Have you made plans for the weekend? Before you do, you might take a look at all the things offered around the state.

The Italy Gladiators are playing Friday night at home. They are hosting Malakoff at 7:30. The Lady Gladiators, both JV and Varsity, will travel to Frost on Saturday morning and start their play at 10:00. IYAA Youth football will also play on Saturday morning in Blooming Grove. Italy C team will begin at 9:00, Italy B team will begin at 10:30 and Italy A team starts at 12:00.

Ennis

23rd Anniversary O’Reilly Super Start Batteries NHRA Fall Nationals (National Hot Rod Association)
Sept. 19-21 at the Texas Motorplex, 7500 W. Hwy 287, Ennis, TX 75119. Go to www.texasmotorplex.com for daily schedules and events. Also, check out some of the concession stands for some friendly faces because the Italy High School Student Council is working the whole weekend as a fundraiser.

Waxahachie

2nd Annual Biker Fun Run begins at Starbucks at 1198 N. Hwy 77 at 9:00 am on 09/20/08. The registration begins and the ride runs out to Gators in Gun Barrel City and ends at the Rockett Cafe. There will be a silent auction and door prizes. This ride benefits Reins of Life Therapeutic Riding Center. For more information call 972-979-0915.

Oktoberfest on 09/20/08 at the Ellis County Youth Expo Center located at 2300 S. Hwy 287. Waxahachie, Texas invites everyone to experience the annual event with a German flair. Oktoberfest includes an abundance of activities for the entire family. A live auction (featuring a ride aboard a Russian MIG jet and an acoustic guitar signed by Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard and much more). There will be a silent auction, raffle prizes, authentic German Biergarten and food, kid games, vendor booths, washer tournament, karaoke tournament, live entertainment with a DJ throughout the day and an Elvis impersonator. Free admission and free parking. All proceeds benefit St. Joseph Catholic School in Waxahachie. For more info, call Beverly Lincks 972-816-9583 or Cathy Workman 469-766-4153.

Hillsboro

13th Annual Ted Gonzalez Scholarship Golf Tournament will be held at Cottonwood Creek Golf Course. There is a 4 man scramble and a 7:30 am shotgun start. It is $75 a player or $300 a team. The entry fee includes cart, green fee and a meal after the tournament. Prizes are given for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place. For more information call Ted Gonzalez 254-772-4596 or Rosie Martinez 254-799-6655.

Granbury

Granbury Live is a fun place to go. There are concerts, singing and dancing designed for the family. A special rate is being offered to school teachers. They have been honoring teachers and school administration all summer and have extended 2-4-1 (1 free ticket with the purchase of a regular price ticket) through the end of September. Please visit www.granburylive.com or call 800-989-8240 for more information.

Grandview

Antique Alley Texas-the 25 mile shopping trail. 09/19/08-09/20/08 9 a.m.-6 p.m.
This is fun! Located just 35 miles south of Ft. Worth on I-35W, you will find a trail 25 miles long where you will find handmade products produced right here in Texas. There will be dealers selling jellies, jams, salsas, baked breads and pies, handmade furniture, quilts, jewelry and decorative items. Also antiques, collectibles, art, yard sale stuff and festival-style food and bargains galore all along the way. This event is held twice a year on the third Friday every April and September. This family friendly event spans the historic communities of Maypearl, Grandview and Cleburne. Vendors line the streets in the historic downtowns of Grandview and Maypearl, and all along the route, you’ll find farms and ranches hosting their own shows and sales. Antique Alley is an Associate member of the Texas Department of Agriculture “Go Texan” marketing program. For more info go to www.antiquealleytexas.com or contact Nita Redmon at [email protected] or call 817-240-4948.

Directions for this event are the following: If you are coming from Waxahachie take FM 66 west to Maypearl where you may shop until you are ready to go on to Grandview. Grandview will have live entertainment and 75+ vendors. After Grandview take FM 4 toward Cleburne. Along FM 4, you will find farms and ranches with vendors and antique show. Enjoy!

For more fun, Texas Monthly has found a few things for you to do too.

Austin

Fantastic Fest This eight-day film festival, which is only the second U.S. festival to be admitted to the Melies Fantastic Film Festival Federation (try saying that five times fast), showcases more than a hundred films in the oft-ignored genres of sci-fi, horror, fantasy, and the just plain weird. Sept. 18-25. Call for schedule and prices. alamodrafthouse.com and fantasticfest.com Alamo Drafthouse Cinema South Lamar, 1120 S. Lamar (512-476-1320).

