Josh Garrick: Culture Worthy of Your Calendar

Now – Free one-year museum admission pass in Maitland

Bet that caught your attention! The Art & History Museums – Maitland now offers a free one-year museum pass to residents of Maitland to all five A&H museums for the year from the date the pass is issued. To get your pass, bring proof of Maitland residence to the Maitland Art Center at 231 W. Packwood Ave. … and enjoy the museums. The Art & History Museums - Maitland include: The Maitland Art Center, the Maitland Historical Museum, the Telephone Museum, the Waterhouse Residence Museum, and the Carpentry Shop Museum. Call 407-539-2181 or visit ArtandHistory.org

Tonight through Oct. 9 – ‘Mamma Mia!’ – The hit musical with songs by ABBA

Seen by more than 50 million people around the world, “Mamma Mia!” is celebrating its 12th year on Broadway. The story – woven around beloved hit tunes by ABBA – is about a single mother who owns a small hotel on a Greek island. She is about to watch the daughter she’s raised alone get married, but the wedding guests provide their own version of love and romance in this celebration of mothers and daughters, friends and family. Visit OrlandoBroadway.com or call 1-800-982-2787 or 407-704-6116.

Oct. 4, 5 and 6 – The Maitland Rotary Art Festival, ‘Art Under the Stars’

Surrounding beautiful Lake Lily in Maitland, the Maitland Rotary Art Festival, celebrating its 37th season, features 150 artists vying for $26,000 in awards. The only nighttime fine art show in Florida, the evening hours create a magical experience for artists and patrons alike as Performing Arts of Maitland provides live entertainment. The Festival takes place Friday, Oct. 4, from 6 to 10 p.m.; Saturday, Oct. 5, from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.; and Sunday, Oct. 6, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Oct. 5 – The Festival of Bacon

Bacon will have its own festival (and why not?) on Oct. 5 in downtown Orlando. Attendees can sink their teeth into 30,000-plus samples of bacon-inspired treats, prepared by 30-plus Florida restaurants competing for the Best of Bacon award. The event includes live music, beer and bacon-inspired cocktails. Admission is $35. Call 407-919-9470 or visit festivalofbacon.com

Oct. 9 to Nov. 10 – ‘Dracula’ as presented by Shakespeare and Co.

Long before “True Blood,” “Dracula,” the original Prince of Darkness reigned over the shadowy world of the undead. Now Orlando Shakes invites us to experience the celebrated gothic thriller in a one-man tour-de-force that uses Bram Stoker’s original text of journal entries and newspaper clippings for an evening of bloody thrills. Dracula’s inventive theatricality will work its dark sorcery from Oct. 9 to Nov. 10, which includes Halloween night! Call 407-447-1700 or visit orlandoshakes.org

Oct. 10 – Singer Marc Broussard and Full Sail University release concert video

Recording artist Marc Broussard, in collaboration with that cauldron of creativity – Full Sail University – will release “Marc Broussard LIVE from Full Sail University,” the artist’s first live concert video, on Oct. 10. Coming on the heels of Broussard’s latest album, the film documents Broussard’s live performance shot on location at Full Sail on Valentine’s Day 2013. With more than an hour of live recordings featuring fourteen tracks, Broussard’s unique sound is described as “Bayou Soul.” Visit marcbroussard.com and fullsail.edu

Oct. 11 to 31 (Halloween) – ‘Phantasmagoria IV’

The fourth installment of what has become an annual Halloween celebration – “Phantasmagoria IV – Hell Hath Risen” will ‘storm’ the Shakespeare Center from Oct. 11 to 31. With new stories and all-new large-scale puppetry interacting with live actors, dancers, and ‘haunted’ storytelling, the ‘theatrical’ pays homage to Poe, Dickens and other literary masters who ‘dabbled in the Dark.’ Under the direction of John DiDonna, Kevin Becker and Seth Kubersky; choreography by Mila Makarova and Dion Smith; fight direction by Bill Warriner; original music by Tod Kimbro and Les Caulfield; this new installment presents us with a Halloween treat of the finest talents in Central Florida. Call 407-328-9005 or credit card orders online at redchairproject.com

Oct. 12 – Orlando Philharmonic and the Orlando Gay Chorus

On Oct. 12 the Orlando Philharmonic will open its pops series with a concert titled “An American Salute” featuring the Orlando Gay Chorus and conductor Albert Schram. “We’re going to do some blues, some jazz, some American standard songs, and much patriotic music,” says Maestro Schram. The program includes “America the Beautiful,” “Battle Hymn of the Republic” and Tchaikovsky’s “1812 Overture.” With performances at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m., the Chorus “changes hearts through music,” serving as goodwill ambassadors on behalf of the LGBT community. The performances are set for the Bob Carr PAC. Call 407-770-0071 or visit orlandophil.org

Oct. 12 – Festival Singers of Florida to premiere new work

The Festival Singers of Florida will present the Florida premiere of “Requiem for the Living” by Dan Forrest at Winter Park Presbyterian Church on Oct. 12 at 7:30 p.m. Called “peaceful yet exciting, rhythmically strong yet completely comforting,” the Festival Singers will premiere the chamber version of the work, which will have its New York premiere at Carnegie Hall in 2014. Call 407-647-1467 or visit winterparkpc.org

And looking ahead …

Oct. 13 to 19 – Harriett's Park Avenue Fashion Week

Returning for its seventh season, Harriett’s Park Avenue Fashion Week is a celebration of fashion and design and a weeklong tribute to Central Florida’s greatest (and most stylish) philanthropist – Harriett Lake. For seven days, Winter Park offers trunk shows, designer meet-and-greets, special sales and, of course, the big fashion runway show. Start planning your outfit for Oct. 19, when we can mingle with Florida’s fashion elite in the tent in Central Park. Doors open at 6 p.m. and the show begins at 7 p.m. Visit parkavenuefashionweek.com

Josh Garrick is a writer, photographer, educator, and fine art curator. he is a member of the Curatorial Council for the Museum of Florida art. Garrick can be reached at [email protected] or 407-522-3906.