Schlafly's Art Outside has been a thing for eleven years now, which means we're right about at the point at which we'll start taking it for granted if we're not careful. And that's no way to treat the traditional last blast of summer. Art Outside isn't just an art fair, it's a psychological check point for St. Louis. More than 50 local artists set up tents on the Bottleworks lot, creating a temporary village for you to stroll through. You get to meet some interesting people and talk about what they do while drinking fresh craft beer and eating way too much locally-sourced festival food; Your friends' and neighbors' bands (Dawn Weber, Miss Jubilee and Jungle Fire) play music while the sun goes down and the stars come out; You run into people you haven't seen in months while laughing with Jay Thompson at his Cat Works booth -- look at those cats in their fancy outfits. It's a good time, but it's also revitalizing time. So get out there and join the collective. Art Outside is open 5 to 10 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and noon to 4 p.m. Sunday (September 5 through 7) at Schlafly Bottleworks (7260 Southwest Avenue, Maplewood; 314-241-2337 or www.schlafly.com). Admission is free.
Fri., Sept. 5, 5-10 p.m.; Sat., Sept. 6, 10 a.m.-10 p.m.; Sun., Sept. 7, 12-4 p.m., 2014