Dallas

Nasher Sculpture Center Sep 20-Jan 4: In Pursuit of the Masters: Stories From the Raymond and Patsy Nasher Collection — to mark the center’s fifth anniversary and to honor its late patrons, the Nasher presents this comprehensive exhibit of the couple’s collecting philosophy, which features several of their never-before-seen masterpieces. Open Tuesday and Wednesday 11 a.m.-5 p.m., Thursday 11 a.m.-9 p.m., Friday-Sunday 11 a.m.-5 p.m. General admission $10, senior citizens $7, students $5, children 12-and-under and museum members free. nashersculpturecenter.org 2001 Flora (214-242-5100).

El Paso

El Paso Symphony Orchestra Sept. 19 and 20: Spectacular Beginnings_. Shostakovich:_Festive Overture. Beethoven: Concerto No 5 for Piano in E-flat Major, “Emperor.” Sibelius: Symphony No 2. Lukas Vondracek, piano. Sarah Ioannides, conductor. At 7:30 p.m. For prices call or go to epso.org. Plaza Theatre, 125 Pioneer Plaza (915-532-3776).

Fort Worth

Amon Carter Museum Sept. 20-Jan 11: Sentimental Journey: The Art of Alfred Jacob Miller — Miller was the first American artist to journey into the heart of the Rocky Mountains, and this exhibit shows his artistic depictions of the people he encountered, including the Lakota, Shoshone, and Nez Perces American Indians, as well as the last of the true fur trappers and traders of the nineteenth-century American West. Open Tuesday and Wednesday 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Thursday 10 a.m.-8 p.m., Friday and Saturday 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Sunday noon-5 p.m. Free. cartermuseum.org 3501 Camp Bowie Blvd (817-738-1933).

Houston

Houston Ballet Sept. 18-28: Classically Modern — settle in for a quartet of classical gems: Solo, Hans van Manen’s athletic tour de force for three male dancers with music by Bach; Medieval Babes, Stanton Welch’s new work set to the music of an a cappella group of the same name; Afternoon of a Faun, Jerome Robbins’s poetry-inspired pas de deux set in a rehearsal studio; and Symphony in C, George Balanchine’s neoclassical ballet for the full company. Call for times & prices. houstonballet.org Wortham Center, Brown Theater, 501 Texas Ave (713-227-2787).

San Antonio

Jazz’SAlive Jazz legend Dave Brubeck headlines the twenty-fifth annual festival, but the talent doesn’t end there: Musicians from near and far will also be taking the stage. Sept. 20 and 21 from noon to 11 p.m. Free. saparksfoundation.org Travis Park, bordered by Travis, Pecan, Navarro & Jefferson (210-212-8423).

Belton

Bell County Museum Through Oct. 18: Edward S. Curtis: Plains Indians while compiling one of the most profound collections of American Indian culture ever amassed, the artist studied more than eighty Indian tribes living west of the Mississippi River. A hundred of his pieces, which depict the intricacies of American Indian life, are on view in this exhibit. Open Tuesday-Saturday noon-5p.m. Free. thegrand.com 201 N. Main (254-933-5243).

College Station

George Bush Presidential Library and Museum The refurbished core exhibit, which focuses on George H. W. Bush’s biography and presidential legacy, includes audio tours; a replica of the White House Situation Room with a special exhibit on the Gulf War; and a mock-up of the Oval Office, where visitors can have their photos taken while seated behind the president’s desk. Sept. 19-Aug. 23: Beyond the Moon: NASA’s Continuing Mission — from mankind’s early fascination with the heavens to the first walk on the moon, the museum, in partnership with the Johnson Space Center and Space Center Houston, continues the story with large-scale models of Apollo, the Skylab, a space shuttle, and the International Space Station, as well as a shuttle simulator, original shuttle equipment, and interactive programs. Open Monday-Saturday 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m., Sunday noon-5 p.m. General admission $7, senior citizens and military $6, youths 6-17 and college students with ID $3, TAMU and Blinn students free with ID, children 5-and-under free. bushlibrary.tamu.edu 1000 George Bush Dr West (979-691-4000).