Outdoors
Boat lovers of all ages will be thrilled with the 42nd Annual Olympia Harbor Days taking place over Labor Day weekend, Sept. 4-6. This free, three-day festival aims to celebrate the history of tugboats in the South Sound. Guests of the festival can come down to Olympia's Percival Landing Park
Outdoors
I've lived in Washington for seven short years now, but yes, I have made the pilgrimage to Puyallup to attend the state fair. It's a rite of local citizenship. My wife, an immigrant from that far-off land called Wichita, impressed upon me an obligation to sample Fisher scones with raspberry
Outdoors
The yellow lines on his map that marked the routes Gino Moroni has ridden his motorcycle across the state, told the story. Perched on his bike, he's been there, seen that. "I've done all this yellow stuff," Moroni said with a grin, pointing to his map highlighted with yellow lines. There's a lot
Reviews
Established just after the end of prohibition in 1934, The Beach at Titlow in Tacoma has flourished for over 80 years in part because of the Narrows Bridge view, but also because of the home-style food it serves up daily. Like many of the taverns across town, The Beach serves
Travel
The towering natural sandbox that is the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area is the only place in the world where you can marvel at dunes that thrust as high as 500 feet into the sky, an ocean at their feet, festooned with coastal forests and tree islands. But they're not
Attractions
The Northwest is a wild kind of place, at least outside of the cities. Mere miles outside of Seattle, Portland, Tacoma and other major Northwest cities, you'll find forests and bodies of water and the Northwest as it was before humans took over. You'll also find plenty of places to
Music
It's no secret that music can play a vital role in improving a child's education. Research has shown that learning to play a musical instrument improves academic performance, teaches discipline, and develops physical skills such as rhythm and coordination. Studies have also shown that children who study music demonstrate increased
Arts
It's been a long time since I've seen art by Marty Fehl, and his new show, Psycho-Moto-Psycho, at Brick & Mortar Gallery is quite a departure from the paintings I saw years ago - a good and exciting departure. Fehl's new work consists of paintings and installations based on motorcycles and
Stage
Harper Lee's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel To Kill a Mockingbird is universally acclaimed as one of the best American novels of the 20th century, and the Oscar-winning film version of her book, released in 1962, was one of America's best and most popular films. Atticus Finch, as portrayed by Gregory Peck,
Music
I've spoken before about the archetype in music known as the manic preacher. These are the wild people who command an audience with an avalanche of words and wide-eyed ideas. Captain Beefheart, Frank Zappa, Jim Carroll, Isaac Brock, Patrick Stickles - these are people linked not quite by ideology or
South Sound Cinema
I was always a fan of movies. My dad, as I reminded him just recently, showed me The Rocky Horror Picture Show when I was just 12 (his response: "Shut up."), and while that isn't cinema at its finest, it did open my eyes to a whole world of the
Features
Sometimes we all need a break from the routine. Lunch or dinner at a nearby restaurant can be just what's required for a fresh perspective. Listed here are the top 10 Yelp reviewed restaurants located less than five miles from the Joint Base Lewis-McChord main gate. Whether you're craving a
Travel
Local high school graduate Cody Anderson decided that the best place for a senior trip was Vietnam. He had been there twice before, and both his grandfathers fought in the Vietnam War. Several other seniors on the trip had military connections. Jake March had a grandfather and uncle who served
Arts
The line between art and craft is blurred, beautifully blurred, by Chris Maynard's feather designs, a dozen of which can now be seen at Childhood's End Gallery. To my way of thinking, they are craft - beautiful, sensitive, delicate and exquisitely crafted. Maynard collects bird feathers from aviaries, cuts them into
Stage
This summer's Shakespeare in the Park by Animal Fire Theatre tackles one of the bard's lesser known plays, King John. It is a difficult play to follow, primarily perhaps, because it is little known. Since plays such as Romeo and Juliet and Hamlet are so celebrated, it is much easier to
Music
The practice of writing about music can get needlessly cerebral (at least when I'm doing it), so the aspect of the visceral gut-punch that music can provide tends to get lost in the mix. At its purest, music has a primal quality that is hard to find elsewhere. It's so
Reviews
Located on the corner of North 6th and K streets, Hanks Bar and Grill (formerly The Corner Bar) serves up some of the best pizza, beers and appetizers in Tacoma. What once was simply a neighborhood dive bar for the North Slope residents, is quickly becoming one of the best
Travel
For some of our readers, international travel may seem cost-prohibitive. A car trip to Vancouver, British Columbia, however, is well within most budgets, assuming you know a few economizing tips. Tip #1If you drive your own car, Vancouver's just shy of three hours north of Lakewood. You'll need a passport
South Sound Cinema
Have you ever been said to have eyes like a doll's eye? Then you might be a Jaws. Has the star of All That Jazz ever told you to smile, you son of a bitch? You might be a Jaws. Has a crusty old shark hunter raked his fingernails across
Outdoors
This weekend, the Hands On Children's Museum (HOCM) will once again hold the largest free festival in the South Sound. Along the Olympia waterfront, preparations are being completed for the 15th annual Sand in the City festival. Last year, more than 30,000 families enjoyed a weekend of art, hands-on learning