The Best Things to Do This Week, August 10 to 16

Things are gettin' weird in St. Louis. It's unseasonably cool, some of the bolder leaves are starting to turn and the RFT music editor showed up to work in a suit. Fortunately, the calendar editor remains ever-constant, churning out lists of suggested events for your delight.

Here are the best things to do in St. Louis this week.

1. Celebrate the joys of cat
What could be more adorable than the wee, slinking predator implicated in the deaths of 3.7 million birds every year? Yes, we're talking about Felis catus, the deadly beasts we love to love, even if they're merely tolerating us for the kibble. Man's not-quite-best friend gets honored every August 10 with International Cat Day, an event the kittehs surely greet with total disdain. The St. Louis County Library, thankfully, takes a more celebratory view. Its Grant's View Branch (9700 Musick Road, Affton; www.slcl.org) hosts CatCon from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, August 10, welcoming adult cat lovers for cat videos, face painting, refreshments and more. Learn to make a catnip sock toy or even take home a new killer from Animal House Cat Rescue and Adoption Center or Stray Haven Rescue, which will both be on site. Costumes are encouraged.

2. Get lost in the spirit world
Chihiro is ten years old and perpetually sullen, especially now that her family is leaving the city for the Japanese countryside. On the family’s trip to their new home, a wrong turn lands them in a mysterious tunnel with an abandoned town at the other end. Much to Chihiro's dismay they're actually in the spirit world, and in short order her parents are transformed into pigs and she has to get a job in a bathhouse run by a sly witch. Hayao Miyazaki's Oscar-winning film Spirited Away follows Chihiro as she attempts to earn her freedom, return her parents to human form and understand the lessons learned in the spirit realm. The subtitled version of Spirited Away screens at 11:55 p.m. Friday and Saturday (August 11 and 12) at the Landmark Tivoli Theatre (6350 Delmar Boulevard, University City; www.landmarktheatres.com) as part of the Reel Late film series. Tickets are $8.

3. Witness a sea change in Japanese art
Japan had a long history of woodblock printing (ukiyo-e) that, although now recognized for their artistic qualities, were at the time purely commercial works. That began to change in the mid-nineteenth century, as Japanese artists were exposed to Western printmaking. These early modern artists began the creative print movement, which was motivated by a desire to explore the artistic possibilities of Japan's traditional hand-carved woodblock printing methods. Artists such as Kobayakawa Kiyoshi and Hashiguchi Goyō created portraits of modern Japanese society in prints that are both beautiful works of art and incredible documents of an era. The Saint Louis Art Museum (www.slam.org) displays a treasure trove of them in the new exhibit, A Century of Japanese Prints. The show opens on Friday, August 11, and remains up through January 28. Admission is free.

4. Honor the memory of two dedicated freedom fighters
Dred and Harriet Scott were not the only enslaved people to file "freedom suits," but their case did more to publicize the inhuman practice of slavery. That’s thanks to both their dogged attorneys (among them Roswell M. Field, father of Eugene) and the cruelty of the Supreme Court's ruling that Dred wasn't a person according to the U.S. Constitution. Dred and Harriet's long struggle to be legally recognized as human beings continues to inspire Americans to fight injustice. The Missouri History Museum (Lindell Boulevard and DeBaliviere Avenue; www.mohistory.org) celebrates that fight with the Dred Scott Festival of Freedom today from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The day includes panel discussions, a short theatrical presentation from Kate Taney Billingsley and a presentation from Scot descendent Lynne Jackson about the unknown history of her famous ancestor. Admission is free.

5. Muncha buncha brunch
Breakfast has long been styled as the most important meal of the day, but that is not always true. Sometimes the sun is quite high in the sky when you wake up and breakfast is long gone — that's when brunch steps in to save your bacon, and to serve you bacon too. That's why the RFT's United We Brunch is back for a summer edition. From 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, August 12, at St. Louis Union Station (1820 Market Street; www.rftbrunch.com) you can enjoy bottomless beverages (try a Bellini, it'll change your whole mindset) and a vast panoply of breakfast/lunch foods. Parker's Table, the Dapper Doughnut, Taco Circus and Frida's are all participating, so you're certain to find something that satisfies your craving. Tickets for United We Brunch are $40 to $50.

6. Sample the food of the Muslim community
Nothing brings people together faster than a meal. It's the one sure-fire facilitator for conversation and a sense of camaraderie, which is why summer is stacked with festivals that focus on food. The newest arrival on the scene is the Great Muslim Food Festival and Cook-Off, a celebration of the diverse dishes of the Muslim world. The food festival features local restaurants such as St. Louis Gyros and Yapi Mediterranean Subs and Sandwiches selling their most popular offerings, as well as a bazaar full of artists and merchants. The cook-off portion is open to all comers, and features six categories (all of them halal, kosher or vegan). That includes best rice and pasta dish and best dessert, along with a special class for cooks thirteen and younger. The Great Muslim Food Festival and Cook-Off takes place from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday, August 13, at the World's Fair Pavilion in Forest Park (www.cair-mo.org/cookoff). Admission is free but you'll need money if you want to shop or eat.

7. Put these gangster gangsters on the top of your list
Arthur Penn's groundbreaking gangster film Bonnie and Clyde marks the birth of the "New Hollywood" style of filmmaking. With its blend of comedy and violence (often at the same time) and its frank depiction of violence and sexual subjects, Bonnie and Clyde changed how filmmakers approached storytelling. Bonnie (Faye Dunaway) is a waitress in a small town who witnesses Clyde Barrow (Warren Beatty) committing a petty crime. She impetuously joins him, setting off on a grand romantic adventure that swoops through the Dust Bowl states and ends in a spectacular outburst of gunfire and blood. Turner Classic Movies marks the film's 50th anniversary with a pair of nationwide screenings. You can see it locally at 2 p.m. Sunday and 7 p.m. Wednesday (August 13 and 16) at the Marcus Wehrenberg Des Peres Cine (12701 Manchester Road, Des Peres; www.fathomevents.com). Tickets are $12.50.