Ring in October with a free facial at the grand opening of Sephora at the Grove. And “Hello” Hercules! LA Conservancy is at it again with one heck of a great tour. The Ancient Forest Preserve  just opened at Descanso Gardens with a new Cycad collection.  And Vegan Oktoberfest is back.

Oct. 3-4.  Oktoberfest Vegan Style

What’s a vegetarian to do with all these Oktoberfest Celebrations happening all across LA? Feeling a little left out veggie tomatoes?  Well, LA being LA there is no need to fret. You can still enjoy Oompah music, Polka bands, dancing and singing, beer and the wunder of Oktoberfest… vegan style at The Vegan Oktoberfest this weekend at the Los Angeles Center Studios. Hey, even meat loving tomatoes will find it surprisingly good.

Plus you’ll be helping a good cause because a portion of the proceeds will benefit Expand Animal Rights Now, an organization that uses the legal system to help animals.

Oct. 2-3. Sephora Grand Opening

Many tomatoes love Sephora so they will be happy to know that today a new Sephora is finally (better late than never) opening at The Grove.  This new Sephora looks amazing with a 4,746-square-foot space offering over 13,000 products from more than 200 brands. Woh-mamma! Today and tomorrow you can enhance your beauty with a free mini makeup session, a free mini facial and if you purchase $25 worth of products, which shouldn’t be hard, you will receive a custom tote bag for the remainder of your shopping spree at The Grove.  Tally Ho tomatoes!

Now to Oct. 24. From Hughes to Hercules

I’m giving you a big heads up gals. The iconic Howard Hughes Aircraft Company headquarters where Howard Hughes built his “Spruce Goose” stood deteriorating and useless for many years.  Now known as The Hercules Campus, it has recently been brilliantly renovated into a high-tech innovative and creative community, which is home to You Tube among others.  Heard of them gals?  The LA Conservancy is hosting several tours of the historic campus on one day October 24th. You must have reservations and many tours are already sold out. Register now so you don’t miss out on this wonderful opportunity tomatoes.

The tour will highlight the historic aspects of the campus, as well as the innovative adaptive reuse of the buildings and the landscaping with light-filled, open-planned environments weaving together outdoor spaces with walkways, courtyards, bioswales, and boardwalks. You’ll even tour interiors including the huge hangar where Hercules (aka The Spruce Goose) was built. Sounds marvelous.

Ancient Forest

It may be ancient with many of the “living fossils” dating back to the days of dinosaurs, but they are full of life, not to mention beautiful in Descanso Gardens newest garden “The Ancient Forest”.  A Jurassic garden like the dinosaurs inhabited without the danger of being crushed or eaten tomatoes. I’d watch out for Raptors though just in case.  The Ancient Forest boasts 175 plants with 66 different species, many of which are endangered. This is great new adventure for the kiddos, grandkiddos and, of course, tomatoes.

The garden charts the evolutionary progression of plants from gymnosperms — or seed-bearing plants — to the earliest flowering plant the Magnolia. Cycads, the oldest known seed-bearing plant, were a major part of the ecosystem during the Jurassic period. They are shrinking in numbers in the wild, partly because of how slowly they grow, and party because people steal them from their natural settings. Shame on them but they are alive and well at Descanso gals!