Simmering in this weekend I-24 closure fun poses something of a challenge, and an opportunity, for East Nashvillians. Yes, it takes a little juggling for folks who live outside our neighborhood to roll in during these closures, and that’s meant some struggles for our local businesses. Yes, that probably means it makes good sense for those of us who are already here to just stick close to home, (figuratively) flinging our weekend entertainment money at our neighbors.

Good news for this weekend: There’s a veritable glut of stuff happening on the Eastside. We’ve collected a few highlights here (including an early, weekend fest-related one tonight), and we hope you’ll continue to show your support to the East Nashville businesses that make our home interesting and delicious and charmingly weird.

Show of hands: Who’s loving this run of weekend I-24 closures? Nobody? Mmm, good times.

While infrastructure improvements are, of course, necessary things, the 13-weekend stretch of detouring into and out of East Nashville has already caused its share of resident and business headaches (local biz folks are reporting noteworthy dips in weekend cashflow). In response, the organizers of fEASTival — the Eastside “Celebration of Independent Culture” scheduled for May 19 in East Park — have decided to push back the event.

In the middle of a quick breather from another bout of running around the country, so thought we’d check in. Lots going on around here of late, so we’ll get right to the latest bit of Stuff We Heard:

• East Nashville Farmers Market season begins

  Ah, spring, when young folks’ thoughts turn toward… farm-fresh vegetables. It’s that time again, friends: The East Nashville Farmers Market season will begin with an opening shindig on Wednesday, May 9, from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m.

  Along with the standard spread of fresh vegetables, meats and other edibles available from 40-plus vendors, the market will also be offering live music, a petting zoo and a cooking demonstration from Nashville Farmers’ Market chef Laura Wilson (who just took a repeat win at the Nashville Scene‘s Iron Fork competition, so, clearly a person who knows a thing or two about the foodstuffs).

Lots of food, lots of celebration, lots of celebration with food. And Music.

On to the latest Stuff We Heard:

• Nikki Lane hits the road with Spiritualized

  East Nashville-based singer-songwriter and High Class Hillbilly vintage maven Nikki Lane just scored a big, big tour opening for the mighty Spiritualized from coast to coast in May.

  On that jaunt, she’ll be taking the stage at some of our fine country’s finest large clubs and theaters, including D.C.’s 9:30 and San Francisco’s Fillmore. Closest to us? Atlanta, at the Variety Playhouse on May 13.

  Ahead of that run, Lane does make a hometown showing at Exit/In on April 28, alongside The Apache Relay and Colorfeels. That show kicks off at 9 p.m., and she’s second. Tix: $10.

Some Stuff to talk about… We’ll jump right into it:

• I-24 closure ins and outs

  Biggest East Nashville news going right now: Obviously, the weekend I-24 closures that’ll be… let’s say “complicating” travel in and out of our area for 13 weekends over the coming months.

  The basics: First closure begins tonight, April 20, at 9 p.m., and runs until Monday at 5 a.m. The closed roadway hunks, via TDOT:

Hello again, friends. A quick burst of Stuff We Heard, much of it music-related, some of it other stuff-related.

On to it:

• The Groove gets into Record Store Day

  The music lovers among us will be well familiar with Record Store Day, the annual celebration of all things independent record store-like. The 2012 celebration comes Saturday, April 21, and East Nashville’s The Groove will, of course, get in on the celebrating.

  The shop’s RSD fete kicks off at 10 a.m. and runs until 8 p.m., with a mix of limited edition record-slinging, live music, DJ sets, food, visual art — it’s a veritable teeny tiny Bonnaroo, without the stench of cow turd.