[caption id="attachment_38102" align="alignright" width="223"] blackfridayprotests.org map of area Wal-Mart protests.[/caption]

There are many sales, specials, and strikes scheduled for this weekend, as the holiday shopping season gets under way. In Hudson, there is an admission fee to shop among the many vendors at the Farm & Flea market at Basilica Hudson 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sat., Nov. 29 and Sun., Nov. 30 near the Amtrak station. On Warren Street on Saturday, authors Amanda Palmer and Neil Gaiman will be at the Spotty Dog Books & Ale from 3:45-5:15 p.m. selling and signing books. On Nov. 29 in Cairo at the Red Roosters Roadhouse the 3rd Annual Small Business Saturday Holiday Happenings event is from 3-7 p.m. with 25 local small business raising money for Community Action of Greene County. Red Roosters is at 845 Main St. in Cairo. The Village of Valatie and the Valatie Economic Redevelopment Association also are sponsoring a day-long event there with a 10:30 a.m. reading of the Mayor's proclamation about local small businesses. Also, some Wal-Mart workers around the country are striking on Black Friday for higher wages, and there are support protests scheduled at several Hudson Valley Wal-Marts, including Kingston and Glenmont.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="502"] Neil Gaiman and Amanda Palmer.[/caption]