The Weekend Ahead: Patti Smith and the Dodge Poetry Festival in Newark, Diwali Fest in Maplewood and a Montclair Zombie Walk

Good morning, Essex County. The Dodge Poetry Festival wraps up in downtown Newark this weekend, with Patti Smith at NJPAC tonight and a free Family Fun Day on Saturday. Maplewood hosts its free Diwali Fest on Saturday, zombies take over Montclair in the afternoon, and the Montclair Film Festival opens its ten-day run. Here is what is worth your time.

Friday

• Patti Smith at the Dodge Poetry Festival, Newark. The New Jersey-born singer and poet performs songs and stories at NJPAC's Prudential Hall, 8 p.m. This is a separately ticketed show, not part of the festival passes.
• Cassandra: An Ongoing Tragedy, Montclair. A performance at First Congregational Church, 40 S. Fullerton Ave., 7 p.m.
• Paint, Sip & Speak, Newark. An evening of painting and conversation with Newark Makerhoods at the Krueger-Scott Mansion, 7 p.m.
• Read to a Therapy Dog, West Orange Public Library, 4 p.m. A low-key way for young readers to practice out loud.

Saturday

• Diwali Fest NJ, Maplewood. The eighth annual celebration of the Festival of Lights, presented by SOMA Cross-Cultural Works with the Township of Maplewood, fills Memorial Park on Valley Street with food, dance and music. Free. The county calendar lists a 6 p.m. start.
• Dodge Poetry Festival, final day, Newark. Family Fun Day runs at 11 a.m. in Chambers Plaza, and the evening closes with Do the Write Thing, a multimedia conversation with filmmaker and author Nelson George, 8 p.m. at the Victoria Theater.
• Montclair Zombie Walk, Montclair, 2 p.m. Indie Arts Montclair and East Side Mags bring back the annual walk. Zombie makeup is $5 a person.
• Monster Halloween Car Show, Belleville. Movie cars including an Ecto-1, a DeLorean time machine and the 1989 Batmobile, plus candy and costumed characters, at 300 Ralph St., 6 p.m.
• Connecting Greenways in Bloomfield, 180 Baldwin Place, 10 a.m.
• Ruth Moros: Beatles Show, Nutley Free Public Library, 2 p.m.
• Ghostly Felting, Glen Ridge Public Library, 11 a.m. A seasonal craft for teens and adults.
• The New Jersey Symphony at Van Vleck, Montclair. Musicians from the orchestra return to the living room of Van Vleck House & Gardens, 21 Van Vleck St., 7 p.m.
• Halloween in Newark, JFK Recreation Center, 211 W. Kinney St., noon.

Sunday

• Ironbound Food Tour, Newark. A walking tour of the neighborhood's kitchens, starting at Sihana Cafe, 71 Ferry St., 11 a.m.
• My Hero Academia in Concert, NJPAC, Newark, 3 p.m. Music from the anime, performed live.
• Teens Teach: Pumpkin Watercolor Bookmarks, West Orange Public Library, 2 p.m.
• Financial Aid Information Session, Verona Public Library, 1 p.m. Useful for families starting college applications.

All weekend

• Montclair Film Festival, Montclair. Ten days of independent films, panels and events, Oct. 16 through Oct. 25, based at 505 Bloomfield Ave.
• Hold These Truths at Luna Stage, West Orange. Final weekend; the run closes Sunday, Oct. 18.
• Pipeline at Vanguard Theater, Montclair, through Oct. 25.
• Kill Goofy from Apricot Sky Productions at the Grove Street Theatre, Montclair, through Oct. 25.

Around the county

• Livingston schools top the county. Livingston Public Schools was named the best public school district in Essex County, and 12th in New Jersey, in Niche's 2027 rankings. More in the news.
• A new stop sign in Montclair. An intersection that saw 22 crashes in three years is getting a stop sign. Details in the news section.
• Turtle Back Zoo's reach. The West Orange zoo is turning local support into conservation work in Madagascar.
• New in town. A store from the co-founder of a $300 million company has opened in Montclair, and a dirty soda shop is on the way in Verona. New business alerts.
• Coming Tuesday. Unusual Essex County, five short films by Wheeler Antabanez, screens at the Newark Public Library at 6 p.m. on Oct. 20.

Have an event we should know about? Submit it here, and see the full Essex County events calendar.