Five cool things to do this week (September 13 to 19)

1. Crawl for local art

Crawl from one amazing local artist to the next, as art and culture fests paint the town vibrant this weekend. From canvas stroked with acrylics, and cards detailed with watercolours, to handmade jewels and tapestries, don’t miss this opportunity to stock up on unique holiday gifts.

James Street Supercrawl, September 13-14, Hamilton ON

Liberty Village Art Crawl, September 13-14, Toronto ON

Kaleido Family Arts Festival, Arts on the Ave, September 13-15, Edmonton AB

2. Adopt a pet

In Canada 11, 000 is approximately the number of pets that are euthanized each day, making 4 million the approximate total per year. Needless to say, if you’ve been playing with the idea of bringing home a new furry friend, perhaps consider adopting? After watching these heartwarming stories compiled by the infamous owner of Maddie the dog, and author of Maddie on Things, we can guarantee it will be a lot harder not to.

National Adoption Weekend, September 13 -15, PetSmart

3. Outrun cancer

“Even if I don’t finish, we need others to continue. It’s got to keep going without me,” said Terry Fox over 30 years ago as he encouraged Canadians to continue on with his dream. This Sunday, his run continues, and country-wide we will be toasting the national icon. Join the race.

Terry Fox Run, September 15, Canada-wide

4. Sit and knit

Julia Roberts, Sarah Jessica Parker, and even Ryan Gosling, have been known to tote needles and knit scarves to keep their hands busy and their minds relaxed while on set. This fall, take a nod from the stars and stitch your own cable knits and tea cozies. Better, if you feel like knitting and getting social, “Stitch n’ Bitch” nights have slowly become a popular pastime. Don’t forget to BYOY. (Bring Your Own Yarn.)

Stitch n’ Bitch, Every Tuesday, The Knit Cafe, Toronto ON

Knitting Party, Every Tuesday, Mu Lan Tea House & Restaurant, Halifax NS, Phone: (902) 420-1994

Stitch n’ Bitch, Every Friday, Urban Yarns, Vancouver BC

5. Get your book signed

Literary rockstars are not a thing of the past, and for the last time, print is not dead! From legend Margaret Atwood, and the 21 year-old, fresh face to the industry and author of The Bone Season, Samantha Shannon, to a few celebrity chefs – over the coming days make a run for the bookstore and catch some amazing authors answer questions about their latest releases and of course, snag an autograph.

Samantha Shannon, September 13, 7pm, Indigo Yorkdale, Toronto ON

Steven Laffoley, September 14, 1pm, Chapters Mic Mac, Dartmouth NS

Margaret Atwood, September 15, 1pm, Indigo Manulife, Toronto ON

Chuck Hughes, September 17, 6pm, Chapters St. John’s, St. Johns NL

Chef Michael Smith - September 19, 7pm, Chapters Queensway, Etobicoke ON

More info: Indigo.ca.