Sun, Showers & School Run Chaos! ☀️🌧️

Whether it's sunshine or showers greeting your morning school run, and no matter how many roadworks you have to navigate around town, we've got the perfect cure for those back-to-school blues! From brain-busting quiz nights to thrilling funfairs, bargain-hunting car boots to show-stopping choral evenings, there's something absolutely brilliant happening every single day this week. So grab your umbrella, pack the kids' PE kits, and let's dive into all the fantastic happenings that'll make you forget all about those temporary traffic lights...

Thursday 4th September

10am-10:30am & 11:30am-12pm - Baby Rhyme Time at Harpenden Library 📚 Because nothing says "I've got my life together" like singing nursery rhymes with tiny humans who may or may not have had breakfast thrown at the ceiling this morning! Donations welcome (coffee fund desperately needed).

1:30pm-2:30pm - Ready to Read at Harpenden Library! Life skills for little ones aged 3-5 years - think building blocks, memory games, and the fine art of sitting still for more than 30 seconds. Your pre-schooler will master coordination, sequencing, and maybe even the advanced skill of not eating the crayons. Just £4.40 per child, which is basically the cost of one coffee these days! Book at the enquiry desk before all the organized parents beat you to it.

8pm - Quiz Night at The Harpenden Arms 🧠 Thursday means it's time to discover whether your team's collective knowledge can overcome the fact that Rob still thinks the capital of Australia is Sydney. Gather up to 6 friends who won't judge you for not knowing who won Eurovision in 1987 (spoiler: it wasn't the UK).

Friday 5th September

9:30am - Body Tone with Rachel at The Harpenden Trust (above the Co-Op in Southdown) 💪 Because someone needs to counteract all those "back to school" stress-eating sessions! Book online at bookwhen.com/classeswithrachel - Rachel promises to make you feel the burn in muscles you'd forgotten you had.

7pm-11pm - Live Musician at The George of Harpenden 🎵 Perfect soundtrack for that "survived another week of school chaos" celebratory drink. Live music, good company, and the blessed absence of anyone asking "Mum, where's my PE kit?" every five minutes.

7:45pm - Mayor's Annual Charity Quiz at Park Hall! The posh quiz night where teams of 8 battle it out while tucking into proper fish and chips from Godfrey's (because even intellectual combat requires carbs). £20pp gets you brain food and actual food - contact Jane on [email protected] or call 01582 463 662.

Saturday 6th September

10:30am-5:30pm - Petrol Headonism at The Herts Showground 🚗 Finally, a chance to drool over cars that cost more than your mortgage while your kids ask "Can we get one?" approximately 47 times per hour. This automotive extravaganza showcases the world's most exclusive motors - think Ferrari meets family day out! Everyone over 5 needs a ticket (because apparently even toddlers need credentials to appreciate a good exhaust pipe). Child tickets available for ages 5-14, plus 2-day passes for the truly obsessed.

Time TBC - Harpenden RFC 1st XV vs Old Priorians 🏉 Rugby! Where grown men voluntarily run into each other for 80 minutes while spectators stand in the cold debating the finer points of scrummage technique. Come support our local heroes and pretend you understand what a ruck is.

9:30pm-midnight - Scary Canary at The Plough & Harrow 🎸 This 5-piece Pop/Rock band promises to wake your inner teenager who still thinks they can stay out past 10pm.

Sunday 7th September

10:30am-4:30pm - Petrol Headonism Day Two at The Herts Showground 🚗 Still haven't seen enough shiny metal and chrome? Day two awaits! Perfect for 2-day ticket holders who are fully committed to their automotive appreciation journey (or just really don't want to go home and tackle the washing).

Sunday mornings - Jigsaw Performing Arts Schools at Katherine Warrington School! For ages 3-18 with a two-week trial available. Call 01923 701803 to unleash your child's inner thespian - fair warning, this may result in dramatic interpretations of everyday events like bedtime and vegetable consumption.

Monday 8th September

10am-12pm - Bennets Coffee Morning at Royal British Legion (21 Leyton Road) ☕ Where parents gather to discuss the finer points of school uniform policies while their toddlers systematically destroy the toys. It's basically therapy, but with biscuits and the comforting knowledge that everyone else is winging it too.

10:30am-12pm - Harpenden Library Coffee Morning 📚 The literary version of morning survival therapy - come for the coffee, stay for the sympathetic nods when someone mentions their child's newfound refusal to wear anything but their superhero costume to school.

2pm-3:30pm - Memory Lane Café at The Salvation Army 💕 A wonderful, supportive space for people living with dementia and their families. Sometimes the most important events are the gentlest ones - this is community care at its finest.

