Overview:

We're deep in fall, Lookout readers. Here are your things to do from Oct. 23 to Oct. 29. Pick your natural world festival poison: mushrooms or minerals?

On a cool morning, as autumn fog falls over the ridgelines of Lane County, I have more fun happenings for you to add to your weekend calendar. Let’s get into it:

🩰 Ballet Fantastique’s “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow:” You know the story: A quiet town named Sleepy Hollow; a man named Ichabod Crane haunted by the Headless Horseman. But have you seen it set to genre-bending electric fiddle? Have you seen the story through a “wickedly funny dance-theater twist”? Look no further than Ballet Fantastique’s Halloween production, opening this week.

  • When: There are four performances: 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 23; 7:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 24 and Saturday, Oct. 25; and 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 26.
  • Where: The Hult Center’s Soreng Theater, in downtown Eugene.
  • How much: Tickets are available online and start at $24.

🎤 Maria Bamford at McDonald Theatre: Limited tickets are still available for comedian Maria Bamford’s stop in Eugene. I saw Bamford do stand-up when I was in college, and she’s a master of voice intonation and flitting between personas in her signature, frenetic brand of comedy. Don’t miss her!

  • When: Saturday, Oct. 25. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.; show starts at 7:30 p.m.
  • Where: McDonald Theatre, 1010 Willamette St., Eugene.
  • How much: Tickets are available online, from $46.35 to $58 for remaining seats. If the show isn’t sold out, they’ll also be available at the McDonald box office starting at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday.

💋 2000s Dance Party at WOW Hall: Bust out your neon pink fuzzy bunny ears and eternal love of Britney Spears. This 2000s-themed party hits Eugene this Friday, part of the nationwide “touring” (these shows stop in different cities on the same day with local hired DJs). It’s a 2000s Party series of live events.

  • When: Doors open at 9 p.m. this Friday, Oct. 24.
  • Where: WOW Hall, at 291 W. Eighth Ave. in Eugene.
  • How much: Tickets are available online for a range of price tiers, starting at $15.

🍄 Mushroom Festival at Mount Pisgah: Time to get shroomy, Eugene. (Well, not that kind of shroomy. Well, maybe, depending on your tolerance). The 2025 Mushroom Festival is this weekend, a celebration of all things mycology. The event will feature a mushroom exhibit, talks from local experts, an identification table to tell the difference between edible and poisonous mushrooms, live music, guided nature walks and more. I’m interested in the poison/edible display, as I’m both a fan of and scared of the mushrooms I run into on hikes.

  • When: Sunday, Oct. 26 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
  • Where: The Mount Pisgah Arboretum, at 34901 Frank Parrish Road, in the Howard Buford Recreation Area.
  • How much: Tickets are available online for $15 ($16.88 with an online fee).

🏃‍♂️ Halloween RunVenture: Halloween does not scream “physical exercise” to me, but maybe it does to you. In which case, you’ll want to check out Run Hub’s annual Halloween scavenger hunt, with one hour to make it to as many stops as possible on a 3-mile route. Costumes are encouraged, and a costume contest will follow at the Bier Stein.

  • When: Friday, Oct. 24 from 5:30 to 8 p.m.
  • Where: The RunVenture starts from the Run Hub store, 515 High St., Eugene.
  • How much: The event is free.

⚒️  Springfield Thunderegg Rock and Mineral Show: Need a beautiful geode for your home? The 67th annual show from the Springfield Thunderegg Rock and Mineral Club is this weekend, the biggest event of the year for the club of more than 300 geology enthusiasts. Fun fact: Hobbyist rock collecting is called “rockhounding” — this club helps teach the ethics of hunting for cool minerals when out and about.

  • When: The show is this weekend, and is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 25, and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 26.
  • Where: The Willamalane Adult Activity Center, 215 W. C St., Springfield.
  • How much: Admission is free, but vendors will be selling discovered rocks, minerals and jewelry.

🎥 What’s playing at the movies: 

  • It’s Bruce time. “Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere” opens this week, with “The Bear” star Jeremy Allen White stepping into the shoes of The Boss, a music biopic set as Springsteen recorded his 1982 album “Nebraska.” “Nebraska” isn’t my Springsteen pick (I’m an eternal “The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle” fan), but I believe in J.A.W.’s crooning ability. Playing at Metro Cinemas and Valley River Center.
  • I’m also excited for “The Mastermind,” the new Kelly Reichardt release about a 1970s suburban Massachusetts dad who steals fine art paintings. It stars Josh O’Connor who, funnily enough, played a looter of cultural treasures in “La Chimera”; that film was sharp and poignant, and I have no doubt “The Mastermind” will be too. Playing at Metro Cinemas and Regal Valley River Center.

Annie Aguiar is the Arts and Culture Correspondent. She has reported arts news and features for national and local newsrooms, including at the Seattle Times, the Washington Post and most recently as a reporting fellow for the New York Times’ Culture desk covering arts and entertainment.