Around town

Fall is in full swing and with Halloween quickly approaching, there are a number of events students can enjoy throughout the Queen City. 

As the winds pick up, enjoy the autumn weather while it lasts and take advantage of a few of these events this week.

Local Restaurant Week

Oct. 15-21 –– Various Western New York restaurants

In 2015, National Geographic ranked Buffalo the third-best food city in the world. Oct. 15 through Oct. 21 is Local Restaurant Week, and now is the perfect time to try out all of Buffalo’s best eats.

This year is the tenth Local Restaurant Week for the Queen City. Participating restaurants “must be local, independently owned, unique to WNY and have no ties to a national franchise,” according to the event’s website.

This year, over 200 restaurants and bars are participating across Buffalo and the surrounding area. Featured restaurants will offer special, featured deals for foodies that will cost $20.18, $30.18 or $40.18.

Science After Hours: Frankenscience

Friday, Oct. 19, 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. –– Buffalo Museum of Science

This year marks the 200th anniversary of Mary Shelley’s classic book, “Frankenstein.” Now Buffalonians can head over to the Buffalo Museum of Science on Friday night to celebrate and “discover the spookiest parts of science,” according to the museum’s website.

Upstate New York Transplant Services will head an organ, tissue and blood station as Buffalo’s Central Library will feature information on what attendees should know about Frankenstein. Museum staff, as well, will dissect a cow eye live. There will also be highlights from the museum’s “Cabinet of Curiosities” tour, featuring freaks of nature and transcutaneous electrical demonstrations, according to the museum’s website.

Halloween music will fill the museum’s halls after it closes and there will be a cash bar. Attendees must be 21 years or over and tickets cost $16.

Light the Night Buffalo

Friday, Oct. 19, 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. –– Delaware Park

Light the Night is a fundraiser for blood cancer research where participants walk for two miles in Buffalo’s Delaware Park. Walkers will carry red, white and gold lanterns. The lanterns each signify different meanings: red lanterns for celebration and community, white lanterns for survivorship and hope and gold lanterns for honor and remembrance, according to the event’s website.

While the event is free, Light the Night does “encourage all walkers to raise a minimum of $100 to become a Champion for Cures, and earn a commemorative T-shirt, as well as a wristband for access to free food and games,” according to StepOutBuffalo.

Registration for the walk begins at 5 p.m. and dogs are allowed at the event. The event has fundraised $331,431 out of its $600,000 goal, as of Wenesday afternoon. Money raised for the walk will go to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. 

WBBZ’S “Psychic Encounters”

Saturday, Oct. 20, 11 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.–– WBBZ TV Studios, Eastern Hills Mall

Local psychic medium, Karyn Reece, will head a recorded event as part of a “Psychic Encounters” segment at Buffalo’s WBBZ studios this weekend.

Reece has a psychic accuracy rate of 98 percent, according to her website, while the average psychic medium is closer to 50 percent.  In this event, Reece will be “offering readings and discussion about the afterlife, dreams and all things mystic with co-host and life coach, Sara DeFelice.”

Audience members will have the chance to be selected to have an on-air reading worth over $250 and to win prizes for the show’s costume contest.  The Oct. 20 show will also have a “Trick or Treat” feast.

Tickets cost $15 and can be purchased through WBBZ’s website. There will be two tapings on Saturday at 11 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.

Kirsten Dean is the assistant features editor and can be reached at kirsten.dean@ubspectrum.com and @KirstenUBSpec on Twitter.