Free and Easy

Get a load of culture this week for less. We picked the best free events of the week, from a classic movie to an Edgar Allan Poe reading.

Monday
Big Band Pre-Halloween Scream
Get into the spooky spirit with a concert of eerie compositions courtesy of the University of Maryland Jazz Ensemble, Jazz Lab Band and the University Jazz Band.

Tuesday
High Heel Race
The annual drag race -- that's men in drag, not cars -- is Dupont Circle's Halloween tradition.

Wednesday
Pumpkin Carving Contest at Helix
Love carving pumpkins but hate scooping the goop? The Helix Lounge's pumpkin carving contest gives the first 30 would-be carvers a pre-scooped pumpkin, carving tools and two hours to fashion their scariest jack-o'lantern for a chance to win a free night's stay at the hotel. Sip pumpkin martinis ($7) and cut-price burgers ($7) throughout the event.

Thursday
"Upstream"
The Archives screens John Ford's 1927 silent film, a romantic comedy that was only recently re-discovered among other lost films in the New Zealand Film Archive.

Friday
We the People
Paintings by Michigan-born, D.C.-based Scott Brooks are filled with bizarre, twisted imagery -- sometimes disturbing, sometimes whimsical.

Saturday
Opening reception: "Douche Bag City"
Admit it, you're curious: The Italian-born artist Federico Solmi's series of virulently anti-corporate video game-style drawings and hand-drawn animated shorts, which were censored in France, Spain and Italy, depict the downfall of mankind at the hands of Wall Street, the Vatican and the denizens of the aforementioned city.

Sunday
Poe-palooza
Area writers including Reginald Harris, Alan King and Rose Solari read from the work of Edgar Allan Poe and share poems of their own.

-- Alex Baldinger, David Malitz and Stephanie Merry