Next Saturday is the day to be in Hallandale Beach. On Oct. 17 the city kicks off the morning with a free trampoline workout on a rooftop at 7 a.m., and Gulfstream Park opens its gates at 1 p.m. for a free family afternoon with a DJ and pumpkin painting between live races. Fill in the weekdays with therapy dogs, family yoga and a book club at the Hallandale Beach Branch library, and you have a full week close to home. Here is what is worth your time between Oct. 10 and Oct. 17.

Live racing all weekend at Gulfstream Park

Gulfstream Park's Sunshine Meet has live racing on Oct. 10 and 11, then again Oct. 16, 17 and 18, according to the track's own calendar. For a city that has hosted Thoroughbred racing since 1939, this is the quieter, more local stretch of the year. The Pegasus World Cup and its January crowds are still months away, so a fall race day is a relaxed way to see the horses come down the stretch.

Even if you never place a bet, an afternoon at the rail on Hallandale Beach Boulevard is one of the most distinctive things to do in this corner of Broward County. Check the track's site for post times on the day you go.

Monday, Oct. 12: Wags and Tales at the library

At the Hallandale Beach Branch library, 300 S. Federal Hwy., kids ages 5 to 12 can read a story out loud to therapy dogs Moki and Abby from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. The program, a partnership between the Broward County Humane Society and the Broward County Library, is built for kids who need reading practice and confidence, and a dog is a far more forgiving audience than a classroom. It runs on a first-come, first-served basis, and the dogs visit on the second and fourth Monday of each month, so if you miss this one there is another chance on Oct. 26.

Tuesday, Oct. 13: Family Yoga

The same branch hosts Family Yoga from 4:30 to 5:15 p.m., aimed at grandparents and parents doing yoga together with their children. The class is bilingual, in English and Spanish, and is funded by a grant from the Friends of the Library. A class written explicitly for three generations is a nice rarity. It is a 45-minute session right after school, which makes it an easy add to a weekday.

More at the Hallandale Beach Branch this week

  • Bingo for Books, Saturday, Oct. 10, 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. All ages, and the prizes are books.
  • Hallandale Book Discussion, Friday, Oct. 16, 1 to 2 p.m. The branch book club is reading Camino Ghosts by John Grisham.
  • The I Voted sticker design contest. Create an original sticker using I Voted, Yo Voté or Future Voter and submit it by Oct. 15.

The sticker contest is the sleeper here. It costs nothing, it gives a kid or a teen a real reason to sit down and draw this week, and it runs only through Thursday.

Saturday, Oct. 17: Wellness Saturday on the rooftop

The City of Hallandale Beach's free monthly Wellness Saturday: Move by the Beach series lands on Oct. 17 at Tower and Cove, 2801 E. Hallandale Beach Blvd. The lineup runs all morning:

  • 7 a.m. and 7:30 a.m.: Sunrise Trampoline Rooftop Workout with LeBounce
  • 8:15 a.m.: Pink October Yoga
  • 9:30 a.m.: October Core, a mat Pilates class with Gabbie
  • 10:45 a.m.: Zumba Pink Party with Gaby Jurado

Classes are all-level and led by local wellness instructors. Registration is required, and the city links to sign-ups through its Eventbrite page for the series. A sunrise trampoline class on a rooftop near the ocean is the kind of thing most gyms charge for, and here it costs nothing. The yoga and Zumba classes carry a pink theme for October, so wear it if you have it. Sign up for a single class or stack two, then head to the beach while it is still morning.

Saturday, Oct. 17: Family Day at the Races

That afternoon, Gulfstream Park hosts Family Day at the Races and its Kids Club Fall Fest, starting at 1 p.m. Admission is free, and the day includes an interactive DJ and kids activities including pumpkin painting, with food and drinks available to buy. The track asks families to RSVP for the Kids Club Fall Fest through its website.

This is the easiest way to introduce children to live horse racing. Thoroughbreds at full gallop are something kids remember, and a free afternoon with a craft table between races removes most of the reasons to say no. Pair the morning workout with the afternoon at the track and you have built a whole Saturday without leaving Hallandale Beach.

Getting around this weekend

Plan your route east. Hallandale Beach Boulevard is fully closed at the Florida East Coast railroad crossing near Dixie Highway from Saturday, Oct. 10, at 6 p.m. while FEC Railway rebuilds the crossing. The Hallandale Beach Police Department lists a reopening late Tuesday, Oct. 13, and the city notes the work could stretch into Wednesday if needed. Pedestrians cannot cross there either. If you are heading to Gulfstream or the beach from west of the tracks this weekend, use another railroad crossing and allow a few extra minutes; nearby businesses remain reachable by following the posted signs.

Coming up

Two dates to save. Beach and Groove heads to South City Beach Park, 1870 S. Ocean Drive, on Sunday, Oct. 25, from 3 to 5:30 p.m., with free yacht rock from Seven Mile Bridge. The city offers Uber vouchers and a shuttle from behind the Pegasus statue at Gulfstream. And on Halloween night, OB Johnson Park hosts the Halloween Trail of Treats from 6 to 8 p.m., with carnival games, music and haunted mazes.

For a small city, Hallandale Beach packs a lot into one week: a world-famous racetrack on Federal Highway, a sunrise workout on a rooftop by the beach, and a library just down the road where kids can read to dogs. The best plan is Saturday, Oct. 17. Bounce at sunrise, then watch the horses run.