Pencil This In

MUSIC: The Wordless Music Series takes over the Whitney tonight with a performance by A Sunny Day in Glasgow and the American Contemporary Music Ensemble. The Philly duo and ACME will be performing Ingram Marshall's Entrada and John Adams' Shaker Loops, for seven strings.

Friday // 6 p.m. // Whitney Museum [945 Madison Ave] // Free

BENEFIT: Perhaps the most important benefit of our time takes place this evening...Lola Staar's Dreamland Roller-Rink Benefit! Staar would like to keep her roller dream alive following last March's debut of the temporary rink. Now "you are invited to show your support, and to come out in your most glamorous fringe, glitter-filled fanciness and classic 1920s attire," all to benefit Staar's dream. There will be performances, 3-D visuals, and much more.

Friday // 8 p.m. // Peggy O'Neils [1904 Surf Ave, Brooklyn] // $10-20 donation

ART/MUSIC: Tonight get some Full Color Distro, the first art show curated by Showpaper (a print only magazine). Art pieces by Maya Hayuk, Ben Jones, Tod Seelie, and more will be on display; music will be provided by Narwhalz Of Sound. Join in the zombie afterparty at Death by Audio with performances by Pterodactyl, Fiasco, Bat Attack, Puttin' on the Ritz, and Lionshare. Get 2 bucks off if you dress like a zombie!

Friday // 7 p.m. // The Arm Letterpress [281 N 7th St, Williamsburg] // Free
Friday // 8 p.m. // Death By Audio [49 S 2nd St, Williamsburg] // $8

NATURE: Incase you have a burning desire to know what lies in the East River, there's an event just for you! FreeNYC points us towards Creatures of the East River: "Apparently it's not just bodies and syringes down there! Join experts from the Coastal Marine Resource Center and the Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy as they use a 30-foot seining net to catch fish and other remarkable East River creatures. Families and kids can take a good look at the fish before we release them back to their homes and keep a tally of our catch. They provide field guides and identification keys. Space is limited to 30 kids plus their parents/guardians, so be sure to reserve your spot!"

Saturday // 10 a.m. // Brooklyn Bridge Park Beach // Free

EVENT: Falling between Pigeon Day and Father's Day this year is Children's Day! "Tens of thousands of New Yorkers flock to the annual, day-long event for its wide array of free family-oriented entertainment. The 2008 lineup includes Gordon from Sesame Street, Rebecca Frezza & Big Truck, Curious George, Maisy, The Zula Patrol, Brooklyn Philharmonic, and two barges of Zambelli Fireworks, plus countless other fun-filled activities throughout the South Street Seaport area in lower Manhattan."

Saturday // Noon (Performance 8 p.m., Fireworks 9:30 p.m.) // South Street Seaport, Pier 17 // Free

THEATER: For the past nine summers, the Axis Company has been staging an episodic serial called Hospital; the series turns the familiar soap opera tropes upside down with an atmosphere of dark surrealism. This year’s installment continues the exploration of the interior life of a man in a terminal coma after being injured in a collapse of a New York water tunnel. The hallucinatory action centers on three workers – “sandhogs” – stuck under the sewer, and is presented in four parts over the next month. Martin Denton finds the show “spectacularly impressive,” and Obscene Jester calls it “surprisingly bizarre, heartbreaking, and hysterical.” – John Del Signore

Saturday// 8 p.m. // Axis Company [1 Sheridan Square] // $12

FAIR: Time to spend some cash on crafts! This weekend the 4th annual Renegade Craft Fair returns to Brooklyn. "Over 200 vendors are traveling from all over the country and abroad to participate and sell their handmade goods, everything from clothing and accessories, to stationery and concert posters." There will also be a deejay on hand, to soundtrack your shopping, and treats from: Lefty's Silver Cart, The Treats Truck, Wheeler's Frozen Desserts, Fizzy Lizzy, 1 Bite 7 Days and Mr. Softy.

Saturday and Sunday // 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. // McCarren Park Pool, Brooklyn // Free

THEATER: In 2005, the HERE Arts Center bought the building it had been renting for 12 years and, for the past six months, the facility has been closed during a massive $3 million renovation. This weekend the new HERE will be christened with another musical puppet fantasia show from Basil Twist, who previously presented his Symphonie Fantastique at HERE to rapturous acclaim. The new production, Arias with a Twist, is a collaboration with Cirque du Soleil veteran Joey Arias. – John Del Signore

Sunday // 8 p.m. // HERE [145 Sixth Avenue] // $35

BENEFIT: Surprise! It's another Lola Staar benefit. This one comes with a retro burlesque theme, as we are warned to "get funky, get retro, get involved" but most importantly "get your tube-socks on and help Lola Staar transform the Child's Building on the boardwalk in Coney Island into a fantastic Roller-Rink and performance event space." Angie Pontani and Little Brooklyn will be on hand performing burlesque, the Heart-throb dancers will be making moves, and an "intoxicating film collection of Super-8 Coney Island Eye Candy" is promised throughout the evening.

Sunday // 8 p.m. // Superfine [63 York St, Brooklyn] // $10-20 donation