Hallow-teen
Fright Night
Oct. 17
Teens ages 13 to 17 are invited to a house of horrors for a special fright night movie, raffle prizes and more. Snacks available for sale. 7-9:30 p.m. Tickets: $5, on sale beginning Oct. 13 at the Recreation Counter at Garden Grove City Hall, at 11222 Acacia Parkway. Gem Theater, 12852 Main St., Garden Grove, Calif. Information: (714) 741-5200.

College Application
Workshop
Oct. 18
OCAPICA’s college application essay workshop will show you how to '"do the write thing"' when it comes to writing your personal statement for college. Learn what topics are compelling, how to make your writing lively and common mistakes most applicants make. Bring yourself and your essay. Priority given to high school seniors. Free. 10 a.m.-noon. Orange Coast College, Fine Arts 116, 2701 Fairview Road, Costa Mesa, Calif. Information or to register: jkuo@ocapica.org or (714) 636-9095.

Crime Conference
Oct. 17
Orange County’s first Conference on Hate Crime. An audience of law enforcement officers, educators and community organizers will hear from crime victim Steve Lawson about how an attack three years ago has affected him. Conference will reveal the impact of bias-motivated crimes on the county. Speakers include: Assemblyman Mike Eng and Orange County Sheriff Sandra Hutchens. Attendees will choose from a half-dozen workshops. $35. 8 a.m.-noon. Coastline Community College, 12901 Euclid St., Garden Grove, Calif. Register: Dave Southern at (714) 567-7543 or dave@ochumanrelations.org

DJ Competition
Oct. 18
Battle of the Champions 2008 is the Northern California’s largest disc jockey competition. 8 p.m.-midnight. Tickets: $20-$25. Broadway Studios, 435 Broadway, San Francisco. For additional information: www.battleofthechampions.biz

Gardening Seminar
Oct. 18
Seminar to improve the gardening practices of Orange County residents who grow edible and ornamental plants. Practical information for home gardeners; it is not intended to provide training for people employed in the horticulture industry. 8 a.m.-3 p.m. $37, or $45 with lunch. Huntington Beach Central Library, 7111 Talbert Ave., Huntington Beach, Calif. Registration: www.uccemg.com/seminar/index.htm

Comedy Event
Oct. 18
An evening of comedy as Sheng Wang, Ali Wong and Joe Nguy?n perform at the Friends of Hu?’s Second Annual Comic Care Event. Benefits the Friends of Hu? Foundation, which maintains a children’s shelter and vocational center in Hu? City and provides basic medical care to rural communities in central Vi?t Nam.7:30 p.m. $50 VIP, $25 general seating. Santa Clara Convention Center, 5001 Great America Parkway, Santa Clara, Calif. For additional information: www.friendsofhue.org/comiccare2.html or (408) 826-1681.

Parenting Workshop
Oct. 19
First day of a six-week course in Vietnamese that focuses on increasing awareness about child development and the importance of the first five years.
A variety of topics will be covered such as child safety, health, creative play and learning. Free. 2:30-5 p.m. Tully Community Branch Library, 880 Tully Road, San Jose. Register: (408) 509-8788.

Humanitarian
Exhibit
Through Oct. 19
The international medical humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Fron-tière (MSF) will tour California this fall with A Refugee Camp in the Heart of the City, an 8,000-square-foot interactive outdoor exhibit. This exhibit asks visitors to imagine they are among the estimated 42 million people worldwide who have been forced to flee their homes and seek refuge from war or conflict in places such as Sudan, Colombia and Iraq. Experienced aid workers guide visitors through structures used by MSF in its work around the world, including a cholera treatment center, a health clinic, emergency refugee housing, and nutrition and vaccination tents. Visitors learn how refugees confront the challenges that threaten their survival, including those of building shelter, finding food and clean water and enduring disease. Free.9 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Little Marina Green Park, Marina Boulevard and Yacht Harbor Road, San Francisco. Also coming to: Griffith Park in Los Angeles (Oct. 22-27), Santa Monica Pier (Oct. 31-Nov. 2) and Balboa Park in San Diego, Nov. 6-9. For more information: (800) 490-0773 or www.doctorswithoutborders.org/refugeecamp.

