We got your weekend: Cycling, crawfish, and a comic quiz

Bring Your Own will present their pop-up storytelling series at Alvar Public Library Thursday evening.

Thursday / Bring your… : Whether you have a story that has to be told or you’re simply in search of live, offbeat entertainment, Bring Your Own has you covered. At 7:30 PM, Bring Your Own, a locally-based pop-up storytelling group, gathers for their April event at the Alvar Public Library courtyard (as an anticipatory nod to National Library Month — April 13 – 19). The theme for this group of stories is “On the verge,” concerned with tales of getting THIS close.

Prior to storytelling (which commences at 8 PM), enjoy music by Fernando’s Stowaways, food by Stickball (a meatball pop-up — yes, this exists), and, of course, BYO booze. If you are interested in reserving a storytelling spot, email Bring Your Own. The event will be held on a lawn, so feel free to also bring your own lawn chairs or blankets.

Enjoy Ms. Linda’s yakamein and support New Orleans Food Truck Coalition at the Vendy Awards.

Thursday / It’s vending : Simultaneously support mobile vending initiatives in New Orleans and grab dinner at the Vendy Awards. Starting at 7 PM, local mobile vendors will compete in a public cook-off competition, which will benefit the New Orleans Food Truck Coalition and The Street Vendors Project. Guests can sample and vote on offerings from eight semi-finalist vendors: Crepes a la Cart, Food Drunk, The Nola Truck, Ms. Linda Green, La Cocinita, Imperial Woodpecker Sno-balls, Frencheeze Food Truck, Foodie Call, Empanada Intifada. Food and drinks can be purchased as you go or in advance sampling  packages; tickets start at $6.

Thursday / How geeky are you? : Convince us — and your fellow nerds — of your ultimate geek status (and your drinking tolerance) by participating in the Avengers pub quiz at Twelve Mile Limit at 8 PM. The Geeks Who Drink organization has organized a pub trivia event based on Marvel Comics’ Avengers. The majority of the quiz will cover each film in the MCU: Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man 2, Thor, Captain America: The First Avenger, Marvel’s The Avengers, Iron Man 3 and Thor: The Dark World; there will also be comics-only questions, so bring that friend.

Teams can consist of 2 – 6 persons; entry is $5 per person. The winning team will win the whole registration pool (usually in the hundreds). Naturally, fandom tees and over-the-top Avengers costumes are encouraged.

Saturday / Shane’s shout out : Saint Bell at Gasa Gasa after Freret Street Festival

Click here for a show preview and interview with lead vocalist and writer Jeremy Phipps

Saturday / Entrepreneurs and musicians : NOLA Art House Music and WWNO present “Licorice Stick: From Bechtet to Batiste,”  a concert at the Old U.S. Mint featuring Evan Christopher and Gregory Agid celebrating the legacy of the clarinet, Joe Asher on piano, Simon Lott on drums, Roland Guerin on bass. The concert will celebrate the launch of trumpeter Edward Anderson’s NOLA Art House Music, a local non-profit initiative through which the musician plans to join entrepreneurial and musical communities in New Orleans. The show starts at 8 PM. Tickets are $15.

To learn more about the initiative, read NolaVie’s interview with Anderson here.

Saturday : CRAWlin’ : So Crawfest isn’t your thing…we can’t all be 2o-something college kids; this doesn’t mean you can’t make an event out of the lil’ guys (the crustaceans, not the college kids).

From 2 – 9 PM, Creole Pub Crawlwill host a crawfish-oriented pub crawl, the Crawfish and Bluegrass Crawl, in the Warehouse District. The bar crawl (which includes Lucy’s, Barcadia, and Manning’s) runs from 2 – 5. Then, at 5, guests can indulge in an all-you-can-eat crawfish boil at Mannings, as they enjoy bluegrass from the likes of Loose Willis – Trent Bower & His Crew and Ramblin Letters. Tickets are $32.50 (includes one beer at each bar stop and unlimited crawfish).

Saturday & Tuesday / Peddle :

Saturday : In an effort to improve bicyclist and pedestrian safety on the St. Claude Bridge, and to advocate for safer transportation choices in the Lower 9th War, The Green Project has organized a group ride that crosses the St. Claude Avenue Bridge to the Lower 9th Ward, stops on the levee at Deslonde, and wraps up at Bayou Bienvenue. At Bayou Bienvenue, they will have information about wetland restoration efforts, and a Snoball truck will be present. There will also be a guided ride back to the Green Project for those returning to the Upper 9th Ward.

Riders may join in at three points:

9:30am: Lower 9th Ward pre-ride meetup at Sam Bonart Park, 1200 Forstall

10:30am: Ride Starts at the Green Project, 2831 Marais St

11:00am: River to Bayou ride, meet at the Levee at Deslonde

The ride is free and open to the public.

Bring out your bikes Saturday and Tuesday for NOLA-oriented cycling awareness events.

Tuesday: Entergy and Bike Easy present the third annual NOLA Bike to Work Day, in which they invite bikers from all over the city to forgo automotive transportation and, instead, cycle to work, in an effort to raise awareness about the benefits of biking, as well as local efforts to make biking a more accessible mode of transportation in the city.

In addition to showing your support by biking to work you can participate in a few events: neighborhood group ride meetups from 7 – 7:30 AM (click here for a complete list of neighborhood meetups); a morning meet up at Lafayette Square for all riders, with complimentary snacks and giveaways from 8 – 9:30 AM; and finally, an after party at the American Sector, where supporters can mingle with fellow cyclists and enjoy food and beverage specials.  The event is free and open to the public. Register here for free; if you pre-register as an individual rider, you will be entered in a drawing for a free bicycle.

Chelsea Lee is associate editor at NolaVie. Email comments to her at chelsea@nolavie.com.