The Dearborn Democratic Club’s guest speaker this month will be Jocelyn Benson, who officially declared her candidacy as of last week to run for Michigan Secretary of State.

The event will take place Wednesday, Oct. 28 at the UAW Local 245, 1226 Monroe Street in Dearborn. Doors open at 6:45 p.m, and the event begins at 7:00 p.m., says Jane Ahern, president of the Dearborn Democratic Club.

For more information about Benson, you can visit: www.votebenson.com

If you love hand blown glass and want the opportunity to select a unique pumpkin that will last year after year, glass artists of Furnace Design Studio invite you to attend the “Glass Pumpkin Fest & Sale” from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. on Sat., Oct. 17.

This one-day event will be held at the Glass Academy, located at 25331 Trowbridge, near Gulley Road and Michigan Avenue, in west Dearborn.  Admission is free.

Tickets are still available for Dearborn’s “Smoke on the Grill” charity fundraiser on Thursday, Oct. 1 from 4-7 p.m. at Ford Field Park. Tickets can be purchased at the park.

The event, which includes dinner, drinks and entertainment, benefits Dearborn Public School students through the Parent Teacher Student Associations (PTSAs) and the Dearborn Goodfellows.

Call Gary Kuhlmann at 274-4499 for tickets.

Appraisers from Detroit’s Dumouchelles, Fine Arts Auctioneers and Appraisers since 1927, will be on hand to examine and appraise your family heirloom. The fee is $10 for a single appraisal and $15 to appraise two items.

Appointments are required, call Barbara Logan at 313-624-0205 to schedule.

The 6th annual Arab American National Museum Concert Gala, at 8 p.m. Saturday, October 17 will feature a stunning live performance by the world renowned MESTO – Multi Ethnic Star Orchestra, a 40-piece orchestra conducted by the esteemed music director Nabil Azzam, with special guest vocalist Moroccan-born Karima Skalli, known as the “Golden Voice.”

Under the baton of Maestro Azzam, MESTO and Skalli will perform Arab music as never heard before, featuring the exciting instrumental and vocal works of Muhammad Abd al-Wahhab, Baligh Hamdi, Rahbani Bros., Farid El-Atrache, Muhammad Abdo, Nabil Azzam and many more.

This festive, black-tie-optional fundraiser at the Max M. Fisher Music Center, 3711 Woodward Ave. in downtown Detroit, celebrates the first and only Arab American museum in the United States and generates up to 10 percent of its annual operating budget, providing vital support to the AANM’s cutting-edge programs.

 A wide range of ticket prices from $25-$500 make this very special event affordable for all. Tickets are available for online purchase at  www.accesscommunity.org.

 For more information about tickets and sponsorship opportunities, contact Nissrine Hussein at 313.583.3360 or nhussein@accesscommunity.org

The Arab American National Museum documents, preserves, celebrates, and educates the public on the history, life, culture, and contributions of Arab Americans. It serves as a resource to enhance knowledge and understanding about Arab Americans and their presence in this country. The Arab American National Museum is a project of ACCESS, a Dearborn, Michigan-based nonprofit human services and cultural organization. Learn more at www.arabamericanmuseum.org  and www.accesscommunity.org

The Arab American National Museum is a proud Affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. Read about the Affiliations program at http://affiliations.si.edu.

 The Museum is located at 13624 Michigan Avenue, Dearborn, MI, 48126. Museum hours: 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday; noon-5 p.m. Sunday. Closed Monday, Tuesday; Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day. Admission is $6 for adults; $3 for students, seniors and children 6-12; ages 5 and under, free. Call 313.582.2266 for further information.

The 27th Annual Festival of Quilts and Crafts will be held at First United Methodist Church on Friday, Oct. 2 from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and Saturday, Oct. 3 from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. The church is located at 22124 Garrison at Mason.

Quilt Exhibit admission is $3.00. Lunch served daily 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. for $7.00.

The show includes a silent auction, demonstrations, crafts, and bake sale.

For more information, please contact: Claudia Nickel cjnickel@wowway.com or Saranne Good saranneg@comcast.net

Mark your calendard for Sunday, Oct. 4. That is the date for the Dearborn Education Foundation’s Annual Golf Outing at TPC Michigan, one of metro Detroit’s best golf courses.

To reserve tickets, send an email to Education Foundation Executive Director Eddie Fakhoury at fakhoue@dearborn.k12.mi.us

The cost to participate is $225 per golfer and includes 18 holes, cart, lunch, dinner and an awards ceremony.

