It's going to be a busy weekend -- and I'm not just talking about the sure-to-be-frenzied action of a Halloween that falls on a Friday night. Here are my picks that don't involve dressing up as Sarah Palin:

• If it's Nov. 1, it must be Christmas season! "A Christmas Carol" opens at the 2nd Space Theatre. Patrick Allan Tromborg heads up the large cast as Scrooge, a role he reprises from previous years. Featured in the production this year are returning performers David Otero (Christmas Present) and Greg Ruud (Marley), as well as many new faces: Patricia Hoffman (Christmas Past), Rich Burt (Bob Cratchit), Kate McKnight (Mrs. Cratchit), Matthew Rosales (TinyTim), Lorraine Christiansen (Belle) and Larry Mattox and Teresa Burt as the Fezziwigs. Fred Bologna directs, which means that for two weekends, he'll have shows he directed playing both at 2nd Space and Roger Rocka's. Busy guy. (8:30 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday)
• Check out "Shiloh Rules," a comedy about Civil War reenactors, at Fresno State. (8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday)
• Sunday afternoon is an absolute log-jam of piano recitals, with no less than three scheduled at the same time. (Talk about splitting the audience, alas.) At City College, a musical program of Mozart and Arensky will feature FCC piano instructor Olga Quercia joined by violinist Susan Doering, violinist Claudia Shiuh and cellist Wulfhorst. (4 p.m. Sunday, FCC recital hall.) At Fresno State, world-renowned Gershwin expert Richard Glazier performs a solo piano recital for the Philip Lorenz Memorial Keyboard Concerts series. (3 p.m., Concert Hall). And at the First Congregational Church, homegrown pianist Sally Christian makes a trip from the Bay Area to perform the complete Preludes, Opus 32, by Rachmaninoff plus a world premiere from Michael Kimbell. (3 p.m., church sanctuary.) How will piano fans decide?
• And don't forget the Dia de los Muertos/Day of the Dead Procession beginning at St. John's Cathedral. (3 p.m. Saturday.)