Hello to all you bonnet-wearing, rodeo-watching, camping-out-for-the-parade, this-is-the-motha-fucking-place enthusiasts! --- Seriously, there's no way for me to dress it up any better than that without laughing my ass off. We're celebrating the day a guy who couldn't get out of the back of his cart pointed to the lake and, essentially, said “This is great; now, let's keep going.” That's not just Utah, that's America, in a nutshell -- any excuse to have a holiday. Can't wait to read that hate mail a'comin'! In lieu of a 337 update, here's some random art from downtown Salt Lake City:

Today, the Alt Press Fest is happening at the City Library, and if you're not at it or didn't go, you kinda suck as a person. You should get out of the house more and do some of the stuff I write about on these Saturday posts. For those of you who wanted to go but couldn't make it, here are some photos from this year's fest.

While at the Alt Press Fest, I received a copy of this little gem, the next installment of the Sugar House Review, which you can already pre-order on their website -- another fine mixture of local and national poets, at the cheap price of $7 for all you poetry fanatics.

Getting to events, Sunday, the Urban Flea Market is open again, taking over the parking lot on the corner of 600 South and Main Street. City Weekly will, of course, be in attendance as one of the booths, but this is your chance to swap, trade, bargain and purchase some goodies from people's closets. Check it out.

Something I forgot to mention two weeks ago is the Music At Main series, held at the City Library, a weekly concert every Tuesday featuring two local bands in their small amphitheater. You should plan to head over and check out these upcoming shows.

Speaking of concerts -- yes, the Twilight Concert Series is upon us. I won't go into grand detail over the series since I'm sure you're going to hear a lot about it over the next few days before it launches. But, these shows are awesome, and even at $5, are some of the cheapest shows you'll pay for all year. See you at Flaming Lips!

On that same night, if you're not too interested in navigating the crowds at Pioneer Park, Red Butte Garden will play host to Spy Hop's Heatwave Festival, featuring tons of talent from its radio and musical programs. A lot of local talent have come from the Spy Hop program, and this is your chance to catch the latest batch on the rise before they push to become something bigger.

On Saturday,  July 20, The Gateway Mall will sweep away all the rolling tumbleweeds off their streets and open up for the Urban Arts Festival. I'll only mention this briefly because you can read more in the next issue of City Weekly to hit stands on Wednesday. You should definitely go check out this extravaganza of an arts event, all free to the public.

On Tuesday, July 23, Muse Music will be the home for the latest installment of The Porch, the monthly narrative-performance showcase (which I wrote about a few months ago), featuring an array of local writers and poets ready to bare their souls for you onstage. Every month, this event has been growing in popularity and you should get in on it now while there's still room to sit.

And then finally, on Friday, July 26, the SLC Photo Collective will celebrate its two-year anniversary. From 7-11 p.m., the evening will feature a large-scale exhibition, live bands, the premiere of a short film and, of course, food and refreshments. All mural prints and smaller sizes will be available for purchase, the photo booth will be up-and-running, and for those of you in a charitable mood, donations will be accepted to continue running the collective.

As for the blog: Over the next two weeks, I'll look at a local furniture place, talk about some local music, make a visit to Gallery Stroll, have a chat with an ex-Mormon author, check out a new local podcast and delve into some coffee. At least, that's the plan, for now; who the hell knows what the next two weeks will bring? As always, we'll see what happens.

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