SATURDAY, APRIL 13 2013 >>>

2. Spring Zing is a festival of performances put on by the Associated Students of the University of Puget Sound and the Proctor District merchants. From 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Proctor District expect free horse drawn carriages rides, four food trucks and at least two main stage performances including LeRoy Bell and his Only Friends, as well as the awesome Proctor Farmers Market.

3. Months and months of rain. Bad traffic. A high suicide rate. The not-so-subtle odor of pulp hanging in the air. With all of this, is it much of a surprise that Tacoma spawns some damn fine blues? "Some of the best blues artists in the country come from the Pacific Northwest," says Gary Grape, the president of the South Sound Blues Association. "We hope to show some of them to the people of Tacoma." Show they shall. The Gray Sky Blues Music Festival once again graces downtown Tacoma. The festival features over a dozen different acts playing at multiple venues. Attendees can grab a beer at one club and eat a sandwich another, all while listening to some of the best blues in the around. Read Timothy Grisham's full feature on today's festival in ithe Weekly Volcano's Music section.

4. Ordinarily, writing a short play takes weeks or even months. As it moves into production, everyone from the cast to the director to the guy who delivers sandwiches has editorial input. What began with a clear authorial vision might veer off in any number of unexpected directions. The Double Shot Festival of Overnight Plays takes a different approach: it hands its writers a theme, about which they compose a 10-minute play over a single night. Then, at 8 the next morning, these scripts are passed to a director and cast of stock actors to be performed that very night, fully memorized, at 7:30. The festival rehearses and first performs at 7:30 p.m., followed by a matinée tomorrow at 2. The shows are hosted by Capital Playhouse. More than 50 local actors and directors are taking part in the festival. Read Christian Carvajal's full feature on The Double Shot Festival of Overnight plays in the Weekly Volcano's Arts section.

5. At 9 p.m., KAOS 89.3 FM celebrates their big 4-0 at the Olympia Ballroom with AfroMassive and Kasata Sound, two groups that will get into your bones with their funk, jazz and rhythm. Read Nikki McCoy's full feature on KAOS FM in the Weekly Volcano's Music section.

PLUS: Check out the event recommendations in our Weekend Hustle

LINK: Saturday, April 13 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area