I can’t tell if it’s the truckload of hostile comments I’ve been seeing here on the Flyer or if it’s just the headache I’ve had for the last couple of hours, but something tells me Fayetteville’s in a really bad mood right now.

Maybe it’s the result of paid parking. Maybe it’s that loss to Alabama. Maybe it’s a mixture of both with a little election year seasoning on top?

Here’s an idea. Cheer up.

Yeah, yeah. Easier said than done, I know. Think about it, though. Will ya?

Today

To help get your mind off whatever it is that’s got you so down, how about heading out to the square this evening for First Thursday. It’s the final month for the outdoor artwalk and live music portion of the event before everything is brought back inside. Still on the Hill and 3 Penny Acre are set to play and the weather looks to be perfect.

Once on the square, you’ve got some deciding to do if checking out art is not your thing.

At 6 p.m. you could head to the opening ceremony of the Offshoot Film Fest inside East Square Plaza or you could try to help shape the city of Fayetteville during the 2030 input session at the Bank of Fayetteville.

Or you could venture away from the square for some live music.

Portugal. The Man and Chief are on their way to Austin City Limits, but lucky for us, they’re stopping at George’s tonight. Our friends at The Tale of The Tape have suggested a couple of tracks to check out if you need a primer.

Over at Speakeasy, a new weekly dubstep night is hoping to take root. Ants in My Trance‘s Baby Armie told us his goal for the weekly event will be to meet the demand for dubstep in the region while also using it as a platform to showcase other genres of dubstep-related electronic music.

“Dubstep will be the backbone, but it won’t be 100% dubstep,” he said. “We’ll go through December at the earliest, and if there’s a demand for more, it’s possible we’ll keep it going into 2011.”

Hey look, it’s a list down there. (Let us know if we need to add anything.)

The list

UARK Bowl & Ballroom: Offshoot Film Fest

East Square Plaza: Offshoot Film Fest

Nightbird Books: Leslie Stern – Betrayal Beneath the Spanish Moss

Fayetteville Square: First Thursday

Pesto Cafe: Sarah Hughes

Foghorn’s on College: Russ Hutchinson

JJ’s Grill n Chill: Bailey Ford

Walton Arts Center: Amy Grant

George’s: Portugal. The Man / Chief

Whole Earth Organic Lounge: The Vine Brothers

Public meetings

City Hall, Room 111: Planning Agenda Session and Tour – 4:00 p.m.

City Hall, Room 326: CDBG Public Hearing – 5:30 p.m.

City Hall, Room 111: Partners for Better Housing – 6:00 p.m.

Bank of Fayetteville: City Plan 2030 Input Session – 6:00 p.m.