Passion: It's a word we talk a lot about, mainly because it's a word that runs deep here in the South Sound and deserves to be celebrated. Believe it or not, our community is full of passionate people that just happen to be geniuses. The ones that reap the benefits of their entrepreneurships are you and I.

Jim Perry is one of these people that had a genius idea and the passion to make it happen. Having a background in marketing, Jim already knew how to make a business successful, having a passion for wrestling, he knew how to combine the two, and Defy was born. Defy is an independent wrestling organization born by the faith of Jim. It's hard to explain Defy in so few words, but we asked Matt Farmer (Jim's business partner and fighter) how he would do so. "It's more of a punk rock version of WWE."

The first thing I noticed about Defy is the amount of respect these athletes have for the sport and each other. Looking at some of Defy's videos of past fights, there is no denying that these athletes are here because they love what they do and what they do can only be described as art. "A good fighter can make you cry, laugh and yell all in the course of one fight." Matt Farmer has been in the ring for 20 or so years now and joined Jim on his journey with Defy when the organization was born in January.

Defy has spent most of it's time in Seattle. However, they are making a Tacoma debut June 29 at the Temple Theater. This is going to be a really special night for everyone involved, including Cody Rhodes. If you follow wrestling, you know that Cody is coming back to Tacoma with eight championships in the WWE alone. What a lot of people don't know is that Cody's first fight was at Temple Theater in Tacoma. After a long, successful career of fighting, it's cool that Defy is giving him the chance to come back to the place where it all started. Tickets can be found online at https://www.defywrestling.com, or the Temple Theater Box Office.

Defy Gigantic, 8 p.m., June 29, Temple Theater Grand Ballroom, 47 Saint Helens Ave., Tacoma, $35, defywrestling.com

So now that you have your calendar marked for next Thursday, there is something you need to check out for this weekend. Saint Martin's University is hosting their 27th Annual Dixieland Jazz Festival. Not only is this festival turning 27, Jazz music in America turns 100 this year, and the city of Lacey is turning 50, making this year the year of birthdays. Dixieland is a four-day jazz party running Thursday through Sunday.

Friday, Tom Rigney, Flambeau, and Grand Dominion are being featured at the Farmers Market in Olympia 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The great thing about the Olympia Farmers Market is there is always good music, and there is never a cover charge. It's a great place to kill an afternoon and see a small piece of what Olympia has to offer. Saturday, the party continues starting at 9:30 a.m. and going till 11 p.m. All day there will be music, dancing (including classes), food, and so much more. What would Sunday morning be without a little gospel music? Starting at 9:30 a.m., there will be a gospel showcase at the Pavillion, provided by Black Swan of Portland, Oregon, and Marilyn Keller.

Walt Bowen is a musician himself and has been helping to run the festival for the past 20 years. We asked Walt what he was most excited for this event in 2017, and what was special about this year as opposed to previous years. "More people, coming together, having fun." People travel from all over the world to this event, and it's getting bigger with each year.   

You don't have to be a jazz fanatic to come to this festival and have a good time. Even if you absolutely hate jazz, there are still things that you can do to enjoy yourself. If you do hate jazz, look at this event as a history showcase. The jazz musicians that you will run into at this event are 100 years in the making. They are people that have appreciated how far jazz has come, and are taking this form of music to the next level with their performances. Jazz music doesn't have singers all the time, however, it really doesn't need it. When you're listening to jazz, hear it with the mindset that every note you're hearing is a piece of history that is being relived through instruments.    

Classic Jazz Festival, June 22-25, Saint Martin's University, 5300 Pacific Ave. SE, Lacey, $15, olyjazz.com