Artisan Chick Event & Other Weekend Possibilities

The Artisan Chick Event is Saturday (10 a.m. to 8 p.m.) and Sunday (11 a.m. to 4 p.m.) at Crown Center. You can browse and shop handmade local goods and artisan food products (everything from brigadeiros to pickles), try a cookie and beer pairing, or sample spirits from Union Horse Distilling Co. and J. Rieger & Co. Tickets are $5. [Disclosure: Flatland partner Recommended Daily is a sponsor of this event.]

You’ve seen Alton Brown on television, but have you ever seen him live? You’ve got the chance tonight at 7 p.m. (doors open at 5:30 p.m.) courtesy of Rainy Day Books. He’s doing a talk and book signing at Unity Temple on the Plaza (707 W 47th Street) for his latest cookbook, “Alton Brown: Everydaycook.” Tickets are $35 (which includes one or two admissions and a single signed book).

Halloween comes early with the Sprint Family Fun Days on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Kansas City Power & Light District. The outdoor party on 14th Street between Main and Walnut includes trick-or-treating (costumes are encouraged). Admission is free, but the carnival-style activities (bounce house, mechanical bull, pony rides, and cow milking contest) can only be played with a $5 wristband. The Power & Light District is also hosting Oktoberfest Live! with everything from a weiner dog race (12 p.m.) to a sauerkraut eating contest (6 p.m.).

We told you it’s Oktoberfest season. Visit the Holy-Field Vineyard & Winery (18807 158th Street, Basehor, Kansas) on Saturday from 12 to 4 p.m. for German bierocks, brats, and a band (they’ve promised the Chicken Dance). It’s $5 (children under 12 years old are free). There’s also the Roeland Park Barktoberfest from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at “R” Park (5535 Juniper Drive, Roeland Park, Kansas). Bring your four-legged companion and grab a brew for you (Crane Brewing Company and KC Bier Co. will be on hand) or a Beer Paws’ biscuit for your pup. Go ahead and split a sausage with your dog from Werner’s on Wheels.

St. Peter’s Meyer Fest is Saturday on Meyer Boulevard between Holmes and Rockhill. The Carnival from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. has a bounce house, climbing wall, and food trucks. The Adult Block Party (it’s for 18 years old and over) runs from 5 to 11 p.m. and features live acts, as well as food from the Pie Hole, Plantain District, and Little Italy food trucks. Tickets are $15 for the carnival and $20 for the block party.

Fall is beer drinking weather. And you’ve got two choices this weekend if you want to sample a bunch of different craft beers. Crossroads KC at Grinders is hosting the Bye Week Brew Fest with a beer garden and Foo Fighters tribute band beginning Saturday at 3 p.m. Tickets are $29 and include samples from over 20 breweries (Ballast Point, Lagunitas, among them). You can also commune with nature at the Botanical Brewfest from 4 to 8 p.m. Saturday. The beer tasting party (more than three dozen breweries will be on hand) with food (Bay Boy, Ted’s Escondido, and Ibis Bakery), and live music is at the Overland Park Arboretum and Botanical Gardens. General admission tickets are $50 and VIP tickets (which include entry at 3 p.m.) are $75.

Clear your conscience. Help others. Avoid the library police. The Kansas City Public Library’s Food For Fines campaign kicks off today and runs through Sunday, October 16. For every canned good or non-perishable item you bring to the library, you get a $1 credit applied toward any fines you’ve racked up because you held on to the latest Ina Garten too long. The food is donated to Harvesters: The Community Food Network.

— Jonathan Bender writes about food trends and is the author of “Cookies & Beer” and “Stock, Broth & Bowl.” Follow him on Twitter @jonathanbender.