This Week In Geek: Sideshow, Art, and Philanthropy (How Highbrow!)

A showcase of this week's finest geek and geek related activities for the week. Mark your calendars.

Longer Term

• Haunted House - Nightmare Manor - Ijamsville, MD - Thursday, Friday, Saturday
• The lore is that there was a guy, and he was bad. And he had a quarry and a lot of fatalities, so he burnt his house down and hanged himself in the front yard, so there's ghosts now. True fact. You can read for yourself. They wouldn't let people put just anything on the internet. But regardless of history and lore, there's a moon bounce and paintball so even if you're not there for the haunted house, there's awesome things to do. (What's a bungee run?)

You see? You see how that's not an image of a spider?
It's because we care. (great photo by DeusXFlorida)

• Paranormal Folk - Jonah Knight at Screamland Farms - Frederick, MD - Four shows this week
• As Jonah puts it on his site: “A haunted farm! Barn of Bedlam! Corrupted Corn Maze! Hay wagon ride through the Haunted Forest!” and concerts with songs about clones and zombies and ghosts! After scouring the internet for Halloween goings on, Screamland Farms probably wins for most unnerving website. $10 per attraction, discounts for groups of three or more, and they've chosen to rate their attractions as PG-13. Those of you with young geeklings will want to snag a sitter.

• Convention - Nekocon 16 - Hampton Roads, VA - Friday through Sunday
• Recovered from Halloween? Great! Spend your All Saints Day heading down to Hampton Roads for one of the best anime conventions of the year. Karaoke sign-up went live on the 5th, but there's a chance you might be able to snag a spot if you enter now. Know how we know that Nekocon loves you? They have essentially day care so you can leave your "chibi nekos" to do arts and crafts while you con it up.

Wednesday

• Sideshow Halloween - Night of the Living Zoo - Washington, DC - 6:30PM to 10:30PM
• Not to be at all confused with the kids thing the zoo does. This is a stunning adults-only, after-dark bash at the National Zoo. Enjoy the moonlight glinting off the pandas, or well, maybe the goats. Meanwhile, the Cheeky Monkey Sideshow will provide "bone-chilling" entertainment. Palm readers, fire eaters, sideshow, illusionists, live music, and more. Want an example of bone-chilling? Check out Mab Just Mab's act with broken glass. (Aine's note: gives me chills, no matter how many times I see her lay in broken glass).

Imagine how cool the zoo will be at night. Look, this seal practically
screams, "Bitch, I am fabulous." (photo by Stephanie Clifford)

Friday

• Kid-Friendly Scares - Screamplex Family Night - Ijamsville, MD - 5:00PM
• This is hands-down the coolest idea for a way to get young'uns through a haunted house, “Kids going through the haunt will be given magical rings that are capable of warding off all forms of ghosts and monsters in case they get too scared. The show will be a 'lights on' tour but people are welcome to bring flashlights.” One could be tempted to make a reference to Little Fears, but instead let's just say your kid gets to feel like she has her own Patronus watching over her for the evening.

Saturday

• Zombies  - Silver Spring Zombie Walk - Silver Spring, MD - until the 10:15PM movie
• (Editor's note: This, right here, is the downside of not procrastinating. At the moment the site just says "Stay Tuned" and the Facebook group has info from 2011). This is happening. The zombies cannot be stopped, even if you all have to flash mob it. Dress up like zombies, shamble around downtown Silver Spring. Then, finish up at the AFI Silver, which notes that the 10:15PM showing of Return of the Living Dead marks the end of the event.

• Art! - FREE Super Art Fight Idol - Baltimore, MD - 12:00PM to 6:00PM
• Thought we'd be plugging another show, right? But this is different. In the gladiatorial nature of the Art Fight, the show is the only chance this year for artists to fight their way onto the roster. These potential members will be judged, but not merely on their art skills (psh, make an online portfolio if you're just here to draw). This Idol show is to determine who has the strength of personality and the powerful performance skills to really win over a crowd and become a true Art Fighter!

• Fundraising - Extra Life 25-Hour Charity Gaming Marathon - Everywhere - All Day
• While the battle rages on in Baltimore, Team NerDC will already be more than four hours into their non-stop gaming marathon. The Extra Life fundraiser raises money for local Children's Miracle Network hospitals. Any game qualifies: From PS3 to Angry Birds or Farmville, and you can donate by sponsoring gamers by the hour. (I wonder if Cow Clicker counts as a game? Or Hope). If you aren't available to hook into a caffeine IV and game all night, please show the NerDC group some love.

Did we miss something? If you have an event you’d like to promote that isn’t on this list, leave a comment or email us.  Other weekly recurring events are listed on our website (such as Rocky,  CCG tournaments, crazy themed happy hours). For more information, check out the calendars at DC Geeks.