The Dearborn Community Arts Council presents the the Fall Into Dearborn Art Fair, which will be held in the Ford Community & Performing Arts Center Oct. 3-4.

A Preview Party for the Fall Into Dearborn Art Fair will be held Friday, Oct. 2.  You can purchase a ticket to both the Preview Party and the Dearborn Symphony Orchestra’s season opener for just $40.

For tickets call the Symphony office at 313-565-2424.

The 6 p.m. Saturday, August 29 screening of the new Cherien Dabis film AMREEKA at the Arab American National Museum has SOLD OUT.

Due to the demand, a second screening of AMREEKA at 9:30 p.m. Saturday, August 29, at the Arab American National Museum, 13624 Michigan Ave., Dearborn. Tickets are $7; Museum Members pay $6. Advance tickets are available ONLINE ONLY at:

 http://www.arabamericanmuseum.org/amreekamichiganpremiere .

Writer/Director Cherien Dabis will be in attendance for both post-screening question & answer sessions; she is also available for interview this week by phone or on Saturday on site at the AANM. Please reply to this email to request an interview.

Read more about Dabis and AMREEKA at www.amreeka.com. The AANM’s August 29 screenings are the film’s MICHIGAN PREMIERE!

The word “America” represents the end of the rainbow for many immigrants seeking a better way of life. For native Arabic speakers dreaming of a new life in the U.S., the word often comes out sounding more like “Amreeka” than “America.”

Amreeka, the award-winning feature film debut of Arab American writer/director Cherien Dabis, will have its Michigan premiere at 6 p.m. Saturday, August 29, at the Arab American National Museum (AANM) in Dearborn.

Cherien Dabis will be present for a post-screening Q & A session. This special evening also includes a halal iftar dinner (those observing Ramadan will break their fast, while others may simply enjoy the delicious Arabic meal) plus dessert and coffee.

Tickets for the film screening only are $7 ($6 for AANM Members), while tickets for the entire evening (film, Q&A, dinner, dessert) are just $10 ($9 for AANM Members). That’s a complete evening of dining and entertainment for less than the price of a multiplex movie ticket.

To purchase advance tickets, available ONLINE ONLY, visit http://www.arabamericanmuseum.org/amreekamichiganpremiere.

 Doors open at 5:30 p.m. Email questions to Rachid Elabed at relabed@accesscommunity.org.

Amreeka chronicles the adventures of Muna, a single mother who leaves the West Bank with Fadi, her teenage son, with dreams of an exciting future in the promised land of small-town Illinois. Told with heartfelt humor by writer/director Dabis, Amreeka is a universal journey into the lives of a family of immigrants and first-generation teenagers caught between their heritage, the new world in which they now live and the bittersweet search for a place to call home.

Amreeka stars Nisreen Faour as Muna; Melkar Muallen plays her 16-year-old son. Also in the cast are Hiam Abbass, Alia Shawkat, Yussef Abu-Warda and Joseph Ziegler. For more on the film and Dabis, please visit www.amreeka.com.

Amreeka premiered as on official selection at this year’s Sundance Film Festival; was the opening night presentation at New Directors/New Films; and won the critics prize in Directors Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival, where it also took home the FIPRESCI Prize.

National Geographic Entertainment is hosting advance screenings of Amreeka in major U.S. cities in advance of a mid-September commercial opening. In metro Detroit, the film opens September 18 at the Uptown Birmingham Theatre and Landmark Maple 3. For group sales information, email  amreekagroupsales@gmail.com.

This special event is presented by: Arab American National Museum; National Network for Arab American Communities; American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan; www.ArabDetroit.com; Greenlight Film Funding; and Mike Mosallam, in collaboration with National Geographic Entertainment.

The Arab American National Museum documents, preserves, celebrates, and educates the public on the history, life, culture, and contributions of Arab Americans. It serves as a resource to enhance knowledge and understanding about Arab Americans and their presence in this country. The Arab American National Museum is a project of ACCESS, a Dearborn, Michigan-based nonprofit human services and cultural organization. Learn more at  www.arabamericanmuseum.org and www.accesscommunity.org.

The Arab American National Museum is a proud Affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. Read about the Affiliations program at  http://affiliations.si.edu.

The Museum is located at 13624 Michigan Avenue, Dearborn, MI, 48126. Museum hours: 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday; noon-5 p.m. Sunday. Closed Monday, Tuesday; Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day. Admission is $6 for adults; $3 for students, seniors and children 6-12; ages 5 and under, free. Call 313.582.2266 for further information.