Des Moines weekend plans: Oktoberfest, Beaverdale Fall Festival

🍻 Oktoberfest Kickoff at Hessen Haus | Kick off more than two weeks of Oktoberfest with a free keg tapping. | 3pm | Free!

🎡 Beaverdale Fall Festival | Celebrate this longtime neighborhood tradition with live music, food and entertainment. | 4pm Friday, 8am, Saturday | Beaverdale Business District | Free!

🔭 Harvest Moon Star Party | Explore the Harvest Moon and other celestial sights through high-powered telescopes with Science Center staff. | 8–10pm | Drake Municipal Observatory, Des Moines | Free!

Saturday

🧹 SCRUB Day | Des Moines residents can drop off eligible yard waste and household debris at three city cleanup sites. | 7am–2pm | Merle Hay Mall, Compost Center and Metro Central Transfer Station | Free!

🚗 Hot Rods for Heroes Car Show | Check out classic cars while supporting Blue Star Mothers of Iowa and programs for troops and veterans. | 9am–3pm | DMACC Ankeny Campus | Free!

🎶 R&B Fest | Dance to '90s and '00s R&B favorites like Usher, TLC, Ashanti, Missy Elliott and Destiny's Child. | 4–9pm | Platform | Tickets: $28

Sunday

🎤 God and Caesar: A Different Path with Dr. Diana Butler Bass | Hear the author and religion scholar discuss compassion, human dignity and the intersection of faith, politics and culture. | 2pm | Sheslow Auditorium at Drake University | Free!