SATURDAY, MAY 21, 2011 >>>
1. Brownie Morrison novelty store focuses on the wackiest and weirdest of pop-culture merchandising, and that's a whole lot more fun than a drinking mug shaped like a breast. A recent visit turned up Really Positive Energy Breathspray, "Sometimes I love you so much I want to cry and rub margarine all over my gums" greeting cards, and Ken dolls having fun in cars. Even if you don't buy a thing, just walking around the store is a blast. From noon to 5 p.m. Brownie Morrison celebrates its new location at 2913 S. 38th St. with a grand opening party featuring a Flying Monkey giveaway every 20 minutes.
2. As the major military installation in the Tacoma/Lakewood area, Joint Base Lewis-McChord will celebrate Armed Forces Day from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Cowan and Memorial Stadiums on Lewis Main. Highlighting the celebration will be military displays, historical re-enactors, carnival rides and the emotionally moving Massing of the Color Ceremony. The public is cordially invited; admission is free. To enter JBLM, visitors must use Interstate 5, Exit 119. Parking and shuttle services will be available.
3. There is no formula for creating an iconic image of an age or event. Certain images simply touch a nerve. Such is the case with Norman Rockwell's painting of 6-year-old Ruby Bridges being escorted by U.S. marshals into William Frantz Public School in New Orleans in 1960. It was not the first school to be desegregated, nor the most famous (that honor belongs to Central High School in Little Rock, Ark., in 1957), but Rockwell's painting stands as a major icon of the civil rights movement. And the little girl, now almost 60 years old, remains a civil rights activist. At 2 p.m., Bridges will be at Philip Hall on the University of Washington-Tacoma campus ($5-$15) to share her story about those tumultuous times. To read up on Bridges and the Norman Rockwell show at the Tacoma Art Museum, click here.
4. Some otherwise normal folks harbor a deep knot of fear in their souls: They're petrified of yoga. If this is you, we suggest you head over to the University Place Library at 3 p.m. and listen to author Claire Dederer discuss her new book Poser: My Life in Twenty-Three Yoga Poses.
5. The Comedy Underground presents funny guy Gabriel Rutledge at 8:30 and 10:30 p.m. in the basement of the Big Whisky Saloon.
PLUS: The Whiz: Cascadia and Dockyard Derby Dames bout go down today. More details on these two events in our Weekend Hustle.
LINK: More arts and events in the South Sound
LINK: Wine tastings!