Oct 20 Celebrazione Italiana
Keeper's Men's Store, 6th and Congress
(512) 327-7555, winefoodfoundation.org

An evening of fabulous food, wine and fashions. Join in welcoming Keeper's Men's Store to Congress Avenue on Thursday, October 20 during Celebrazione Italiana.

It's a feast of the senses. You'll be immersed in the best of Italian wine, cuisine and fashion at this fundraiser for The Wine & Food Foundation of Texas.

Sponsored by the Italian Trade Commission, you'll sample scrumptious Italian cuisine from eight different Austin chefs, complimented by fine Italian wines. Highlighting the evening will be a fashion show of chef models, showcasing the classy fashions now available downtown at Keepers Men's Store in the Bank of America Building at 6th & Congress.

RSVP REQUIRED: Call the Foundation at 327-7555 or visit winefoodfoundation.org. Tickets are $40 per person for an elegant evening of Italian finery.

Oct 22 Traditional Japanese Fall Festival
Austin Children's Museum, 201 Colorado
(512) 472-2499, austinkids.org

Aki Matsuri, a traditional Japanese Fall Festival, comes to downtown to celebrate the opening of
Japan & Nature. The all-day - 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. - festivities offer the whole family a number of enriching experiences.

Feel the beat of Japanese drumming with Austin Taiko. See the beauty and grace of traditional dance groups. Listen to myths and stories of kamishibai (paper dramas) in Japanese and English.

Special interactive activities invite children of all ages to step into Japanese culture and customs with food, dance, martial arts, storytime and more!

The Aki Matsuri launches the Museum's extraordinary new exhibit, Japan & Nature. Produced by the Brooklyn Children's Museum for the Freeman Foundation's Asian Exhibit Initiative, the exhibition features four richly-detailed interactive areas, each representing a different season and regional settings in Japan:

- Spring in Fukuoka
- Summer in Lake Biwa
- Fall in Kyoto
- Winter in Sapporo

Make it a family outing. Japan & Nature will be on display at the Austin Children's Museum through Janunary 27, 2006.

Oct 20-27 Austin Film Festival
Paramount, Hideout and other sites through Austin
(512) 478-4795, austinfilmfestival.com

More than 100 film industry professionals will launch the 12th Annual Austin Film Festival (AFF) with the Screenwriters Conference, made up of more than 65 panels, craft sessions and roundtable discussions. Focusing on the art and commerce of film and television writing and production, this year's Conference will feature several panelists nominated for Academy Awards®, including: Paul Haggis, screenwriter of Million Dollar Baby. Dozens of feature films will be aired throughout downtown and all of Austin during the Festival. View all the details at austinfilmfestival.com.

Still On Stage Downtown...

To 10/23: American Fiesta, State Theatre, austintheatre.org
To 10/27: Austin Film Festival, Throughout Austin, austinfilmfestival.com
To 11/12: Keepin' It Weird, Zachary Scott, zachscott.com
Ongoing: Back-to-School Follies, Esther's Follies, esthersfollies.com
Ongoing: Magnificent Desolation: Walking on the Moon 3D; Pulse: a STOMP Odyssey, Texas the Big Picture, Fighter Pilot, IMAX® Theatre, thestoryoftexas.com
Ongoing: The Star of Destiny, Texas Spirit Theater, thestoryoftexas.com

Oct 20 Classical Piano
Central Presbyterian Church, 200 E. Eighth Street
(512) 472-2445, centralpresbyterian.org

This week's Thursday Noonday Concert features Jacob Clark on Classical Piano.

Oct 21 Kopy Kats Live from the Plaza
City Hall Plaza, 301 W. 2nd Street
cityofauston.org/music/live.htm

Rock 'n roll as you celebrate TGIF, during the lunchtime Live from City Hall, featuring the hugely popular classic rock sounds of the Kopy Kats. Hear more at kopykats.net. Free parking. Food available. Sponsored by the Cultural Arts Division of the Economic Growth and Redevelopment Services Office.

