photo by: Mike Yoder

Shoppers check out the shoes at The Halo Deck, 725 Massachusetts St., during last year's Sidewalk Sale on Thursday, Sept. 9, 2021.

Events for the week ahead include the Sidewalk Sale, arts festival, book readings, freestyle storytelling, live music, history and much more.

THURSDAY

• At tonight’s Book Talk, author Michael Travis will introduce his new book, “Celebrating Kansas Breweries: People, Places, and Stories,” based on his year of traveling to every brewery in Kansas. Signed copies of the book will be available for sale, and free locally made beer will be made available from Free State Brewery. This 21+ event takes place 7-8 p.m. at the Watkins Museum of History, 1047 Massachusetts St.

FRIDAY

• “Scars” form the theme of tonight’s Freestate Story Slam at the Lawrence Arts Center’s 10th and Mass Studios. Live, MOTH-style stories, raw and uncensored, provide food for entertainment, reflection and sometimes laughter. There is a suggested donation of $10 for this 18+ event. Live music and socializing at 7 p.m., with the stories beginning at 7:30 p.m. 1000 Massachusetts St.

SATURDAY

• Bargain shoppers will want to hit the Downtown Lawrence September Sidewalk Sale, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. today. Outdoor sales, food, live music, miniature golf, buskers and more will enliven the annual event, now moved to cooler late-summer days. See https://www.facebook.com/events/1067565983958527 for additional info.

• The monthly Second Saturday Book Sale kicks off at 10 a.m. and runs until 4 p.m. at the Lawrence Public Library, 707 Vermont St. Books, CDs, DVDs and audiobooks available at $2 or less. Enter at the Kentucky Street door.

• The 3rd Floor Grand Opening at the Watkins Museum of History, 1047 Massachusetts St., celebrates the completion of the multiyear project to plan, design and install the museum’s permanent third-floor exhibit. Visit the free public open house, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. today and 1-4 p.m. Sunday, to see the artifacts, images and videos on Douglas County schools, sports, railroads, innovators, film industry and much more.

• Auditions for “The Nutcracker: A Kansas Ballet” will be held today beginning at 11 a.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. at the Lawrence Arts Center, 940 New Hampshire St. Please see full details and schedule at lawrenceartscenter.org. Preregistration required.

SUNDAY

• The 43rd Annual Fall Arts and Crafts Festival will take place in South Park today from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Free and open to the public, this Lawrence Parks and Recreation event will feature booths, exhibits, concessions and more, including a full slate of live performances, beginning with the Lawrence City Band at noon.

• Check out today’s Repair Studio at the Lawrence Public Library, 707 Vermont St. From 2-4 p.m., bring your broken or torn items to the library auditorium to connect with mentors who are experts in the art of fixing stuff. No guarantees, but you’ll have fun learning and tinkering.

• Visit the Lawrence Aquatic Center, 727 Kentucky St., today at 4 p.m. for a public dedication ceremony of the historical marker placed at the site in 2021. The marker describes the struggles and successes in the quest for an integrated public swimming pool in Lawrence. The dedication will also be livestreamed on the Watkins Museum of History Facebook, Youtube and Twitter pages.

MONDAY

• A Clean Slate Criminal Record Expungement Clinic will be held today, noon-3 p.m., at the Lawrence Public Library, 707 Vermont St. Co-hosted by the library, KU Law School’s Legal Aid Clinic and the Douglas County DA’s office, the clinic will cover the process of expungement, which seals an arrest record or conviction from public view, with certain exceptions.

• The Raven continues its 35th Birthday Bash today by partnering with Ad Astra Running and Pinole Blue for a fun run and conversation with adventure-sport writer Christopher McDougall. The run will start at 6:30 p.m. at the Lawrence River Trail, just south of Eighth and Oak in North Lawrence.

TUESDAY

• Join in person or via Zoom for today’s first installment of the Civic Engagement 101 series, 6-7:30 p.m. Tonight, KU law professor and Kansas City litigator Amii Castle speaks about the Kansas constitutional amendment on the November general election ballot. Held at the Lawrence Public Library auditorium and also via online streaming.

WEDNESDAY

• Bestselling author William Kent Krueger will be at the Raven Book Store, 809 Massachusetts St., at noon today for a reading and book-signing. Krueger, an award-winning mystery and crime writer, celebrates the latest release in his Cork O’Connor series. Please note that masks and proof of vaccination are required at on-site Raven events.

• KU professor of African and African American Studies Randal Maurice Jelks speaks tonight at the Lawrence Public Library on his new book, “Letters to Martin.” In these 12 meditations, written in the form of letters to Martin Luther King Jr., Jelks ponders and analyzes contemporary sociopolitical issues in today’s U.S. culture. 6:30-7:45 p.m., 707 Vermont St.