1. Does it come as a shock that the Washington Midsummer Renaissance Faire (notice the "e") is held in Buckley? It shouldn't. This weekend, and the following two weekends, 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., hordes of renaissance faire enthusiasts (read: virgins) will gather for a bunch of make-believe jousting, jostling, wenching and facial-hair admiring at Maris Farms in Buckley.

2. Hotrod-A-Rama will launch into its second day Saturday, featuring a whole crapload of cherry pre-1965 classic cars, as well as music from the Scuzztones, Basemint, Red Hex and more. The action starts at the Swiss, shortly after noon, and runs all day.

3. Tacoma and Seattle band Colonies have pinned their game on smart but not snooty songwriting and a penchant for the atmospheric that's strikingly easy on the ears - and it works. They'll play The New Frontier in Tacoma tonight with guests, starting at 9 p.m.

4. Go old school in Puyallup tonight at another Retro Skate Night at Tiffany's Skate Inn. Retro is all the rage these days, from Atari to tube socks, and Retro Skate Nights at Tiffany's - featuring tunes from the '70s, '80s and '90s - are probably better than both of those things. Get funky from 7:30 - 10:30 p.m.

5. Every year the University of Puget Sound, along with lots of help from the Dugan Foundation, puts on Woofstock, an all day free festival dedicated to solid pet ownership, outdoor music, and most importantly getting fuzzy, wuzzy animals adopted and in the arms of new owners. Last year's event resulted in 115 adoptions. This year expect more. From 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at Todd Field at the University of Puget Sound.