Timothy Schaffert may have grown up on a small farm in Nebraska, but he knows what big-city people like. So the author of The Singing and Dancing Daughters of God enlisted local musicians to help him sell a few books when he hits the road this fall for a midwestern jaunt he's dubbed The Bad Tuxedo Book & Music Tour. "Literary readings are dismal," he says. "The music will hopefully draw people. Then I'll sneak in and read."
In The Singing and Dancing Daughters of God, a divorcé begins writing country songs to ease his pain. Meanwhile, his son has run off with a gospel-punk band named the Daughters of God. "I just let my imagination and instincts go," says Schaffert. "I take notes in life. These are people I know and have come across. It just kinda develops from there." Cleveland singer-songwriter Scott Franklin joins Schaffert when the tour touches down at Borders (30121 Detroit Road in Westlake) at 7 p.m. Friday. Admission is free; call 440-892-7667. -- Michael Gallucci
Celebrate the Season
SAT 10/22
Saturday's Fall Fest includes the usual seasonal suspects: a haunted hayride, spooky stories, a bonfire, games, apple cider, and roasted marshmallows. A costume contest tops things off. It happens from 7 to 10 p.m. at Euclid Beach State Park, 16400 Lake Shore Boulevard in Euclid. Admission is free; call 216-881-8141. -- Lucy McKernan
Park the Kids
SAT 10/22
At Saturday's free Youth Outdoor Odyssey, kids can learn how to change a bike tire, paddle a kayak, and more. "If one thing doesn't interest them," says staffer Sheri Williamson, "something else will." It starts at noon at Ohio & Erie Canal Reservation (off East 49th Street in Cuyahoga Heights); call 216-206-1000. -- Lucy McKernan
