Every Monday, we post The Five Best Things to enjoy in the upcoming week. These things are selected by the Plum TV staff and often times by you.

They range from humble to haute and include exciting events, festivals and performances as well as dining, shopping and playing at various treasured spots, shops and institutions.

This week we're looking forward to...

**********

PLAY

1) Now that Halloween's over, it's time to gear up for the next holiday...Thanksgiving! Head over with the whole fam to Boulder Mountain Clayworks on Saturday, November 7 and make Thanksgiving Turkeys. You'll be able to make a fully-feathered bird that will make the perfect centerpiece for your table. Forget cornucopias...it's all about homemade clay turkeys this year! Classes are from 10 a.m. till noon, or 2-4 p.m. Check out the website for more information.

**********

SEE

2) Come see Mitch Albom "live" from the 92nd Street Y with a live satellite screening on Wednesday, November 4 at 6 p.m. at the Wood River YMCA. Albom is perhaps best known as the author of the best selling memoir of all time Tuesdays with Morrie, and has become an inspiration to millions of people around the world. He'll be discussing his new book Have a Little Faith: The True Story of a Last Request, at this special event in NYC, and you can watch it in real time from the comfort of the Valley. Tickets are $5 for Y members and $8 for non-members. Visit the website to reserve your spot!

3) If you're looking for a more local literary experience, check out the Sun Valley Center Lecture for Prospects: An Exploration of Mining on Thursday, November 5 at 7 p.m. at The Center in Ketchum. This week's featured speaker is Hailey resident Julie Weston, author of The Good Times Are All Gone Now, a complex book which deals with living in a mining town after the mines have closed. Weston expertly looks back into collective and personal memory to understand a way of life that is now over - should be a fascinating lecture for anyone interested in local history.

- Sun Valley Center: The Rural Vernacular (Watch Video)

- Sun Valley Center: Farming in the 21st Century (Watch Video)

- Map & Directions for Sun Valley Center for the Arts

**********

EXPERIENCE

4) It's that time again...the Sun Valley Center Winter Performance Series has returned. On Saturday, November 7 at the Sun Valley Opera House, the season kicks off with a bang as Christylez Bacon takes the stage with his groundbreaking hip-hop performance. He's graced the stages of many venues not commonly associated with hip-hop, such as the National Cathedral, The Smithsonian Folklife Festival, and the Kennedy Center...and we're sure he's going to bring an amazing show to the old Opera House. Showtime is at 7:30 p.m., and tickets are $20 for members, $30 for non-members.