News: Shop for Schools, Halloween Costume Discounts, Wizard of Oz Concert, More

9/21/09 - By Anna Fader

Did you have a good weekend? We went apple picking and tried out Pennings in Warwick, NY based on a reader's comment that they might have organic apples. Alas, they didn't and I found the place to be a bit too commercial feeling, although we did get some really nice big pumpkins for just $10, much less than they would have cost in the city.

In this week's news, find out about deals and discounts on Halloween costumes, how doing your shopping can help raise money for public schools, a behind the scenes peak at a new children's movie, interesting events fro National Parks Week, a cool coloring book, and how to see The Wizard of Oz for free.

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Shop For Public Schools is a week-long event to raise money for local schools. From October 1-October 8, when you shop at participating stores money will be donated to the Fund for Public Schools to support public school libraries across the city. There are hundreds of retailers involved from toy stores to top designers. Some participating stores are hosting special events as well, like Citibabes and American Girl Place. Check the Shop For Public Schools site for more information.

Sick of coloring books filled with princesses and superheroes? The Indie Rock Coloring Book is filled with imaginative illustrations just waiting to be colored in. Proceeds from the book go to the favorite charities of the bands involved.

The Fantastic Mr Fox is coming out as a Wes Anderson movie based on the popular book by Roald Dahl. Check out this behind the scenes video on the making of the film.

As part of National Parks Week this week, there are dozens of unique events in NYC designed to show off the wonderful resources of the National Parks. From scavenger hunts to beach campfires to talks and tours and more, check out the site for the full list of events and details.

If you're looking for Halloween costume bargains, Cheap Tweet has rounded up all the deals and discounts for Halloween that have been tweeted. you don't have to have a twitter account or even know what twitter is to get the list. It's all on a website with links to the deals. You'll find deals like $15 off Disney Halloween Costumes and 25% off Old Navy Halloween Costumes for babies.

In celebration of the 70th anniversary of The Wizard of Oz, Netflix is hosting a concert and movie screening in Central Park on Tuesday, September 29th. Jennifer Hudson and Julianne Hough will perform contemporary interpretations of classic songs from the film. The concert and screening are free and entrance will be first-come, first served. On October 3, you'll also be able to watch the film for free on live streaming download from Netflix. Find out more at Netflix.com