Saturday — Sidewalk sale today for the stores in Wayland Square, 10am to 5pm. (Our friends at What Cheer Antiques open at noon and have a bunch of cool stuff out on the hot sidewalk.)

Hasbro is hosting the 8th annual Strawberry Shortcake Convention at its headquarters in Pawtucket from 9am to 6pm.

Saturday night 8:18pm Full WaterFire downtown.

The East Providence Heritage Festival runs both days this weekend ending Sunday night with Kissnation.

Sunday noon to 4pm — Whole Foods Neighborhood Block Party. They will be closing down Waterman Street in front of the store. Music (the Ricecakes and Formal Action) games and food. And wrestlers (free range I hope).

Join MERI to protest the NOM people at 1:30pm, Smith Street side of State House. Wear Red.

(To the best of our knowledge, none of these events involve hula hoops.)

Check out the new seasonal shop (temporary? maybe, maybe not) popping up on Westminster Street. Fans of Calico’s New Bedford location are certainly willing to make the drive for her super collection of vintage and gently-used clothing, but for a month you won’t have to. Remember what I said about not shopping on Black Friday? Well — Calico is the new black! — there is a special dispensation for independent retailers and she’s right near Craftland and they have some nice stuff as well. Obviously my complaints about rampant consumerism referred to the (sometimes fatal) doorbuster sales at the big box crap-atoria, not the little stores selling DIY crafts — and especially vintage and resale! That’s exactly what you should be buying. And lots of it. (And stop by What Cheer Antiques in Wayland Square and say ‘hi’ to Jen who turned me on to Calico in the first place.)

Calico opens today, 220 Westminster Street, through December 31st

Tonight, join Rebel L and twenty-five of his closest friends at the third annual Not About The Buildings Spelling Bee.  I’ll be hosting, and the first thirty-six spellers to sign up will be competing for fame and fabulous prizes donated by Tiny Showcase, if’n books, and What Cheer Antiques.  The lucky bee winner will also receive a membership to the Providence Athenaeum, which (if you didn’t know) is an awesomely fantastic prize.

Spellers are encouraged to show up early, since last year we had to turn some tardy spellers away.

Spelling Bee
AS220
115 Empire St.
9pm
$5 to spell, free to watch

Here’s what you should do on National Record Store Day. Go to a record store and buy a record by the The Records. (Offer good while supplies last.) What Cheer Antiques in Wayland Square is celebrating the day with big discounts and a sidewalk sale.  The weather looks fine, and this event has in the past turned into kind of a ‘thing’. The proprietors are knocking 25% off the price of everything.

Saturday, noon to 6pm, What Cheer Antiques & Vintage, 7 South Angell Street, 861.4244

Sunday September 7

The Somerville Rock ‘n’ Roll Yard Sale has been moved to Sunday, due to the heavy rain predicted for Saturday. Okay, so this is not technically a local event, but it features local talent and some local stuff.  You just might find my greasy fingerprints on some of that vintage vinyl — is Ten Years After cool yet?  Also for sale  —  cd’s, posters, tapes, t-shirts, stereo equipment, DIY crafts, vintage clothing and the best vegan cupcakes. (I’m a carnivore — I can eat any old cupcakes I want —  but I choose to eat these cupcakes.) List of vendors so far. Weather updates here.

Live music provided by Costarr, The ‘mericans, The Blind King, Chris Monti.

Table space is still available for the Providence Rock & Roll Yard Sale at the IndieArts Festival on Saturday July 19th. This all takes place in Burnside Park and the Bank of America Skating Center from 1PM to 11PM, with live bands and DJ’s, and food and drink, and tons of people walking by with plenty of money to spend on…. well, whaddya got? Books? CD’s? Vintage clothes? Crafts? Propaganda? Cookies? Please, someone be selling me cookies.

For info contact Jen or Chris at What Cheer? Antiques and Vintage, 861.4244, and get yourself a space (it’s BYO table). It’s only $25, but you must pay in advance. (Make credit card payments here.)

Big plans are afoot to generate more activity in and around Kennedy Plaza this summer, including poor little Burnside Park. There are some regular weekly events planned, like a Friday Farmers’ Market, as well as some big events such as the Heineken Latino Celebration July 6th (please tell me they’re planning a Dos Equis Oktoberfest) and the Roller Derby on July 25th. But the one you have to start thinking about now is the IndieArts Festival on July 19th. First, there are still table-spaces available for vendors (it’s BYOT). To get on board contact Jen or Chris Daltry at What Cheer Antiques, 7 South Angell Street,861-4244. Jen spoke today with the Providence Journal,

“It’s really a pretty neat park, with the fountain and the statue and it’s definitely underutilized,” said Jennifer Daltry of What Cheer Antiques & Vintage, which is helping to put together the festival.

Organizers are even tying the event to its new host site and its massive statue of Burnside. The best sideburns will win a prize, an homage to the Civil War general famous for his facial hair.

The sideburns competition is very much in the planning stage but there is talk of at least two categories; one for the purists who grow their own, and another for the DIY types who might artfully apply grass clippings and dryer lint with spirit gum. Women are welcome in both categories.

Rock ‘n’ Roll Yard Sale ~ indieArts festival

Saturday, July 19th, 2PM to midnight ~ Burnside Park on Kennedy Plaza

Feeling Foo-less? You are not alone. But nature abhors a vacuum, and Chris and Jen Daltry love a party, so they are organizing this daylong event with bands and food and everything. For more info and to sign up for a vendor-space ($25) contact Jen or Chris at

What Cheer?Antiques

401.862.9647/what_cheer_records@yahoo.com

Here’s another use for your tax refund — go buy some vinyl. Face it, everything used to be better. But you too can enjoy the clicks and pops and this ‘warmth’ I hear so much about. And at no extra cost, you get the big album covers (how do people clean their pot nowadays)? New York City is making a big day of it with little performances and special releases by all the right people. So go patronize your nearest record store and stimulate the damn economy. And remember — lift with your legs.

Here is my short list of local shops — feel free to add any I missed.

• What Cheer Antiques and Vintage/South Angell Street/Wayland Square

• Round Again Records/ 278 Wickenden Street

• Tom’s Tracks/281 Thayer Street/this was going to close, did it?

• In Your Ear (formerly Zingg)/Main Street/Warren

Don’t forget — AS220 from noon to 5PM — Pounds of Sounds! Stacks of Wax!
Lots of vendors will be selling posters, T-shirts, vintage vinyl, jewelry, ephemera, things, and stuff.    Jen and Chris Daltry of What Cheer Antiques will have several pounds of albums as well as the latest and totally awesome ‘mericans cd (recently nominated in two categories in the Phoenix music poll).

AS220/115 Empire Street/12 - 5