and the Lost Hills Disaster Communications Service invite the public to attend a one-day Amateur Ham Radio Study and Exam Session for an Entry Level FCC License.  The one-day session will take place Sunday, October 21 at the Lost Hills Sheriff's Station from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.  There is a $30.00 class fee that includes class expenses and a hot lunch.  Please note that registration is required and walk-ins will not be accepted.  There will be two free follow-up classes from 7:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. on dates after the exam, offering information on which ham radio to buy and how to program a radio and get it on air.  Participants can now register for classes online or  by sending a check to Norm Goodkin, 22287 Mulholland Drive #162, Calabasas, CA 91302.  Please include the name of the participant, the class date, an email address and a phone number with the registration.  For more information, please contact Norm Goodkin at (818) 222-7893 or Debbie Larson at (818) 224-1620.

Nearly 3 million eligible citizens are not registered to vote in LA County. Are you? In order to vote in this year's election, you must register by Monday, October 22, 2012. To register online, or to check the status of your registration, visit www.LAVote.net. Register. Vote. Count.

On Saturday, October 27, 2012 there will be a free bulky item pick-up by Waste Management, Inc. for City of Calabasas residents only. Furniture, mattresses, carpet, refrigerators and other appliances can be picked up by scheduling an appointment with Waste Management no later than noon on Friday, October 26. Please call (800) 675-1171 to schedule your appointment or to obtain additional information. Unaccepted items include tires, electronic waste, yard waste, construction material and debris, chemicals and any kind of hazardous waste.

October is a great time to get involved with Mountains Restoration Trust! They will be hosting a variety of programs throughout the month for people of all ages.  From ongoing restoration projects, beautiful nature walks, and educational programs, there is an opportunity for everybody to get out and enjoy nature!

Have you ever seen a decorated gourd or a bird house made from a gourd? You have an opportunity to make your own by attending Senior Program - Gourd Design on Tuesday, October 9 from 9:00 a.m. - Noon. Participants will meet at the Historical Masson House at Headwaters Corner. Space is limited and registration is required by calling Susan Haugland at (818) 591-1701, ext. 212 or online at http://com3.govtsystems.com/ResPCalabasas/.

Youth ages 8-12 are invited to join the Youth Naturalist Program: Nighttime in Nature on Saturday, October 13 from 6:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m. Discover the nightlife of wildlife in the mountains and learn why some animals stay up all night. Enjoy a pizza dinner before the evening hike and craft. This is a free event, but please register by calling Susan Haugland at (818) 591-1701, ext. 212.

Enjoy the Autumn Allure with an easy downhill hike through rock-studded chaparral, grassland, and riparian habitats on Sunday, October 14 from 9:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. Be sure to bring water and a snack. For information, contact Cold Creek Docents at (818) 591-9363.

On Saturday, October 20 from 7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m., seniors are invited to learn about the night sky with the aid of deep space telescopes at the Senior Program - Astronomy. There will be a guest speaker to guide you through the stars, planets, nebulae, and constellations. Dress warm! Space is limited and pre-registration is required by calling Susan Haugland at (818) 591-1701, ext. 212 or online at http://com3.govtsystems.com/ResPCalabasas/.

Be a volunteer at the Lower Topanga Park Restoration project! Native plants are working hard to bring a natural eco-balance to the lower Topanga Creek area of the park. But they need a boost! On Sunday, October 21 from 8:30 a.m. - 12:15 p.m., volunteers will be watering and removing noxious weeds. If you are interested in participating, please make a reservation by emailing volunteer@treepeople.org or calling (818) 591-1701, ext. 203. Be sure to bring water and a snack, and wear sturdy footwear.

For additional information on any of these programs, or to obtain a complete list of MRT's calendar of events in October, visit www.mountainstrust.org.

For many kids, the chance to breathe fresh air and explore the beauty of nature is something they rarely, if ever, experience. Now, thanks to a National Park Foundation grant, the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area will receive nearly $7,000 in transportation funding that will allow approximately 700 students and family members to experience a ranger-led program in the Santa Monica Mountains.  "Our park is unique in that we're in the backyard of millions of Southern Californians, but of course not all local residents have the resources or ability to come and visit us," said Lorenza Fong, acting superintendent for Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area. "This grant provides bus transportation for residents in park-poor communities to experience the beauty and recreational value of the Santa Monica Mountains."

Through these field trips, young people discover their natural, cultural and historical heritage, participate in volunteer and service-learning activities, enjoy recreational opportunities and most importantly, begin a lifelong relationship with their national parks. For more information and to discover ways to support this and the other National Park Foundation programs, please visit www.nationalparks.org.

Elementary and middle-school students are invited to submit their hand-created drawings to the annual environmentally-themed drawing contest, hosted by the Calabasas Environmental Commission. This year’s theme is the “Benefits of Bottle and Can Recycling.” Entries are due by Friday, November 2, 2012 and can be delivered to Calabasas City Hall at 100 Civic Center Way. Drawings must be done on 8 ½” x 11” format in landscape orientation. Fourteen winners will be chosen based on the creativity and theme of their illustration. The winning drawings will be printed in the 2013 City of Calabasas Community Recycling Awareness calendar, with the first-place winner’s drawing as the cover. All fourteen winners will receive a $25 gift certificate. For additional information, call (818) 224-1600.