Reindeer Romp: Check out these caribou at S.F. Zoo

This winter, while Dasher, Dancer and company are getting ready for their midnight trek 'round the world, their counterparts Holly, Velvet, Peppermint and Belle will be doing a little reindeer PR for the herd at the San Francisco Zoo.

Starting Saturday, the four reindeer steers will be on view in a special corral on the zoo's Patas Lawn for admirers to observe up close, and though they won't be able to pet the deer, Jim Nappi, assistant curator of hoofstock at the zoo, says that these companionable animals are not shy.

Reindeer Romp: Check out these caribou at S.F. Zoo...

S.F. Symphony's Dia de los Muertos Family Concert

On his way through the lobby of Davies Symphony Hall, Donato Cabrera pauses in front of a colorful Ferris wheel, decorated with macabre gondolas in the shape of skulls, and puts on a pair of blue and red goggles at a 3-D Day of the Dead altar covered in images of famous Mexican folk heroes, devised by Rene and Rio Yañez.

Cabrera will bring his enthusiasm to the task of conducting the San Francisco Symphony's third annual Dia de los Muertos family concert this weekend. This year's program celebrates the 100th anniversary of the Mexican Revolution. And while kids will be delighted by the Mexican flavors and atmosphere in the music, adults may chuckle as they recognize tunes like Jose Pablo Moncayo's lively 'Huapango' and Juventino Rosas' 'Sobre las Olas' from Bugs Bunny cartoons.

S.F. Symphony's Dia de los Muertos Family Concert...