JUMPER WEATHER, JUMBO WEEK! 🧶🎪

Just as we're digging out our autumn jackets and wondering where summer went, Harpenden's social calendar is absolutely sizzling! This week we've got everything from early morning runs (perfect coat weather motivation!), baby ballet classes for tiny twirlers, 80s cover bands that'll warm you right up, and Katie Price spilling the tea at The EMC. Whether you're after brain-busting quiz nights, treasure hunting at car boot sales, or celebrating our fabulous older residents with buffet food and good cheer, there's enough indoor warmth and outdoor adventure to keep you cozy all week long. So grab that cardigan, charge your phone for all the photos you'll take, and let's dive into seven days of pure Harpenden magic! 🍂✨

THURSDAY 25th SEPTEMBER

9:00am - THC Run Club at Red Gables 🏃‍♀️ Lace up those trainers and join the jolly joggers for their weekly tour of Harpenden's finest pavements! Meet in the garden at Red Gables where you'll get a proper warm-up before discovering just how many hills this town actually has. Don't panic if your idea of running is chasing the bus - it's delightfully relaxed and welcomes everyone from gazelles to tortoises. Best of all, it's absolutely free, unlike your inevitable post-run coffee and cake!

9:30am - Financial Wellbeing Workshop by THC at Red Gables West Common 💰 This practical workshop promises to teach you the dark arts of money management. Whether you're drowning in direct debits or just want to understand why your bank balance keeps doing that disappearing trick, this session welcomes both members and non-members. It's like therapy, but for your wallet!

10:00am & 11:30am - Baby Rhyme Time at Harpenden Library 📚 For the tiny tots who think "Old MacDonald" is high culture! This 30-minute musical extravaganza is perfect for babies who haven't yet learned that public singing is embarrassing. Donations welcome, but your little one's off-key contributions are priceless.

8:00pm - Quiz Night at The Harpenden Arms 🧠 Time to dust off that random knowledge about 90s pop stars and obscure capital cities! Gather your dream team of up to 6 brainiacs (or at least people who can confidently guess) for Harpenden's weekly battle of wits. Warning: friendships may be tested when someone confidently shouts the wrong answer to "What year did the Berlin Wall fall?"

FRIDAY 26th SEPTEMBER

9:30am - Body Tone with Rachel at The Harpenden Trust 💪 Rachel's back to whip you into shape above the Co-Op - because apparently running on Thursday wasn't enough punishment! Book online at bookwhen.com/classeswithrachel before all the spots vanish faster than biscuits at a WI meeting. Perfect for those who want to earn their weekend wine guilt-free.

11:00am - Ballet with Zoe (Ages 2-3) at The Harpenden Trust 🩰 Watch tiny humans attempt to plié while mostly just spinning in circles and falling over adorably. Zoe somehow manages to teach actual ballet moves to toddlers who think "first position" means grabbing the nearest snack. Email [email protected] for a trial - your little swan will love it!

Evening - Top Hat Stage School at Roundwood Park School 🎭 For ages 4-17 who dream of Broadway but currently perform mainly for the bathroom mirror. No experience needed, which is handy since most 4-year-olds' dramatic experience extends to epic tantrums in the cereal aisle. Free trial available - because commitment is scary at any age!

7:00pm-11:00pm - Live Musicians at The George 🎸 Settle in with a pint while talented local musicians serenade you through the evening. It's like having your own private concert, except with better beer and the option to chat through the quiet bits without dirty looks from other audience members.

SATURDAY 27th SEPTEMBER

9:30am-12:30pm - Harpenden Indoor Bowls Club Open Day 🎳 Discover the surprisingly competitive world of indoor bowls! Think of it as chess, but with heavy balls and less stress about looking intellectual. Perfect for those who want sport without the running, jumping, or public humiliation of missing a goal.

10:30am-12:30pm - UNA Harpenden Public Lecture: UN Peacekeeping in the 2020s 🕊️ Dr David Curran from the University of Coventry brings the fascinating world of international peacekeeping to Harpenden's Salvation Army Hall. Learn about global conflicts while sitting comfortably in one of England's most peaceful market towns.

8:00pm-1:00am - DJ Night at The George 🎧 The DJ takes over where Friday's live musicians left off, spinning tunes until the wee hours. Perfect for those who want to dance like nobody's watching (spoiler: in Harpenden, somebody's always watching, probably your neighbor).

9:30pm-Midnight - Six Go Mad (80s Covers) at The Plough & Harrow 🕺 Six-piece 80s covers band that'll transport you back to the decade of shoulder pads and questionable hair choices! Dust off your best moves to "Come on Eileen" and pretend you remember all the words to "Don't Stop Believin'." Warning: may cause spontaneous air guitar and regrettable dance floor decisions.

SUNDAY 28th SEPTEMBER

Morning - Jigsaw Performing Arts Schools at Katherine Warrington School 🎪 For ages 3-18 who want to jazz hands their way through Sunday morning. Two-week trial available because committing to anything these days requires extensive testing. Call 01923 701803 if your offspring shows signs of dramatic flair.

9:30am-2:00pm - Redbourn Car Boot Sale at The Herts Showground 🛒 The weekly treasure hunt where one person's junk becomes another's "vintage find!" Pitch charges range from £13 for cars to £28 for extra-large pitches - because size matters when you're flogging your old DVD collection. Early setup at 9am costs £23, for those who take their car boot sales very seriously indeed.