Oct 21-22 Pianist Marc-Andre Hamelin with ASO
Bass Concert Hall, 23rd & Robert Dedman
(512) 476-6064, austinsymphony.org

Pianist Marc-Andre Hamelin joins the Austin Symphony Orchestra for their Classical Concert
Series. Program includes: Puts - Symphony No. 2 Island of Innocence, Mozart - Piano Concerto No. 23 in A Major, K. 488, Dvorak - Symphony - No. 8 in G Major, Op. 88. Concert time: 8:00 p.m.

Oct 21 Aimee Mann
Hogg Auditorium, 24th at Whitis
(512) 471-1444, utpac.org

Hot on the heels of releasing her latest album, The Forgotten Arms, Grammy and Oscar nominated singer/songwriter Aimee Mann makes a stop in Austin for one night only.

Oct 25 Yamato: The Drummers of Japan
Bass Concert Hall, 23rd & Robert Dedman
(512) 471-1444, utpac.org

Pulse. Vibration. Primordial rhythm. In Japanese tradition, the hypnotic Wadaiko beat, like the heartbeat, is the very pulse of life. From spirituality to war, birth to death, the Taiko drums are used to celebrate all aspects of existence. The globe-trotting group's mission is to bring the spirit of Japan to the world. Concert begins at 7:00 p.m.

Oct 20 O'Neill: Life with Monte Cristo
Harry Ransom Center, 21st & Guadalupe
(512) 471-8944, hrc.utexas.edu

Arthur & Barbara Gelb, authors of O'Neill: Life with Monte Cristo, speak about Eugene O'Neill and their collaboration with filmmaker Ric Burns on an upcoming movie about this American dramatist. 7:00 p.m.

Oct 20 Talking Art
Arthouse at the Jones Center
(512) 453-5312, arthousetexas.org

Texas Prize artist, Eileen Maxson, discusses her photographic art during a free presentation. 7:00 p.m. at the Arthouse.

Oct 22-Jan 27 Spirits of the Seasons
Austin Children's Museum, 201 Colorado
(512) 472-2499, austinkids.org

When you look at the moon do you see a rabbit making mochi (rice cakes)? Have you ever made a Teru Teru Bozu doll to hang on a window on a rainy day? In the feature exhibit, Japan & Nature, visitors can learn how the people of Japan celebrate nature and the seasons through hands-on activities. Visit a Japanese classroom and practice writing Kanji characters using a traditional brush. Go fishing in the mountains and find out how many different kinds of fish live in the lake. Ask the questions, What's the same? What's different? and learn about a culture across the world. Regular admission.

Oct 23 Visions and Voices
Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum, 1800 N. Congress
(512) 936-4600, thestoryoftexas.com

Photographer Al Rendon, owner of Rendon Photography and Fine Art in San Antonio, will discuss his work which has appeared in Newsweek, USA Today, and Texas Monthly. Rendon will be available to sign his book, Charreada: Mexican Rodeo in Texas. This event is a part of Visions and Voices: The Face of Texas Speaker Series, a program that will present distinguished speakers and programs on a featured topic each Fall, hosted by the Museum's Story of Texas Society. Free with museum admission.

Oct 24,25 Kid Events Downtown
Austin Children's Museum, 201 Colorado
(512) 472-2499, austinkids.org

24: Baby Bloomers (3 and under): 9:00 a.m. - Noon
25: Community Nights: 5:00 - 8:00 p.m.

Still On Display Downtown...

To 10/22: Helmut Barnett, Wally Workman Gallery, wallyworkman.com
To 10/23: Texas Trailblazer, Capitol Visitors Center, texascapitolvisitorscenter.com
To 10/30: 22 to Watch: New Art in Austin, Austin Museum of Art, amoa.org
To 10/30: Women Printmakers of Austin, Dougherty Arts Center, womenprintmakers.com
To 11/5: Painted Memory by Fidencio Duran, Mexic-Arte Museum, mexic-artemuseum.org
To 11/6: Ernest F. de Soto Workshop, Mexic-Arte Museum, mexic-artemuseum.org
To 11/10: 2005 Texas Prize Finalists, Arthouse at the Jones Center, arthousetexas.org
To 11/11: Inter-Glacial, Women & Their Work, womenandtheirwork.org
To 11/14: Perspectives, f8 Fine Art Gallery, f8fineart.com
To 12/31: Ansel Adams: A Legacy, Harry Ransom Center, hrc.utexas.edu

