Fresno Famous

Read a glossy magazine or watch television and you're bound to find someone willing to sell you a good time. There's always something new to see or listen to, a new record to buy or film coming out on DVD. But it is almost unheard of for someone to offer you entertainment for nothing.

So, when we hear about something that is going on around town that requires us to spend no money, our ears perk up, a little bell rings somewhere in the recesses of our subconscious. Often we drool.

That's why we've decided to package all the free shindigs that we hear about in a monthly column called "Free Famous". Think of it as a cultural datebook for the couch surfing vagabond in all of us.

Music

Alan and his crew of crazy hipsters will be concocting their unique mixes of 80's, goth, electroclash, and indie rock on Friday, April 15 at the Red Lantern. there is no cover, but you have to over 21. For those who haven't been to the Red Lantern, well, let's say it is an interesting experience. Besides the great music and intimate patio, the Red Lantern also has free internet access for those poor folk who'd rather not wait in line at the library.

Friday, April 15
10PM
Meatball Magic
The Red Lantern
4618 E Belmont

Art

Artistic and angry and young and edgy -- no need to go to one of those fancy art shows. On Thursday, April 28th five artists from the CSUF artist-in-residence program will be displaying their work in the lo-fi Childspace Gallery at Fresno's Metropolitan Museum. Works by Maria Melgar, Christ Sharnick, Jamison Gish, Jessica Travers will be up through May 22nd.

Thursday, April 28th
5PM - 8PM
Fresno Met Childspace Gallery
1526 Fulton St
http://www.fresnomet.org

Theatre

Directed by Roxanne Schroeder-Arce, Calabasas Street is a bilingual play for children being produced by CSUF's Theatre Arts Department. While the play is aimed towards a young audience, there's no reason you can't go and partake in the fun. Calabasas Street will have two showings on Saturday, April 23rd at the Arena Theatre in the CSUF's SPeech Arts Building.

Saturday, April 23rd
10AM & 1PM
Arena Theatre
Speech Arts Building, CSUF

Outdoors

Do you ever feel like you should do a good deed? Maybe guide an old lady across a busy intersection to help balance out all your bad karma? Well here is you chance! Fresno's Leading Young Professionals (FLYP) will be doing some replanting, pruning and general cleanup on the Sugar Pine Trail in Fresno on Saturday, April 23rd. Contact Susan Stiltz at 221-5556 x103 for more information or to sign up. sat

Saturday, April 23rd
9AM
Sugar Pine Trail

Words

The San Joaquin Literary Association will be hosting a reading by poet Krystyna Lenkowska on Thursday, April 28th. It will be held inside the Alice Peters Auditorium, inside the Peters Business Building at Fresno State, as part of CSUF's Visiting Writer Series. Lenkowska, an emerging voice in contemporary Polish poetry who has published five volumes of poetry, will read from her latest collection, ''Eve's Choice.'' The reading will be bilingual, in Polish and English, with translations by Fresno resident Ewa Hryniewicz-Yarbrough.

Thursday, April 28th
7:30 pm
California State University, Fresno
5245 N. Backer Ave.
http://www.csufresno.edu/journal/vol8/08/arts/poet.shtml