GO! Calendar of Events

Nov 9: Winners and losers from the November 7 election ride together in the biennial parade during Return Day, a 200-year-old tradition in Georgetown. Call 855-0722, or visit www.returnday.org.

Nov 10-12: Find world-class wildlife paintings, sculptures, carvings and photographs, plus sporting gear for art lovers and outdoorsmen, during the Waterfowl Festival. At 15 venues in Easton, Md. For more, call (410) 822-4567 or visit

www.waterfowlfestival.org.

Nov 11: Books, premium seed and homemade baked goods will be for sale during the Birdseed and Book Sale at the Seaside Nature Center in Lewes. Advance seed order forms are available by calling 655-4923. For more, call 645-8983 or visit www.destateparks.com.

Nov 11: Tri-State Bird Rescue and Research holds its Giant Yard Sale at Aetna Fire Hall on

in Newark. For more, visit

www.tristatebird.org, or call 737-9543.

Nov 18: Exercise away holiday pounds before they happen during the Turkey Trot Walk and Run sponsored by Newark Parks and Recreation. For more, call 366-7060

Nov 24: The Holiday Tree Lighting and Sing-a-Long in Rehoboth Beach kicks off the holidays. For more, call 227-2772 or visit www.rehomain.com.

Nov 24: The Wilmington Jaycees Christmas Parade happens on

in Wilmington beginning at 10 a.m. For more, 655-5288, or visit www.wilmingtonjaycees.com.

Nov 24-25: The annual Southeastern Delaware Artist Studio Tour lets you see art in progress at studios in Sussex County. For more, call (800) 962-SURF, or visit www.artstudiotour.com.

Nov 25: The Butterball is a 12-dance event featuring contra dancing, waltzing, square dancing, clogging and swing at the Wilmington Montessori School and Arden Gild Hall. For more, call 475-6428, or visit www.strutyourstuffing.org.

Nov 27: Dover Festival of Lights illuminates the holidays. For more, call 736-7050, or visit

www.cityofdover.com.

Nov 28: Sing in the holiday season during Caroling in Gateway Park in Seaford. For more, call 628-2828, or visit www.seafordchamber.com and www.seafordde.com.

Nov 30: Beebe Medical Foundation’s Holiday of Lights illuminates the night. For more, call 644-2900, or visit www.beebemedicalfoundation.org.

Nov 30-Dec 3: Lewes’ Christmas Weekend includes Hospitality Nights on Nov 30, the Children’s Beach House Art Show Dec 1-3, and Lewes Historical Society House Tour, Christmas Parade and Caroling in Zwaanendael Park on Dec 2. For more, call 645-8073, or visit

www.leweschamber.com.

Fundraising Galas

Nov 4: Mosaic presents the Four Seasons Gala, with performances by Mid-Atlantic Ballet and Newark Symphony Orchestra in the ballroom of the UD’s Trabant Center. The gala benefits the ballet, symphony and Newark Arts Alliance. For more, call 266-7266, or visit

www.newarkartsalliance.org.

Nov 4: The Thanksgiving Ball and Art Auction for the Beebe Medical Foundation will feature an open bar, dinner, dancing and a silent auction. Guests can move to tunes by the nationally honored musicians of the Ken Ulansey ensemble, which will play everything from jazz to swing and even a little bit of Motown. The fun starts at 6 p.m at the BayCenter in Dewey Beach. Tickets range from $175 to $250. Call 644-2900, or visit www.beebemedicalfoundation.org.

Nov 15-19: The Night of Lights Celebration for Delaware Hospice will celebrate the organization’s 20th anniversary. The Night of Lights at the Delaware Agricultural Museum and Village in Dover will kick off the Festival of Trees that rings in the holiday season statewide with fundraisers in all three counties. A live band will provide entertainment, and there will be refreshments and a silent auction. The fun begins at 9 p.m. Call 678-4444 or www.delawarehospice.org.

Nov 18: Mission Possible for the American Diabetes Association at Archmere Academy will feature a catered dinner by J. Scott Catering of Malvern, Pennsylvania, and live music by EBE Barcelona, as well as a special tribute to children with diabetes and all those who attend the ADA Sugar Free Retreat for Kids. The event will run from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. Tickets are $175 per person, with a discounted fee of $125 for first-time patrons. Call 656-0030 or visit

www.diabetes.org/diabetesgala.

Nov 17-19: Celebrate 20 years of Delaware Hospice with a black tie optional gala featuring an It’s a Wonderful Life theme from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. at Cokesbury Village in Hockessin. The event will be held in conjunction with the Delaware Hospice’s annual Festival of Trees. A live band will be featured, along with the dazzling display of trees and wreaths. Tickets are $75 per person. Call 478-5707 or visit www.delawarehospice.org.

Historical Sites and Museums

Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge

, 653-6872. Thousands of acres of salt marsh, freshwater pools and swamps are home to waterfowl. bombayhook.fws.gov

Chadds Ford Historical Society

, Chadds Ford, (610) 388-7480. Operates the John Chads and Barns-Briton homes, plus sponsors events throughout the year. www.chaddsfordhistory.org

Dec 2: Candlelight Christmas in Chadds Ford features both private homes and historic sites.

