CANINE FUNDRAISERS
Spend Saturday with your canine companion doing activities that benefit pups. Start with Best Friends' Strut Your Mutt, a fundraiser walk/run to benefit the Humane Society of Utah. Register by noon Friday, Oct. 23, to get 10 percent off tax-deductible entry fees. 2015's event adds a 5K run, and after the race, at 2 p.m., enjoy a doggie-themed festival that includes pet contests, photos, doggie goodies, fun activities for you and your furry friend, food, refreshments and more! Liberty Park, 700 E. 900 South, Saturday, Oct. 24, check-in 8:30 a.m. for 5K walk/run, race begins at 10 a.m. Adult walkers, $30; adult runners, $45; 12 and under, free; BestFriends.org
• Later that day, head out for the 11th annual Muttster Mash Fundraiser. Compete in a contest for best doggie Halloween costume, and then join in on a potluck, chili cookoff, trick contest and last, but not least, take advantage of an open bar. All proceeds go to benefit the West Valley Animal Services—a no-kill shelter. Dogs R Us, 1458 S. Main, Saturday, Oct. 24, 5-7 p.m., 801-485-7387, DogsRUsSLC.com.
FILM SCREENING
Be part of this epic journey by watching a free screening of Unbranded. Sponsored by Impact of the Horse, the story is about four young cowboys who want to adopt, train and ride a string of wild mustangs 3,000 miles from Mexico to Canada. If you don't make it on Friday, you can purchase the digital version for $14.99. Wasatch County Special Event Center, 415 Southfield Road, Heber, Friday, Oct. 23, 7 p.m., free, UnbrandedTheFilm.com
CULTURAL CELEBRATION
Here is a way to add to the suspense of the Halloween season—but the correct term here is Day of the Dead, or Dia de los Muertos. Beginning at 6 each night, this free event will welcome the public to an open mic until 10 p.m. MICA and Truth Cypher, a community of Salt Lake City- and Utah-based writers, storytellers and spoken-word poets, is sponsoring the week, starting Monday, Oct. 26, with a class on the origins and traditions of the season. On Tuesday, Oct. 27, learn how to make a Calaca sugar skull, traditional on Día de los Muertos. Wednesday, Oct. 28, create decorative paper banners cut into elaborate designs. On Thursday, Oct. 29, help build altars to the dead; and on Friday, Oct. 30, a writing workshop will be taught by members of Truth Cypher. Finally, on Sunday, Nov. 1, share what Día de los Muertos means to you in this community. Altars will stay on display until Friday, Nov. 13. Mestizo Institute of Culture and Arts, 631 W. North Temple, No. 700, Oct. 26-Nov. 1, Monday-Sunday, 6-10 p.m., free, MestizoArts.org
