Things to do this week

WHAT’S GOING ON

A dinosaur named Sue.

Select events happening in metro Detroit this week.

OPENS SAT, 10/1

Sue the T. rex

Tyrannosaurus rex was one the kings of the dinosaurs, and among existing fossils, Sue is the queen. That was the name given to one of the largest and best preserved specimens of the prehistoric creature ever found, named after explorer Sue Hendrickson, who discovered the fossil in South Dakota in 1990. While the real fossil is on display as part of the permanent collection of Chicago’s Field Museum of Natural History, a cast of the 13-foot-high, 40-foot-long dino skeleton is on display at Cranbrook’s Institute of Science starting Saturday. The traveling exhibition includes a history of how Sue was discovered and excavated, computer animations showing how Sue moved, a fleshed out model of a T. re battling the duck-billed herbivore Edmontosau rus, replicas of other animals and plants that lived during the Late Cretaceous period, and even a chance to hear scientists’ best guess of what Sue’s growl could have sounded like. The exhibition is presented in both English and Spanish and is on view through April 30, 2023.

—Lee DeVito

The C ranbrook Institute of Science is located at 39221 W oodw ard A ve., Bl m el ill ien e. ran r .e . i e ar a r adults, or $9 for Institute of Science an ar em er an r il ren n er r eni r l er an .

OPENS SAT, 10/1

Ghosts on the Balcony

There won’t be any movies at the Birmingham 8 theater this October, but it will be full of tales of murder and mayhem when it transforms into a haunted attraction. The allegedly haunted theater will fully lean into its spooky reputation as it becomes “Ghosts on the Balcony,” a haunted walkthrough including areas of the historic building that have never been open to the public.

Ghosts on the Balcony chronicles the fictional e perience of theater proprietor Mr. Baldwin, a caretaker who has worked there for 50 years and has some gruesome stories to share. An announcement by Emagine Entertainment, which purchased the Birmingham 8 last year reads, “this is not for the faint of heart… this will scare you to death, just like what happened to Mr. Baldwin’s family, friends, and many patrons of his theatre!”

They’re laying it on a little thick but the building, constructed in 1927, is known for freaky, unexplained activity. Guests have reported encounters with apparitions, hearing disembodied voices and footsteps, seeing doors open and close by themselves, and other paranormal activity.

And who better to mark the attraction’s opening than Michael Myers himself? Well, the actor who plays him anyway — James Jude Courtney. Courtney will “slash” the ribbon at a private opening ceremony on Thursday before heading over to Emagine Palladium to

COURTESY PHOTO

host a screening and Q&A of all een K ills at 7 p.m. Courtney played Michael Myers in 2018’s all een, 2021’s al low een K ills, and the forthcoming finale to the cult horror franchise all een Ends.

—R andiah C am ille G reen

G hosts on the Balcony w ill run O ct. 1-31 a e Birmin am . l w ard A ve., Birmingham (w ith toneddow n version appropriate for children r m .m. emagine-entertainment. m. i e are .

SAT-SUN,10/1-10/2

Detroit Harvest Fest & Food Truck Rally

The autumn equinox has ushered in cooler weather and everything pumpkin spice, and this weekend the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy will celebrate it all. This weekend, the Dequindre Cut will be packed with food trucks, live music, a pumpkin patch for the kids, trick or treating, bouncy houses, ax throwing, a petting zoo, and too much more to list. And when we say packed, we mean it — the harvest fest’s debut last fall drew more than 50,000 people. That means long lines for food and crowds, so get there early to avoid making the same mistake we did last year.

If you want to beat the crowd, there’s also the Soirée on the Greenway masquerade on Friday, Sept. 30. This evening fundraiser will feature several food trucks and live performances plus the unveiling of Detroit artist Ivan Montoya’s new mural on the Dequindre Cut. Tickets are $75.

The Harvest Fest itself will have more than 50 food trucks including Fork in Nigeria, Cajun Soul Sistas, Cousins Maine Lobster, Real Taco Express, offering everything from vegetarian to West African cuisine. New this year is the “Cirque de Freightyard” carnival experience at the Dequindre Cut Freightyard with psychics, tarot card readers, carnival games, circus busker performers, and a specialty cocktail. This is where the adults can hang out in between taking the kids to trick or treat along the cut. There’s literally something for the whole family, including a costume contest for dogs and cats on Saturday. Costumes are encouraged for humans too.

—R andiah C am ille G reen

r m a.m. .m. a r ay . 1-Sunday, O ct. 2 at the D equindre C ut in e r i . mi i n i a er n an ree for children under three, seniors, active duty military, and veterans. For more information see detroitriverfront.org.

SUN, 10/2

Second Annual Ike Blessitt Hamtramck Baseball Classic

Former Detroit Tiger Ike Blessitt was born and raised in Hamtramck, and was discovered by major-league scouts in the 1960s while playing at the Hamtramck Stadium, the historic home of the Negro League Detroit Stars. That’s also where he’ll be celebrating his 73rd birthday this Sunday. The event will feature a daytime doubleheader featuring four teams composed of Ike’s Detroit Tigers Fantasy Camp alumni and players from the Detroit Men’s Senior Baseball League, with special guests expected to attend including 1984 World Series champs and former Tigers Juan Berenguer and Barbaro Garbey, as well as Detroit techno DJ Kevin Saunderson. The event is also an opportunity to e perience the field’s newly restored grandstand, with a portion of the proceeds benefiting the Hamtramck Parks Conservancy and the Ike Blessitt Athletic Academy. While Blessitt has fallen on hard times in recent years, he has been keeping the spirit of baseball alive by teaching youths on Detroit’s Eastside how to play baseball.

—Lee DeVito

The event is from 1-7 p.m., Sunday, . a e i ri am ram a i m an ree am ram hamtramckparks.com. Tickets are $12 a en r . lay re i ra i n re ire .