Top 5: What to do this weekend [St. Joseph News-Press, Mo.]

Oct. 10--Tom Hanks, Pumpkins and Irish Fest outline what will be a very busy weekend in the area.

In theaters: An Oscar hopeful based on a true story comes to theaters on Friday. Another new movie is about as delightfully -- and violently -- disconnected from reality as possible. Director Paul Greengrass' "Captain Phillips" tells the tale of Captain Richard Phillips (played by Tom Hanks) and his American cargo ship that was hijacked by Somali pirates in 2009. And how could we forget "Machete Kills," the star-studded B-action movie in which the government recruits Machete (Danny Trejo) to battle his way through Mexico in order to take down a villain bent on launching a weapon into space. Prepare yourselves for cameos by the likes of Charlie Sheen, Lady Gaga and Mel Gibson.

Get pumped for PumpkinFest: St. Joseph's most kid-friendly festival will return for its 18th consecutive year. PumpkinFest will be open from 5 to 9 p.m.Oct. 11, from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.Oct. 12 and from noon until 5 p.m.Oct. 13 at Patee Park, across the street from the Pony Express Museum. The highlight of the three-day celebration will take place at 8 p.m. Friday when more than 800 hand-carved pumpkins will be electrically lit on "Pumpkin Mountain" in front of the museum. On-stage entertainment will include magician BJ Talley, storyteller Will Stuck, The Phil Vandel Band, The Jeff Lux Band, The Missouri Rebels and The Baker Family. And, of course, the PumpkinFest Costume Parade will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday with awards being presented for best costumes at 11:30. Check out Friday's edition of St. Joe Live for more information about PumpkinFest.

Get wild in Weston: The 14th annual Weston Irish Festival will open its gates Friday at O'Malley's Pub & Courtyard in Weston, Mo. The three-day festival features some of the best Irish music, piping, dancing and traditional Irish food and drinks around. Screaming Orphans, The Elders, Chance the Arm, Rathkeltair, Barleyjuice, Flannigan's Right Hook and beloved O'Malley's favorite Bob Reeder are among the acts performing at the event. The festival will be open from 6 p.m. to midnightOct. 11, noon to midnightOct. 12 and 12:30 to 11 p.m.Oct. 13. A special look into the festival can be found in Friday's edition of St. Joe Live.

Jerry's night: A benefit concert for Andrew County resident Jerry Etzler will be held from 4:30 p.m. to midnightOct. 12 at the Firefighters Hall (4314 S. 40th St.) in St. Joseph. Local music acts that will perform throughout the night include Forest Anthem, Casey Brett, Dylan Russell, Hubcap Bandits, Whiskey for the Lady, Stormbourne, Rocky Ford and DJ Brandon Manville. The event will include food, various raffles, kids' games and more. Admission to the concert is $10, but kids 12 and younger will be admitted for free. Etzler has been fighting neuroendocrine cancer since 2011 and is now seeking treatment overseas that is not available in the U.S. or covered by health insurance.

Mexican marvels: Maria the Mexican is a band that mixes traditional Mariachi roots, Mexican folklore and contemporary blues-rock and delivers the music in a blend of English and Spanish. That formula seems to be working well for this four-piece, which is making a big splash in Kansas City right now. Maria the Mexican includes classically trained vocalists Teresa and Maria Elena Cuevas, as well as St. Joseph natives Garrett Nordstrom and Jason Riley on dueling guitars. If you've been looking for music with culture, captivating melodies and stunning guitar work, look no further than Maria the Mexican. The band will perform at 9:30 p.m.Oct. 12, at Cafe Acoustic.

Shea Conner can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter: @stjoelivedotcom.

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