Key Biscayne's week runs mostly outdoors: Miami Plein Aire's first timed painting contest in Crandon Park, a volunteer science morning at the Biscayne Nature Center, and an evening at Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park where the people who watched over this year's sea turtle nests report what they found. Add a teen paint night and two small senior workshops at the Community Center, and there is something on the island most days between Oct. 8 and Oct. 14.

Saturday, Oct. 10: Painters race the clock in Crandon Park

Miami Plein Aire is holding its first Quick Draw competition in Crandon Park. The rules are simple and strict. Artists check in at 9 a.m., then get two hours, 10 a.m. to noon, to paint a finished scene outdoors from start to finish. Spectators are invited to walk the park and watch the pieces come together. At 12:30 p.m. the paintings come in to the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Biscayne Nature Center, 6767 Crandon Blvd., for judging and prizes, and they are offered for sale from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m.

Why go: you get to watch a painting go from blank board to finished in the same light you are standing in, and then you can take one home that same afternoon. Spectator registration is free on the organizer's page. Parking in the park is paid.

Saturday, Oct. 10: Volunteer science at the Nature Center

The same morning and the same building, Miami EcoAdventures runs its monthly Citizen Science EcoAction Day from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The organizer asks volunteers to sign up ahead of time through the Miami-Dade Parks registration page.

Why go: it pairs neatly with the Quick Draw. Put in three hours for the park, then stay for the painting sale when you are done.

Wednesday, Oct. 14: The turtle season, by the numbers

Friends of Cape Florida closes the 2026 nesting season with a Fireside Talk at Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park, 1200 Crandon Blvd., from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Sunset Pavilion D-18 along the seawall. Rumya Sundaram, the group's head of citizen science, will go through what the park's nest monitoring turned up this year, from the totals to the odd stories gathered along the island's beaches. There is a quiz on local and migrating turtles, and light bites are served.

The mechanism behind the numbers is worth knowing. During nesting season, which runs March 1 through Oct. 31, trained park staff and volunteers walk Florida's state park beaches every morning, reading the tracks female turtles leave in the sand to log each new nest and identify the species. That data goes to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, which uses it to follow population trends. On the event page the organizer lists it as free for Friends of Cape Florida members and Lighthouse Ambassadors and a $19 donation for everyone else, and the park entry fee still applies. The organizer asks guests to bring a reusable cup, and if the weather turns the talk will be moved to a new date.

Why go: if you have walked the Cape Florida beach this summer, this is the night you find out how the turtles nesting there actually did.

Friday, Oct. 9: Teen paint night at the Community Center

The Key Biscayne Community Center, 10 Village Green Way, runs a Youth and Teen Paint Night at 8 p.m. for ages 10 to 17. It costs $7, covers step-by-step instruction, a canvas to take home, and pizza and drinks, and it is capped at the first 20 kids. Registration is at the front desk and closes Thursday, Oct. 8.

Why go: a Friday night plan for a 12-year-old that is close to home, cheap and off a screen is worth grabbing before the 20 spots go.

For seniors: tea on Thursday, flowers on Wednesday

The Community Center has two small-group workshops for older residents this week. On Thursday, Oct. 8, at noon in the Island Room, the Lunch and Learn series hosts a tea tasting presented by Agua Miel Miami and One With Jenny. It is free for members and $10 for non-members. On Wednesday, Oct. 14, a floral arrangement workshop runs twice, at 10 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. in the Adult Lounge, with all materials supplied. It costs $5 for members and $10 for non-members, is for ages 55 and up, and each session takes 20 people. RSVP for both at 305-365-8900.

Why go: both are small enough that you will leave knowing the people at your table, and the flower workshop sends you home with something for the kitchen counter.

New on Crandon: Amand Café and Bistro

The village posted notice that council members could attend a ribbon cutting for Amand Café and Bistro at noon on Wednesday, Oct. 7, at The Galleria, 328 Crandon Blvd. Before you go, look up the café's current hours, since we could not confirm them.

Why go: in a village this size, a new place to sit down for lunch on Crandon is news, and the first weeks are when a new spot finds out whether the island will make it a regular.

What this week adds up to

None of this needs a trip over the Rickenbacker. In one week you can watch a painting get made in Crandon, help with park science, learn how the turtles did at Cape Florida and send the kids to paint night, all on the island's two big parks and its own community center.