3:45pm-4:45pm - LEGO Club at Harpenden Library 🧱 Where children learn "problem solving, spatial awareness and creative thinking" while parents learn that stepping on a LEGO brick at home was just training for this moment. £4.40 per session, limited places, children under 8 need adult supervision (probably to prevent architectural warfare). Book fast - this fills up quicker than a school car park at 3:20pm!

6:45pm - Frazzled Cafe at The Harpenden Trust Halls in Southdown 🤗 The name says it all really. Free hot drinks, emotional support, and the blessed relief of being around people who understand what it’s like to be stressed and overwhelmed.

Tuesday 9th September

2:15pm-2:45pm - StoryTime at Harpenden Library 📖 Half an hour of someone else entertaining your child with books while you contemplate whether 2:15pm is too early for a large glass of wine. Donations appreciated.

5pm-9:30pm - The Statty Funfair on Harpenden Common! 🎡 Running until Saturday 13th, this traveling circus of sugar-fueled chaos promises thrilling rides, exciting stalls, and the opportunity to spend £20 winning a teddy bear worth 50p. Prepare for "Can we go on just one more ride?" to be asked roughly 847 times.

7:15pm-7:30pm - Our Planet Our Future: Upcycling at The Plough & Harrow 🌱 Learn how to turn your household junk into something better! This free Sustainable St Albans workshop will teach you the art of creative reuse (booking essential via Eventbrite). Perfect for those who've been looking for an excuse to finally do something with that pile of "useful" items in the garage.

7:45pm-8pm until 10pm - Harpenden Choral Society Taster Evening at United Reformed Church, Vaughan Road 🎵 Fancy joining a choir but worried you sound like a cat in distress? This friendly bunch welcomes all levels - admission is free, scores and refreshments provided. Warning: may result in sudden urges to burst into song during mundane activities like grocery shopping.

7:45pm - Harpenden Gardening Society meeting at All Saints Church Hall, Station Road 🌿 The topic: "The Blitz as a catalyst for greening London" with garden historian Katharine Woods.

9pm - Weekly Quiz at The Engineer 🧠 Round two of the weekly brain-cell Olympics! Max 6 per team, £1 entry, cash prizes. Because apparently Thursday's intellectual humiliation wasn't quite enough for one week.

Wednesday 10th September

10am - Southdown Marquetry Group at Southdown Trust Hall ✂️ The art of making pictures with bits of wood - it's like adult jigsaw puzzles but with more sawdust and the constant fear of accidentally creating a wonky duck. No experience required, all veneers provided.

10:30am - Pilates at The Harpenden Trust (above the Co-Op in Southdown) 🧘‍♀️ Gentle 50+ class. More info at pushmefitherts.com

11:30am-1:30pm - The Harpenden Trust Well Bean Community Café drop-in above the Co-Op on Southdown Road ☕ Weekly community gathering where you can grab coffee, catch up with neighbors, and collectively agree that September came far too quickly. It's like social media but with actual humans and better coffee.

2:15pm-3pm - Active Rhyme Time at Park Hall Community Hall 🎶 Free 45-minute session of energetic songs and rhymes for babies and toddlers - basically chaos with a educational twist. Older siblings welcome, which means double the chaos but also double the cute factor. Perfect for wearing out small humans before dinner time!

4pm - Ballet with Zoe at The Harpenden Trust 💃 Lively ballet lessons for children aged 4-6 years old. For a trial class, email [email protected] - fair warning, this may result in interpretive dance performances during family dinner and the sudden appearance of tutus in unexpected places.

5pm-9:30pm - The Statty Funfair continues on Harpenden Common! 🎡

Ongoing Activities Not To Miss!

FREE Exhibition until September 25th - WWII Exhibition at Harpenden Museum (EMC lower floor) 🎖️ Open Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Because sometimes we need reminding that our biggest problems (like finding matching school socks) are pretty manageable in the grand scheme of history. Visit www.harpenden-history.org.uk

New Exhibition - The Life of George Hogg (1915-1945) at The Harpenden Museum, EMC 🌟 Meet Harpenden's most incredible hero you've probably never heard of! This legend marched 60 schoolboys 700 miles to safety during wartime China. He died at just 30, but his story will make you feel like you could conquer anything (even the weekly food shop).

Rugby Interest? - Drop a line to [email protected] if you're interested in getting into rugby or getting the little ones into Mini's rugby! 🏉 Because apparently some people think regular parenting isn't quite stressful enough and need to add the possibility of muddy kit and weekend matches to the mix!

There you have it - seven days of pure Harpenden brilliance to distract you from the fact that summer holidays are officially over and real life has resumed! See you out there, fellow survivors! ✨

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! ✨

P.S. Love staying in the know about local happenings? Spread the word! Tell your friends and neighbors about Harpenden Highlights so they don't miss out on the best events in town. Subscribe at https://harpenden-highlights.beehiiv.com/subscribe and never miss a local update again! 📱✨