1 Get your ABCs covered this weekend at Bethel Avenue Book Company, where three local authors spanning the genre gamut will sign and discuss their work. Anna Childs will present “The Big Book of Absolutely Animalistic Alliterations,” an alphabet project she wrote and illustrated for a school assignment at age 14. It’s the first children’s book from Olympia-based Fear Nought Publications. Author Sam Whittaker tells the story of people who have been marginalized by culture and church in his book, “The Exiles Next Door: Singing the Lord’s Song in a Foreign Land.” The book calls for the church to become a force of good, not harm. Former police officer Tim Perry will bring his “Trilogy in Blue: From the Ashes,” an historically based family saga packing fast-paced action punches. The book depicts early 1900s Seattle as it recovers from a devastating fire. In this setting, a young police officer faces a killer that threatens his entire family. Get a book signed from 1-4 p.m. Dec. 5 at 1037 Bethel Avenue in Port Orchard. Info: (360) 876-7500.
2 Seattle-based singer/songwriter Carrie Clark’s sound might leave you at a loss for words. The blend of classic country, blues, jazz and cabaret on her newest album, “Seems so Civilized,” has proven tricky to define. Reviews have called it “raucous,” “bittersweet.” One said her songs were perfect fodder for a jukebox in the background of a David Lynch film. Clark has played some of Seattle’s most renowned venues, along with stages across the country and throughout the world. See the Oregon native and her range from alt-country twang to vaudeville swing Dec. 4 at Pegasus Coffee House on Bainbridge Island at 7:30 p.m. Info: www.PegasusCoffeeHouse.com, www.CarrieClark.com.
3 Claywerks Pottery artists will gather to discuss and sell their art from 5-8 p.m. Dec. 4 at the Amy Burnett Gallery in downtown Bremerton. The event kicks off the month of December, during which food donations will be accepted for the Bremerton Food Line. The 4th Pacific Arts Building will award gift certificates for those donating three or more items. The 4th Pacific Art Building houses six art-related businesses. Info: (360) 373-3187, www.amyburnettfineart.com.
4 Take the family to the woods at “A Year with Frog and Toad,” a sweet, kid-friendly musical about two amphibious friends and their colorful cast of buggy companions. The show runs at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 4 and 5 and at 5 p.m. Dec. 6 at the Western Washington Center for the Arts. “A Year with Frog and Toad” is directed by Jan Ewen and adapted from the children’s stories by Arnold Lobel. The show closes Dec. 20. Tickets: $16, $12 with senior, youth or military discount. Info: wwca.us.
5 One audience member hailed it as “yoga for your funny bone.” Another called it a “totally reliable picker-upper.” Bainbridge Performing Arts’ fourth Annual “Holidays on the Edge,” performed by The Edge Improv group, will regale its crowd with unscripted holiday entertainment. The Edge has been extracting chuckles and guffaws from viewers at BPA for more than 16 years. Intermission will include dessert, drinks and a raffle. Laughs begin at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 5. Tickets: $25 per person. (Includes dessert, champagne or wine and one free raffle ticket.)
