September Picks 2017

RTC opens its 2017–2018 season of New York-caliber professional theater with Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winning Next to Normal. This deeply moving musical with provocative lyrics and an electrifying score is about a typical American family that is anything but normal. Recommended for ages 13 and up. The Uptown! Knauer Performing Arts Center, 226 N. High St., West Chester. $25–$53. Sept. 29, Opening Night—a VIP after-party with open bar, local cuisine and mingling with cast—$100. Visit RTCWC.org.

This event features a timeline of American military reenactors and fun for the whole family. Interact with soldiers from every era as kids enjoy traditional games and you visit craft and food vendors. Watch a Twilight Battle Reenacement, 5:30–7 p.m., and see the British battle the Continental Army and watch what happened at this battlefield 240 years ago. Monument & Wayne Aves., Malvern. Donation, $8; children, $5; family, $20. 11 to 4. 484-320-7173; PBPFInc.org.

Savor scrumptious barbeque, sweet corn and homemade desserts, then quench your thirst with local brews, spirits and other cold beverages. Listen to the blues as you enjoy family fun against the backdrop of Historic Sugartown’s c. 1880 General Store and c. 1860 Worrall House. 690 Sugartown Rd., Malvern. 2 to 6 p.m. Admission, $40; ages 3 to 10, $12. 610-640-2667; HistoricSugartown.org.

Enjoy a beer garden, music, shopping, kids activities (inflatables, games, prizes), delicious food from top area food trucks and more at this year’s community festival. Bark in the Park hosts pups needing good homes, plus dog rescues and other dog-centric exhibitors. Along King St. and in Burke Park. 11 to 4. Malvern-Festivals.com.

Come to the SPCA’s premier event to benefit homeless animals. Celebrate the evening in a dazzling mask, and enjoy delectable dishes, live entertainment, adorable adoptable pets, plus live and silent auctions. Hagley Museum, 200 Hagley Creek Rd., Wilmington. 5 to 9 p.m. Tickets $175 and up. BVSPCA.org/Gala.