WE GOT SUNBURNED >>>

Yesterday one of the busiest streets in Tacoma was Sixth Avenue - between Pine and Trafton - where from early afternoon to about 5:30 p.m., food vendors, artists, bands and herds of neighborhood people held court at the 12^th annual Art on the Ave festival.

Though body paint and roving packs of teenagers often lead to a damn good time, the Weekly Volcano has a strict "no drum circle" policy - so we stayed clear of the Family/Kids Stage. Not surprisingly, our day was spent soaking up the sunshine in the beer gardens at SAX, O'Malley's Irish Pub and Jazzbones - listing to the bands on the neighboring stages and taking in more distortion and delay than any effects-pedal has to offer. Unfortunately, we just missed Vicci Martinez at the Jazzbones' stage, but Ryan Purcell and the Last Round at O'Malley's and Champagne Sunday at Jazzbones were both  worthy. A high point had to be when the guitarist for Common Ground climbed off the SAX stage while continuing to perform, wandered across the street to his family on the grass, and totally rocked them.

Also, for whatever reason, kids had it in for Mitch Robinson, marketing and business operations mamanger at Click! Cable TV. One after another, kids stepped up to the dunk tank throwing line and hit the bullseye, dropping Robinson repeatedly. Maybe it's time for a Click! marketing survey aimed at Tacoma's youngsters.

The rest of our day was spent doing a number of things at Art on the Ave, including watching Tacoma's Most Sexy server Chelsea O'Sullivan paint a mural, rocking to a random guitarist next to the new Caffe Dei, creeping out the beautiful Kaimiola Polynesian dancers, throwing our hips out working the free hula hoops, and paying the price for not applying sunscreen.

LINK: More Art on the Ave photos in our Photo Hot Spot