ART DAY: Parents worried that their pint-sized...

ART DAY: Parents worried that their pint-sized Michelangelos aren’t getting the artistic nurturing they need from the Mario Bros. can take them this weekend to National Park Service events celebrating creative endeavors. Among those attending: Canoga Park sculptor Jean Cherie, above. Details of local arts and entertainment activities in Valley Weekend, part of today’s Calendar.

SURPRISE MESSAGE: An attorney reading selections from a prayer book on the “failure of justice” during a Yom Kippur service Wednesday stunned many of the 800 people at Temple Judea, a Reform synagogue in Tarzana, by adding a personal plea to God to forgive “a justice system that allows a murderer to go free.” . . . The reader was Jerry Gordon, a former president of the congregation. The reaction? Some in attendance were shocked. But others thanked him.

MORE MESSAGES: The Simpson verdicts “were impossible not to think about,” said Temple Judea member Ellen Mayer. The Day of Atonement, from sunset Tuesday to sunset Wednesday, seeks to reconcile Jews with God and one another. . . . But some sermons challenged believers. At Valley Beth Shalom, Cleveland High student Michael Wolfson cited a sermon by Associate Rabbi Edward Feinstein, who suggested that rather than venting frustrations, people should take events as challenges. Said Michael: “That inspired me.”

DRIVING DAYS: Why were the freeways light this week? Thank the Jewish High Holidays--and the Verdict. CHP Sgt. Ernie Garcia says freeways respond to the world around them. So when folks crowd around the tube or walk to temple, traffic eases. . . . Expect the same on Monday. Government workers have Columbus Day off.