To a Tea

10/2-10/3
In Lost in Translation in which Charlotte (Scarlett Johansson) wanders into the ikebana class, we feel a little catch in our breath. She’s completely displaced but trying to be brave and remain composed; her modest insecurity strikes a chord with the women around her. We think she might have felt more comfortable taking flower-arranging lessons at Johnson County Community College instead as part of the seventh annual Greater Kansas City Japanese Festival. From 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, the Carlsen Center (12345 College Boulevard in Overland Park) offers classes and workshops in techniques such as calligraphy, bonsai and origami. Exhibits of kimonos, Noh costumes and masks provide eye candy, and appetites are sated with a tea ceremony and bento boxes, which are standard Japanese lunches.

From 2 to 4:30 p.m. Sunday, the celebration of art and culture continues with a recital of drums, dance and classical music. Tickets for Saturday start at $3; admission Sunday costs $5. Call 913-469-4445 for more information. — Annie Fischer

Make a Wish

SAT 10/2
We love celebrations — and though streamers and punch are fine, we much prefer contemporary art and a cash bar. The Kemper Museum’s tenth birthday party, from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. Saturday at 4420 Warwick, also boasts live music, Rah Booty and the Burly-Q Girly Crew. Call 816-753-5784. — Fischer

Divine Vinyl

SUN 10/3
Spending too long at a used-CD store can be dangerous — flipping through racks of little plastic cases mostly containing INXS or Kenny G is a surefire way to convert brain cells to plankton. Spending too long at a record sale, on the other hand, can be downright rapturous. Every record sleeve is a 12-inch-by-12-inch monument to the days when music was more art than commodity. That’s why we’ll bring a sack lunch and camp out at the Greater Kansas City Record Show at the Bingo Alley (2848 West 47th Street) in Kansas City, Kansas, from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $2; call 913-492-1058 for details. — Jason Harper

Death by Merlot

SAT 10/2
The prospect of getting hammered in Westport yet again is about as appealing as helping a creepy, fat guy in a flannel shirt load a couch into his rusty, white van in a dark parking lot. But if we meet the guy at Buzzard Beach and we’re both shitfaced on Chardonnay, count us in. From 3 to 7 p.m. Saturday, Wines of Westport tours 12 Westport haunts. Tickets are $25 in advance or $35 that day at the Kelly’s tent; call 816-751-1278. — Harper