Oh, the weekend is so close you can almost taste it... But what are you going to do with it?

• The Beaches International Jazz Festival continues this weekend. From 7pm to 11pm on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights Queen Street East will be transformed into StreetFest between Woodbine Avenue and Beech Avenue. Meanwhile on Saturday and Sunday afternoon Kew Gardens will host even more jazz musicians - and all of the shows are free.


• Wakeboarding, skateboarding, live bands and more arrive at the Toronto Islands for Wakestock from Thursday to Sunday.


• Today's Parent magazine's Kidsummer program offers free admission to kids twelve and under to the Toronto Zoo on Friday July 25th, as long as they are accompanied by a paying adult or senior (max. 2 free kid admissions per adult). Learn about more Kidsummer events or about visiting the Toronto Zoo.


• The Humber River Shakespeare Company is a new theatrical group in Toronto. Based in Etobicoke, they have been touring an open-air production of Twelfth Night this summer, and from Thursday to Sunday they'll be bringing the performance to Montgomery's Inn, just north of Islington Station. Admission is pay-what-you-can ($15 suggested). Showtimes are 7pm Thursday to Saturday with a 2pm matinée on Sunday.


• The Masala! Mehndi! Masti! festival of South Asian arts and culture is taking place inside the Better Living Centre and at Bandshell Park at Exhibition Place on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Along with the festivities happening all weekend long, they're hoping to set a Guinness record on Sunday evening for world's largest dance class. Show up to the Bandshell by 6pm and you too can learn to dance like a Bollywood star!


• The Just for Laughs Toronto Festival continues until Sunday in Toronto comedy clubs, Massey Hall, the Winter Garden Theatre and outdoor stages. Enjoy both local talent and the likes of Jason Alexander, Jimmy Fallon and Martin Short.


• I'm not an Idol-watcher, but I imagine the American Idol Summer Tour rolling into the Air Canada Centre on Saturday night has got to be a highlight for the show's many local fans.


• Also on Saturday Youth Day 2008 will bring nine hours of free entertainment to Nathan Phillips Square, beginning at noon. Performers aged 14 to 24 will take to the stage while the artwork of their peers will be on display.


• The Rogers Cup wraps up at York University this weekend with the finals taking place on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Got plans of your own? Add a comment to share your ideas of what will make this weekend awesome.

It's a hit with many tourists, but a surprising number of Torontonians I've talked to have never been up the elevator to see the city from the observation deck of the CN Tower. On the other hand, I know of at least one friend who's taken the stairs!

Have you seen the city from on high? And if not, do you want to? Personally, I've been up the tower plenty of times, but dining in the 360 Restaurant is still on my list of things to do.

Photo © Marilyn Campbell

Wanna start selling tickets to your living room?

The Sony Centre for the Performing Arts (formerly The Hummingbird Centre, which was formerly the O'Keefe Centre) is in the middle of a major renovation (which hopefully won't involve another name change). On Wednesday morning they're hosting a freecycle of sorts, when the doors will be open for ultimate-bargain hunters to take the furniture, office supplies and other odds and ends that no longer fit with the new design.

Bring something with lots of trunk space to the Sony Centre on Wednesday

The doors will be open from 10am to 2pm to give you your chance to snag tables, ticket bins, baby changing tables or the world's largest Christmas stocking, all for free. There's actually a huge inventory list posted on their website, with things that will appeal to both individuals and especially organizations. They're very adamant though that storage isn't available, so don't expect to show up and call dibs on something - you have to physically be able to take it with you.

The Sony Centre is on the south-east corner of Front and Yonge. There's a drop-off style driveway right in front of the theatre, or street parking available east on Front Street or south on Scott Street, which runs down the east side of the building. Just be sure to put your money in the meter because they do ticket and tow in that neighborhood, and the last thing you want is for your car to be gone when you're lugging a red carpet, a patio table, a floor lamp and a lollipop stand behind you.

Photo © Marilyn Campbell

Just a quick update to the earlier post about Toronto Police recovering allegedly stolen bikes - they've added another 1,500 bikes to the "presumably stolen" pile and will be arranging for another public display to allow victims of bike theft a chance to come and find their previous ride. You'll need to have proof of ownership - receipts, being in the registry and having filed a report are all exceptionally helpful; having a photo of you and the bike might be enough. Keep an eye on TorontoPolice.on.ca for updates on the where and the when for viewing the newly recovered bikes.