Now you have plans for the weekend

You need plans. Fat City has a recycle bin full of event listings. In this post, all of our problems are solved.

While it’s not quite a dry run, particularly because they’re promising a biergarten, Oktoberfest kicks off in Lee’s Summit today. With an entire tent for bratwursts and two stages of entertainment, the festival spans three days — Friday (5-10 p.m.), Saturday (9 a.m. to 10 p.m.), and Sunday (1-5 p.m.). It’s in downtown Lee’s Summit at the corner of 3rd and Douglas.

Likewise, it’s never too early to prepare for Halloween, and that means learning how to make popcorn balls at Velvet Creme’s 4th annual Popcorn Festival.

The free event runs from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the company store (4710

Belinder Road in Westwood) on Saturday. All proceeds go

to Children’s Mercy Hospital.

If a single glass of red wine is good for you, imagine the curative powers of several dozen. The Village West WineFest

brings more than 200 wines to Chateau Avalon this Saturday from 4 to 8

p.m. There’s something for beer lovers, too: a beer garden with more

than 50 varieties. Admission is $50, while entrance to the VIP pavilion

costs $100 at this fundraiser for the American Red Cross of Wyandotte

County.