Oct 21 Mental Health Association in Texas 2005 Ring of Honor
George Washington Carver Museum & Cultural Center, 1165 Angelina

Join the Mental Health Association in Texas for the 2005 Ring of Honor event which recognizes the contributions in mental health of Etta Moore and Julia Cuba with the Lone Star Girl Scouts Council and Dr. Darlene Grant with the UT School of Social Work. The project being celebrated is the production of the film, Enterprising Girl Scouts Beyond Bars. 6:30 - 9:00 p.m. Tickets $25 ea. For information or to purchase tickets, contact Traci Patterson at 512-454-3706 x 218 or traci@mhatexas.org.

Oct 22 The 3rd Annual Great PUGkin Fest
Auditorium Shores, Town Lake
austinpugs.com

Come out and watch the 3rd Annual Austin Pug Halloween Costume Contest. The FREE event benefits central Texas Pug Rescue and is a treat for the entire family. A $5 donation to Central Texas Pug Rescue for all Pugs entering the costume contest is appreciated. Laughter guaranteed. Sponsored by the Austin Area Pug Club.

Oct 22 Fall Fruits & Veggies
Republic Square, 4th & Guadalupe
(512) 236-0074, austinfarmersmarket.org

Feast on freshness every Saturday, from 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m., through December 17.

Oct 22 AMLI Bike Criterion
Downtown
teamhotelsanjose.com

Competitive cycling will return to the streets of downtown Austin for the Second Annual AMLI - Second Street Warehouse District Criterium. Taking place in Austin's entertainment, retail and downtown residential epicenter, the AMLI Crit route will pass Austin City Hall, AMLI Downtown, and many other downtown landmarks. Everyone--young and old, boys and girls, first timers to pro racers--have a chance to experience downtown criterion racing at its finest. Races begin at 9:00 a.m. and roll throughout the day until 7:00 p.m. In addition to great racing, there will be prizes given away in raffles, a silent auction to raise funds for developmental girls and women's cycling teams, DJ music by Manny, rock climbing walls, food, and drinks. To learn more about Team Hotel San Jose, a group devoted to helping all ages and levels get into cycling, ride over to teamhotelsanjose.com. To register for the Bike Criterion, peddle to: bikereg.com.

Oct 22 2005 AMLI Criterion
bikereg.com

This bicycle race will begin and end in front of the AMLI building at 2nd Street and Lavaca. Riders will turn left on Colorado, then left on 3rd Street, ride west to San Antonio, and complete their loop by turning left back onto 2nd Street.

There will be several entrant categories and races will take place from 9:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m.

Several roads will be closed from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. for the event:

- 3rd Street and 2nd Street will be closed between Colorado and San Antonio
- San Antonio, Guadalupe, Lavaca, and Colorado will be closed between 2nd Street and 3rd Street.

DOWNTOWN - Back on the Air and on Top!!!

DOWNTOWN - The Downtown Austin Alliance's television series co-produced with Action Figure and KLRU Public Television is now back on the air for a repeat season. As if receiving an Austin Chronicle Critic's Choice Award wasn't enough, the Kudo's just keep coming!!! On October 15th, DOWNTOWN was awarded an EMMY from the Lone Star Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences for Best Magazine Format Program.

You can catch DOWNTOWN on KLRU, Channel 18/Cable 9 on Thursdays at 7:30 p.m., Fridays at 9:00 p.m. and Wednesday mornings at 10:30 a.m.

This week's episode:
Don't laugh...You'll be wearing it next year!
A look at Austin's independent fashion scene. Main & Main--Sixth & Congress where commerce began in Austin. Laugh through Downtown?s unique comedy and comedy club scene.

Click here for a complete schedule of episodes. And watch for the new season of DOWNTOWN premiering next spring.