BRAD ALLEN: DO THE PUYALLUP >>>

Despite my well-deserved reputation as a globetrotter and travel cognoscente, I have yet to attend the running of the bulls in Spain. The closest I’ve come was the time I ordered a Quarter Pounder with cheese (in my defense, it was before reading Fast Food Nation), then ran on the treadmill for an hour because I felt so bloated from wolfing it down.

Thankfully, there are more appropriate ways to celebrate the running of the bulls â€" even in Puyallup. The Puyallup Fair kicks off Friday with its annual Western Rodeo Parade down Meridian Street. A herd of cattle, equestrian drill teams, draft horse hitches, military marching bands, great musical entertainment, royalty, and cowboys on horseback will make their way down Meridian. All this and no pesky goring and maiming. Nice.

[Pioneer Park, 9 a.m., free, Meridian Street, downtown Puyallup]

LINK: ViVA South Sound arts and entertainment calendar
LINK: Live music and DJs tonight