Delaware Agricultural Museum and Village

, 734-1618. Thousands of artifacts and the restored buildings of Loockerman Landing Village explore 200 years of farming history.

www.agriculturalmuseum.org

Thru Nov 29: “Living Life Close to the Ground”

Thru Dec: “The Dirt on Dirt: Secrets of the Soil”

Nov 3-Jan 30: “Preserving the Landscape”

Nov 11: Wreath and swag workshop

Delaware Center for Horticulture

, Wilm, 658-6262. Every month the gallery features artists whose work represents the center’s focus of cultivating a greener community. www.dehort.org

Nov 3: Artist reception

Delaware History Center 504 Market St, Wilm, 656-0637. Delaware History Museum, permanent exhibits “Distinctively Delaware” and Grandma’s Attic Kids Museum, plus special exhibits. www.hsd.org

Sept 21-Jan 6: Delaware in the early 1600s

Thru Jan 6: “Complex Relations: Delaware at the Time of First Contact.” In conjunction with the Lewes 375th anniversary, this exhibition explores the interaction between arriving European settlers and those living in what we now call Delaware.

Thru Jan 6: “The Dansey Flag” is an exhibition featuring the only known Delaware regimental flag from the Revolutionary War.

Delaware State Museums 739-4266. Eight sites throughout the state open to the public free of charge: Delaware Archaeology Museum, Museum of Small Town Life, Delaware State Visitor Center, New Castle Court House Museum, John Dickinson Plantation, The State House, Johnson Victrola Museum, Zwaanendael Museum.

www.destatemuseums.org/default.shtml

Thru July: “Fighting the Dragon: Firefighting in the State of Delaware” showcases the work of volunteer firefighters at the Delaware Visitors Center and Galleries.

The Franklin Institute Science Museum 222 N

,  (215) 448-1200, www.fi.edu

Thru Dec 31: “Animal Grossology” lets visitors explore the more extreme aspects of zoology and natural science in a high-energy exhibit.

Thru Dec 31: “Darwin” is the most in-depth exhibition ever mounted on Charles Darwin.

Nov 5: Football Frenzy

Nov 15: Community Night featuring “Darwin”

Nov 23-25: Holiday activities

Hagley Museum and Library Rt 141, Wilm, 658-2400. Hosts special events on Blacksmith Hill, the Powder Yard and tours of Eleutherian Mills. www.hagley.org

Nov 24-Jan 1: Christmas at Hagley

Historic Houses of

, 378-4119. Dating back to the 18th century, the five Historic Houses of Odessa each have a unique history and purpose. www.historicodessa.org

Longwood Gardens US Rt 1 near Kennett Square, Pa, (610) 388-1000, (800) 737-5500. 1,050 acres of outdoor gardens and 20 indoor gardens, seasonal exhibits. www.longwoodgardens.org

Thru Nov 19: See thousands of mums in spectacular displays during the Chrysanthemum Festival.

Nov 23-Jan 7: Christmas blooms at Longwood Gardens, with thousands of poinsettias accented with amaryllis, narcissus, begonias, cyclamen, tulips, and many other flowers in the 4.5-acre heated Conservatory. Outside, more than 420,000 lights light up the night sky in a colorful display.

National Constitution Center

Mall, Philadelphia, (215) 409-6600. www.constitutioncenter.org.

Thru Jan 1: “9/11: A Nation Remembers” is an exhibition of original photographs by Jonathan Hyman.

Read House and Garden 42 The Strand, New Castle, 322-8411. The 22-room Federal style home was built in 1801 by George Read, Jr. www.hsd.org

Nov 24-Dec 31: Holiday Exhibition lets you tour the house decorated for the holidays.

Seaford Historical Society

, Seaford, 628-9828 or 628-9500. Owns and operates the historic Governor Ross Mansion and plantation and the Seaford Museum. Events include Victorian Teas, Riverfest, Towne and Country Fair, Victorian Christmas and Civil War encampments. www.seafordhistoricalsociety.com

University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology 33rd and Spruce sts, Philadelphia, (215) 898-4000. Advances our understanding of world cultures through research and exhibitions. www.museum.upenn.edu.

Thru Nov 26: “Connecting Cultures: Kids Across the World” features Joan S. Klatchko’s photographs of children.

Thru Dec: “Trouble in Paradise: The Art of Polynesian Warfare”

Thru Feb 26: “Under European Eyes: Conquistadors and Arts of the New World”

Nov 12-Oct: “Amarna, Ancient Egypt’s Place in the Sun” is an exhibition about Tutankhamun’s boyhood home.

Winterthur, an American Country Estate Rt 52, (800) 448-3883 or 888-4600. A former du Pont family home with period rooms furnished with antiques and American decorative arts, special exhibits and manicured gardens, including the Enchanted Woods children’s garden. www.winterthur.org

Nov 10-12: Delaware Antiques Show

Nov 21-Jan 1: Yuletide at Winterthur

Art Museums and Galleries

Biggs Museum of American Art 406 Federal St, Dover, 674-2111. Fourteen galleries house a collection of American fine and decorative arts, including work by Frank E. Schoonover, the Peale family and the Janvier family, plus special exhibits. www.biggsmuseum.org

Nov 8-Feb 25: Delaware Tall Case Clocks

Brandywine River Museum Rt 1, Chadds Ford, Pa, (610) 388-2700. This Civil War-era grist mill houses works by the Wyeth family and American illustrators Howard Pyle and Maxfield Parrish. www.brandywinemuseum.org

Weekends thru Nov 5: Fall Harvest Market

Thru Nov 19: N.C. Wyeth House and Studio Tours and Kuerner Farm Tours

Thru Nov 19: “Factory Work: Warhol, Wyeth and Basquiat” features paintings, photographs, interviews, clippings and audiotapes related to the interaction between three artists.

Weekends thru Dec: Holiday Shops

Nov 24-Jan 7: A Brandywine Christmas

Center for the Creative Arts 410 Upper Snuff Mill Row, Yorklyn, 239-2434. Art classes for all ages plus exhibits. www.ccarts.org

Nov 11-12: CCArts’ Annual artisans’ Craft Show

Delaware Art Museum