“I only preach of avarice and the like, and in this way induce them to be free in giving cash — especially to me,” says the Pardoner in Chaucer’s famous tales. Well, save your cash, because the miser is offering a weekend of free readings, talks and “Friday Night Lights.”  On Saturday, Staten Island OutLOUD, a community dialogue and performance project, will present an afternoon of bawdy storytelling, with a staged reading of excerpts from “The Canterbury Tales” in an old tavern reminiscent of the Tabard Inn in London, where Chaucer’s book begins. Mary Feaster, a composer, and her band, the Elektronunz, will provide original music as community members recreate the stories. A discussion will follow. (3 p.m., Killmeyer’s, 4254 Arthur Kill Road, at Sharrotts Road, Charleston, Staten Island; 718-907-0709, statenislandoutloud.org; free.)  The American Folk Art Museum offers a slice of American history through music, as well as its art exhibitions. Hear live music in the atrium and explore the galleries during the museum’s Free Music Fridays. This week it’s alternative Americana from Great Elk, a fusion of soul and reggae from Zap and the Naturals, and a country-rock-pop mix by the songwriter Liz Tormes from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. On Wednesday afternoons take a late lunch at the museum’s Lincoln Square branch (Columbus Avenue at 66th Street) to hear the jazz guitarist Bill Wurtzel play from 2 to 3 p.m.; free. (45 West 53rd Street, Manhattan; 212-595-9533; folkartmuseum.org.) With so many struggling artists in New York, getting the word out about your own work can be difficult. The New York Foundation for the Arts offers some help with “Ambitious Art Projects and How to Make Them Happen: Four Artists’ Stories,” a free panel discussion with Michelle Jaffé, a visual artist; Travis Sullivan, a musician and bandleader; Isabel Sadurni, a filmmaker; and Rachel Somerstein, a writer. This event is part of the foundation’s Boot Camp Arts Festival, running through Nov. 20. (Wednesday, 7 p.m.; 20 Jay Street, at Plymouth Street, Dumbo, Brooklyn; 212-366-6900, nyfa.org.)  Professor Thoms’, an East Village bar, is hosting free screenings of the new season of “Friday Night Lights” at 9 p.m. on Wednesdays. A selection of $4 Lone Star beers and $3 shots of Wild Turkey — free shots any time the Lions score a touchdown, or Riggins does a shot himself — should keep your spirits high, whether or not Julie and Saracen get back together. (In the Loft at Professor Thoms’, 219 Second Avenue, at 13th Street; 212-260-9480, professorthoms.com.)  Items to be considered for the Weekend Miser column can be submitted by e-mailing miser@nytimes.com.  A version of this article appears in print on November 5, 2010, on Page C41 of the New York edition with the headline: Weekend Miser. Order Reprints| Today's Paper|Subscribe
Hear bawdy storytelling in the spirit of Chaucer’s “Canterbury Tales” in a tavern on Staten Island, among other budget pleasures for misers.