If Brown students want to finally follow up on their plans to go downtown, tonight would be the time.

Providence’s annual civic art festival WaterFire (not to be confused with firewater, Brown’s other weekend tradition) is having its last full installment tonight.

Students looking for a night on the town or a chance for spiritual reflection (or the opportunity to reenact their favorite childhood cartoons) should make their way downtown. As part of the Providence tradition, the downtown rivers will be set ablaze by hundreds of bonfires burning just above the water.

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The project was meant to go up this weekend, but it’s been postponed “indefinitely” according to the ProJo, which assures us it’s still going to happen. We’re proud but a little confused about why such a famous tourist destination would look to Providence for its public art needs. Were they seduced by WaterFire’s new-agey soundtrack? Or are they just looking for an excuse to make gondola rides even more expensive?

Kim Perley / Herald

Waterfire is celebrating the NCAA tournament in Providence tonight along with Dunkin’ Donuts. The special edition of Barnaby Evans’ ’75 combustible art installation starts at 7:30 p.m. downtown and runs until 11.

UPDATE: Evans appeared on the Rhode Show today to talk about tonight’s event:

WaterFire — the living, burning, seasonal art installation created by Barnaby Evans ’75 — is looking for volunteers for the 2010 season.

Volunteers, as many of 150 of which are needed for each night, wear all black “so they can disappear into the night like magicians,” according to a WaterFire press release.

The release encourages people of all abilities to volunteer, for such exciting tasks as piloting boats, tending the fires, selling merchandise and . . . cleaning up afterward. Hey, somebody’s gotta do it.

Kim Perley / Herald

Here’s the latest installment of your daily dose of Projo news.

A North Kingston man was arrested after interfering with tow truck operators who attempted to remove his car from a half-frozen pond, apparently after becoming concerned that the efforts would damage the vehicle that he valued enough to drive into the pond “after watching another motorist do the same thing.”

Sir Salman Rushdie, author of such acclaimed novels as “The Satanic Verses,” is slated to speak at Brown on February 16th.  Also known for a tricky run-in with a fatwa and a habit of being linked to attractive ladies, Rushdie’s appearance is sure not to disappoint.

A special WaterFire showing is set to happen tonight for a lucky group of travel industry insiders. Nice try, WaterFire organizers, but your stealthy lack of publicity and attempt to turn our favorite Providence spectacle into an exclusive affair won’t work this time.  See you at 8:15.

—Claire Peracchio