Your Weekend Agenda

I'm going to be a better blogger, I swear. I've wanted to write so many posts, but turkey made me sleepy and work made me grumpy...I'm a head cold away from having Multiple Dwarf Personality Disorder.

Anyway, since it is impossible to resist the riptide of Christmas commercialization, I thought you could at least turn that itchy credit card into some good by hitting up some local artists. So this Weekend Agenda features a few of the great craft and arts fairs available in the great state of Rhode Island.

Friday: Craftland may not be the biggest event of its kind in the state, but for lovers of the weird and inexpensive, it is no doubt the best. And from 5 to 9, they're having their opening party. Head to 235 Westminster Street in Providence (across from Tazza) for food, drink, cool crafts, and who knows what else.

Saturday: Go from crafts to arts by starting your Saturday at the Pawtucket Open Studios event. From 11 to 7, you can visit many of the mills throughout Pawtucket to view some very cool artists' studios and purchase some of their offerings, from paintings to ceramics and everything in between. There are over a dozen locations around town, so my advice (if you're coming from Providence) is to stop at some of the studios on and right near Main Street first, then head on to the half-dozen in the downtown area. The web site has a map and other artist information. Look for the yellow banners that mark participating sites.

If you've gotten all your gifts, you've earned some fun, so get your booty over to Firehouse 13, where it will be duly shaken by the lineup they have for Providence is Burning, featuring Nick Catchdubs (who according to his calendar is flying all the way in from a gig in Seattle the night before), along with Certified Bananas and Micah Jackson. Be there at 10:00, and $5 is all it takes to get funky. Well, that and a sense of rhythm and a lack of shame. Firehouse 13 is at 41 Central Street in Providence.

Sunday: Are you done shopping? Probably not, but there are more local shopping events coming up. So why not take advantage of the lack of tourist hordes in Newport, and go down to have a good time? Walk a round a bit, cruise Ocean Drive, and then head over to Fastnet Pub at 1 Broadway for some traditional Irish music. It's from 4-7 PM, so it's a perfect time for a pint and a tune before you deal with the thought of shoveling snow before your commute Monday morning.

Keep checking back; updates will be more frequent in the next few weeks, and we'll have some new holiday restaurant recommendations.