Zach's weekend picks for Louisville: Get political--and drink

365 Days of Chocolate Launch Party Park Place Slugger Field on Main St. Nov. 13, 7-10 p.m. You might have noticed that I've featured fewer booze-centric events of late. But just because my wife's pregnant and on the wagon (that means she's not drinking) doesn't mean you should lay off the hooch. Taste local brews from BBC, Brownings and Cumberland Brews [3] paired with truffles from Cellar Door Chocolate, and enjoy a light dinner of mushroom bruschetta, stuffed endive and mussels with pomme frites as well. There'll be a DJ too. Tickets are $25 in advance (502-287-2772) and $35 the day of the event. League of Women Voters' Training to Run workshop Lang House 115 S. Ewing Ave. Nov. 14, 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Fall and winter in Louisville are dreary times: months of endless gray, weather that inspires men to do little more than retreat to their basements, clean their guns, sip bourbon and scheme. Instead of sitting alone in the cold recesses of your house plotting, why not put your weird theories into action by running for political office? Not a party hack? Don't worry. The world needs more Nimbus-like candidates [4]. And with no incumbent running for Louisville mayor or U.S. Senate in 2010, the political climate is ripe to get weird. The goal of this League of Women Voter's workshop is "to encourage non-traditional candidates [to] take the plunge into electoral politics." That's you. The cost is $100 per person, which includes lunch and materials. Call To Action--Dinner & Card Party Old St. George SchoolStandard St. Nov. 14, 7 p.m.-12 a.m. According to the description on Metro Government's calendar, this A.N.I.S.A: A Nubian Infused Sistahood for Action-sponsored event "is the party for the Dreads, Locks, Afros, Roller Wraps, Braids and Fades. This is for the people who rock the outfits that are LAID! This is the party where dreams come alive and we say 'Yes We Can.'" And really, who among us doesn't fit into one of those categories? The evening's purpose is "to organize and address racial, gender, and political issues that affect the health and social welfare of underprivileged groups." The party is 18+ and the $10 admission includes dinner. Statewide Fairness Gala Historic State Theater 209 West Dixie Highway Elizabethtown, KY Nov. 14, 7 p.m. For the first time in its five-year history, the Kentucky Fairness Alliance's annual fund raising gala is being held outside of Louisville and Lexington. The theme this year is "celebrate the glamour of Hollywood." The Kentucky Fairness Alliance was founded in 1993 and is the commonwealth's leading statewide GLBT civil rights advocacy organization. (And if you don't know what the acronym GLBT stands for, go to the gala and find out for yourself.) Tickets are $50 and can be purchased online [5]. Lecture on historic preservation Glassworks 815 W. Market St. Nov. 15, 2 p.m. Donovan Rypkema, author of "The Economics of Historic Preservation: A Community Leader’s Guide" will give a speech titled "Historic Preservation: The Core of Sustainable Development" Sunday at the Louisville Historical...zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. Huh? Oh. Sorry. This event is free. For more information: Read about life on the bus--My other car is the TARC. (Photo: Flickr/Robert Couse-Baker [6])