Spotlight: St. Paul Art Crawl

Starts Friday, Oct. 8: Can they still frolic at 30? The fun folks in St. Paul's Lowertown are opening their studios to the public for the 30th time this weekend. By now they have the routine perfected: Polish up the pots, the paintings, the photos, the jewelry and textiles and what all. Order up some dancers and musicians for atmosphere (classical piano, folk guitar, Irish Uilleann pipes). Set the free bus roaming. Drop a map onto the Web and let the good times roll. Fans know that the fest long ago outgrew Lowertown and now sprawls throughout downtown St. Paul and stretches along Grand and University Avenues. Most of the art is for sale, but looking is always free. (6-10 p.m. Fri.; noon - 8 p.m. Sat.; noon - 5 p.m., Sun. Free. For maps and artist lists, go to www.artcrawl.org)