10:00am-2:00pm - Farmers' Market in Harpenden Town Centre 🧀 The town centre transforms into a foodie paradise with everything from artisan bread to cheese that'll make you question why you ever bought the plastic-wrapped stuff. Street food stalls ensure you'll never make it home for Sunday lunch, but who cares when there are gourmet sausage rolls to be devoured?

MONDAY 29th SEPTEMBER

9:30am-10:45am - Monday Morning Yoga at Batford Memorial Hall 🧘‍♀️ Start your week by pretending to be zen while secretly wondering if you remembered to put the bins out. Free trial session available - email [email protected] if you fancy discovering just how inflexible you've become since your last yoga attempt.

10:00am-12:00pm - Bennet's Coffee Morning at Royal British Legion ☕ Parents and toddlers unite for caffeine and chaos at 21 Leyton Road! While you desperately try to have an adult conversation, your little ones can safely destroy a different venue for once. It's like a playdate, but with better coffee and war memorabilia.

10:30am-12:00pm - Harpenden Library Coffee Morning ☕ Every Monday, the library becomes Harpenden's unofficial community hub. Perfect for those who want their coffee with a side of literary atmosphere and the comforting smell of old books.

3:45pm-4:45pm - LEGO Club at Harpenden Library 🧱 For £4.40 per session, watch children create architectural marvels while you step on stray bricks and question why you ever bought them LEGO in the first place. Under-8s need adult supervision - presumably to prevent them from eating the tiny pieces or building weapons of mass construction.

TUESDAY 30th SEPTEMBER

2:15pm-2:45pm - StoryTime at Harpenden Library 📖 Half an hour of literary magic where librarians somehow make "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" sound fresh and exciting for the 847th time. All welcome, donations appreciated - though your child's rapt attention is payment enough.

3:00pm-4:30pm - Craftea with Sally at Harpenden Library ✂️ Bring your own craft project and enjoy the company of fellow crafters who actually finish what they start (unlike that half-knitted scarf from 2019). Sally provides the expertise, you provide the ambition and hopefully some biscuits.

7:30pm - An Evening with Katie Price and Kerry Katona at The EMC 💬 Twenty years of friendship, drama, and tell-all stories come to Harpenden! From marriages to bankruptcies, "I'm A Celebrity" to constant press attention, these two are sharing it all. Tickets from £29.50, ages 18+ (or 16+ with a very understanding guardian who wants to explain a lot of adult concepts afterward).

9:00pm - Weekly Quiz at The Engineer 🧠 Another chance to prove your random knowledge is actually useful! Maximum 6 per team, £1 entry fee, and cash prizes for those whose brains haven't been completely fried by midweek madness.

WEDNESDAY 1st OCTOBER

10:00am - Southdown Marquetry Group at Southdown Trust Hall 🪵 Every Wednesday, these wood wizards create beautiful inlaid designs without requiring any previous experience. .

10:30am - Pilates (50+ Gentle Class) at The Harpenden Trust 🤸‍♀️ Gentle Pilates for the over-50s who want core strength without the indignity of trying to keep up with 20-somethings in lycra. More info at pushmefitherts.com - because staying fit shouldn't require a degree in contortion.

11:00am-2:00pm - International Older Persons Day Celebration at The Plough & Harrow 🎉 Nannies4Grannies presents a lovely celebration with buffet food, music, and raffle! Free tickets but limited spaces - email [email protected] to reserve your spot for what promises to be a heartwarming celebration of our community's wisdom and experience.

11:30am-1:30pm - Well Bean Community Café Drop-in at The Harpenden Trust ☕ Weekly drop-in above the Co-Op for coffee, chat, and the kind of community spirit that makes Harpenden special. It's like social media, but with actual faces and proper biscuits.

2:15pm-3:00pm - Active Rhyme Time at Park Hall Community Hall 🎵 Forty-five minutes of energetic singing and movement for babies and toddlers, with older siblings welcome to join the musical mayhem. It's free, it's fun, and it's guaranteed to tire out the little ones for naptime!

4:00pm - Ballet with Zoe (Ages 4-6) at The Harpenden Trust 🩰 The older ballet students who've graduated from falling over adorably to actually attempting recognizable dance moves. Email [email protected] for a trial class - your budding Margot Fonteyn awaits!

7:00pm-10:00pm - Brush Party with Jo at The Harpenden Arms 🎨 Unleash your inner Van Gogh (or at least your inner finger painter) while enjoying drinks from the bar. It's art therapy meets social hour, and the results are guaranteed to be... memorable. You'll be talking about your masterpiece for weeks, whether from pride or horror!

8:00pm - Monthly Pub Quiz at The Red Cow 🍺 First Wednesday of the month means serious quiz action at The Red Cow. It's monthly, so the questions are probably harder, the competition fiercer, and the prizes more coveted than your average weeknight brain teaser.

What an absolutely packed week ahead - Harpenden's social calendar is busier than a bee in a flower shop! ✨

Got a local event or special day you'd like us to feature? We'd love to hear from you! Just drop us a line at [email protected] and we'll shine our spotlight on your community happenings! ✨

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