THE LOWDOWN ON WHAT'S UP THIS WEEKEND >>>

WEATHER REPORT

Friday: Rather cloudy, hi 67, lo 47

Saturday: Partly sunny, hi 73, lo 54

Sunday: Rain and drizzle possible, hi 69, lo 55

>>> FRIDAY, SEPT. 24: ANIMALS OF THE WORLD

Some nights ago, when I was awakened at 3 a.m. to the unmistakable sound of the cat retching up a hairball and a day's ration of Cat Chow, I reexamined my fixation with cats. It wasn't the cat's fault that most of it ended up on my antique Oriental rug, but why can't she have a little discretion? I need a new animal. I need to do some research. Therefore the Puyallup Fair's Animals Of The World exhibit is my next stop.  Yaks, Nigerian dwarf goats, wallabies and alpacas ... hmmm, maybe I need to rethink this. 

• Puyallup Fair, 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. $9-$11, Ninth and Meridian, Puyallup
  

>>> SATURDAY, SEPT. 25: GREEN TACOMA DAY

Tacoma's going green. How do we know? Just the other day a nice man (without teeth) in a pickup truck swung by the office and offered to recycle all the "scrap metal" in our yard ... FOR FREE! How about that? Another sure sign of Tacoma's greenness is the third annual Green Tacoma Day, when the Green Tacoma Partnership invites everyone to get out and explore local parks and natural areas. Thea epicenter will be the Tacoma Nature Center, where the new nature themed playground, Discovery Pond, will be in full effect.

• Tacoma, 9 a.m. to noon, free, for more information, click here.
  

>>> SATURDAY, SEPT. 25: AIDS WALK

The 19th annual Pierce County AIDS Walkgoes down Saturday, another valiant effort on the part of our community and the Pierce County AIDS Foundation to raise money and awareness for H.I.V., AIDS and the lives they affect. Or, more eloquently put in PC AIDS Foundation promotion: "a family friendly event to celebrate the commitment we have made as a community to end the AIDS epidemic, and to commemorate the lives that have been touched by HIV." Get involved.

• Downtown Tacoma-Theatre Park, 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., donations encouraged, Broadway between Ninth and 11^th streets

>>> SATURDAY, SEPT 25: UPRIGHT CITIZENS BRIGADE TOURING COMPANY

You probably recognize the Upright Citizens Brigade brand thanks to its cultish Comedy Central series, but many don't realize that UCB has a tireless national touring company. UCB alums appear on programs like The Daily Show and Best Week Ever, but they all got their start riffing onstage. As practitioners of "long-form" improv, where actors run with a theme for the duration of a 90-minute show, the troupe performs monologues and scenes inspired by audience suggestions and interviews. You may experience the zaniness in all its glory Saturday night at the University of Puget Sound.

• Schneebeck Concert Hall, 8 p.m. $4-$7, 1500 N. Warner, Tacoma, 253.756.3700

>>> WHERE OUR STAFF IS GOING

STEPH DEROSA Columnist
My weekend plans are, at this precise moment as I'm writing this, still up in the air.  If I'm not heading out to the beach for a VERY well needed "alone time" weekend with Mr. DeRosa, then I will most definitely catch the Phoenix show at Beyond the Bridge Cafe on Saturday night.  Really, at this point, I have no idea what I will be doing with my weekend. As far as I'm concerned, my plans could involve sweeping floors and cleaning toilets, as long as I don't have to look at an ugly, overpriced Daniel Blue shirt.

NIKKI TALOTTA Features Writer
This weekend will be full of: working my butt off, smirking at fun stuff, jerking the kids around, and lurking around downtown. Also, I will be selling a bunch of junk, like broken bikes and old wood trunk, trying to get the basement cleared out, before clouds open up and the rain starts to spout. And hopefully, my urge to make stupid rhymes and silly banter will subside. I'm kind of annoying myself.

KRIS BLONDIN Food/Wine Writer
It's family time at the Blondins. Friday, momma hopes to spend time
with her boy Ryan, Saturday heading to Tumwater to visit with the
in-laws, and Sunday I might head to the lake for some huckleberry
picking! It's that time people! Get them while they're good!

JENNIFER JOHNSON: Lifestyle/Leisure Writer
Friday night I'm going to enjoy dinner cooked by an old friend in Puyallup and relax. Saturday morning I'll hit Metro Coffee to check out Linda DeSantis Lapping's artwork before walking over to the Fitness Expo at the Marriot Convention Center (10 a.m. to 3 p.m.) in anticipation of running the You Go Girl 10K Sunday morning. Saturday night I'll dance my booty off at Tempest Lounge to beats by DJ Broam. Sunday at 8:30 a.m. I will attempt to run a 10K in under three hours. Wish me luck.

JOE IZENMAN Music/Theater Critic
Friday night, Tacoma music staples Where Sails Meet Rails and Sordid Sentinels rock Doyle's Public House. Saturday afternoon, Tacoma music staples Deborah Page and Voxxy Vallejo rock the Lakewood Towne Center parking lot. Sunday, Tacoma music stapler Joe Izenman takes a nap.

REV. ADAM MCKINNEY Features Writer
Friday, I'm finally getting to see Sean Alexander perform live, after being I think his biggest fan for years. He told me that he was writing a totally new set over the course of this week, and that it will be debuted on the New Frontier stage. Scary.

CHRISTIAN CARVAJAL: Theater Critic
I'll be reading through all the delightful religious and atheist emails and literature I'm about to receive.

ALEC CLAYTON: Visual Arts Critic
Damn if these Weekend Hustles don't come around every week. This weekend I'm going to see The Goat or Who Is Sylvia at the Midnight Sun performance space in Oly.

STEVE DUNKELBERGER: Nightlife Reporter
It is kiddo weekend at camp Dunkelberger. The boy child turns 4, which is code for all things Batman and jammies. But I'll get some time out with the girl child to see Hairspray at Tacoma Musical Playhouse and likely get into a scene or two of the local film-in-the-works, Jesus4Less.

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound