Saint Mary’s Family Weekend brings art, music, sports, faculty talks and service projects to campus. Later in the month, the curtain rises at LeFevre Theatre for The Moors, a dark Gothic comedy arriving just in time for Halloween.

Beyond campus, stadium lights glow as our high school teams move through the heart of their fall seasons. The newly opened Siesta Valley Bowl gives the old Cal Shakes amphitheater a fresh soundtrack, with concerts filling the Orinda hills throughout the month. Moraga Parks and Recreation adds costumes, treats and family fun to the mix with its annual (not so) Creepy Commons celebration.

There is plenty happening offstage, too. Candidates’ Night turns attention toward Moraga’s future, while Community Service Days put local hands to work: volunteers will tend Saint Mary’s Legacy Garden, write letters to veterans and assemble eyeglasses for people in developing countries. At Rancho Laguna Park, the Monarch Garden continues providing a welcome stop for butterflies passing through.

This is California fall: less leaf looking, more calendar juggling. Our weather may not change dramatically, but the energy around town certainly does. Pick a game, a concert, a play or a project and enjoy what is happening close to home.