25th
Anniversary Dinner
Oct. 21
Organized by Asian Pacific American Legal Center, one of the premier Asian American groups in California. Also will recognize more than 50 individuals, corporations, law firms and foundations that have supported the center through the years. Reception and silent auction at 5:30 p.m., program and dinner at 7 p.m. The Westin Bonaven-ture Hotel & Suites, 404 S. Figueroa St., Los Angeles. For information: Clayton Yeung at (213) 977-7500, Ext. 201. Tickets: http://www.apalc.org/events/RSVPForm.pdf.

Entrepreneur
Conference
Oct. 24
Bay Area Capital Connections (BACC), the premier conference in the Bay Area focusing on providing fast-growing minority companies with information on how to access equity capital, is back with a call to action to all minority entrepreneurs, and with particular emphasis on Asian entrepreneurs in 2008. 8 a.m.-6:30 p.m. Registration: $150 or $175 at the door. Computer History Museum, 1401 N. Shoreline Blvd., Mountain View, Calif. Information: (415) 990-1862.

Jack-O-Lantern
Jamboree
Oct. 24
Join the annual holiday '"spook"'-tacular family-friendly event, limited to the first 300 participants. 5:30-8:30 p.m. Tickets: $6; free for 2 and under. The family-friendly event is limited to the first 300 participants. Tickets are $6 per person. Children 2 and under are free. Atlantis Play Center, 13630 Atlantis Way, Garden Grove, Calif. Tickets: Presale begins Oct. 20. (714) 741-5200.

Chancellor’s Ball
Oct. 24
A celebration of diverse Asian cultures will flavor '"By the Light of Lanterns,"' the 11th annual Rancho Santiago Community College District’s Chancellor’s Ball. This year’s event features silent and live auctions, along with special student performances and the music of SOTO. The evening’s mistress of ceremonies is Suzie Suh, a member of the CBS2/KCAL9 news team. Partners in Education Award winners are: the California Land Surveyors Association; Jane Russo, superintendent, Santa Ana Unified School District; and Wells Fargo. 6 p.m. for reception and silent auction; 7:30 p.m. dinner. Tickets: $200. Disneyland Hotel Grand Ballroom, 1150 Magic Way, Anaheim, Calif.
For more information: www.chancellorsball.org or (714) 480-7450.

Founder’s Day
Festival & Parade
Oct. 24-26
Celebrate the founding of Westminster, Calif., with a carnival, entertainment and food court. Oct. 24 features the Battle of the Bands, when a variety of talented musicians will take the stage to complete for recognition, prizes and the opportunity to be a featured band in the city’s summer concert series Festival hours: Oct 24, 5-11 p.m.; Oct. 25 and 26, noon-11 p.m. Parade is Oct. 25 at 9:30 a.m. It’s the first parade in more than 30 years. Westminster Civic Center, 8200 Westminster Blvd., Westminster, Calif. Information: (714) 895-2860.

National Treasures:
Showcasing
the Jewels
Through Oct. 25
Features the works of Quang-Tu?n Löông, who has traveled throughout the U.S. for 15 years, documenting all 58 U.S. national parks with his 5x7 large-format camera. Doing so, he has kayaked through iceberg-laden waters, canoed down wild rivers, scuba-dived tropical seas, climbed to the summit of Mt. McKinley and trekked the trail-less terrain of the backcountry while lugging his 75-pound backpack of photo gear and camping equipment. Gallery hours: Tuesday through Friday, 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Terra Galleria Artworks at Bergamot Station, 2525 Michigan Ave., T-1B, Santa Monica, Calif. Information: (310) 453-5104 or www.tgartworks.com