WE BROUGHT OUR CAMERAS >>>

Around 2 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 6, Tacoma artist James Grayson Sinding dumped hundreds of hand-painted wooden words, refrigerator-magnet-style, onto the plaza in an installation he calls Words. This public art installation opening was in conjunction with the Tacoma Art Museum's "Free Summer Community Festival: Best of the Northwest" in which colorful chalk was also dropped on the Plaza. See Words here.

The 15th annual Proctor Arts Fest featured sidewalk sales, an art show, more than 100 arts vendors, live music and family fun galore on a partly sunny Aug. 6 day in Tacoma's Proctor District. Artwork and events were featured up and down North Proctor and 26th Street. Photographer Steve Dunkelberger and Pappi Swarner and his crappy camera documented the event here.

While the pre-69 traditional hotrod and custom car show yesterday around The New Frontier Lounge was bitchin' cool it was the Rebel Riot Pinup Contest that drew many of the eyes. Hosted by The Pinup Angles and Miss Kitty Baby, ladies in swimsuits strutted around the warm summer day in vintage or vintage-inspired suits representing 1940s-1960s. Photographer Steve Dunkelberger was on the scene.

LINK: Upload your photos to our Flickr group

WHAT WE HAVE FOUND TODAY >>>

Lemme Tell You Somethin': Pierce County Fire Marshal has thrown down a countywide burn ban prompted by long-range forecasts calling for continued dry weather. You can't light up until Friday, Sept. 30.

Did You Hear The Bell?: Washington State Education Secretary Arne Duncan will announce a new waiver system today to give schools a break from testing mandates in the federal No Child Left Behind law. (News Tribune)

Slip Sliding Away: Stocks (CNN)

Poor Standard: Credit rating agencies sure are helpful as U.S. is downgraded for the first time in history. (New York Times)

Momentum: Weekend riots in London continue to wreak havoc. (Guardian)

Exciting: Animal Planet's Hillybilly Handfishin' teaches us how to noodle. (Discovery Channel)

Science: You are not really happy. (Cracked)

NEXT NOSH LEAGUE >>>

Moonshine ingredient lesson accompanied by mixed drink samples. CHECK. A table full of amuse-bouche of paired tastes such as fried pork shank in lemongrass ponzu and poached pear over Marsala zabaione. CHECK. Dirty Oscar's Chef Aaron Grissom making art happen before your eyes. CHECK! You and all your knowledge, wisdom and overall coolness. Betta be CHEE-AK.

LINK: RSVP to Thursday's Nosh League event

SWIPED FROM OUR SUPER BEST OF TACOMA ISSUE >>>

Dedicated to Rick Price, a firefighter based in the Key Peninsula town of Home, Rick's Dip honors the friend and supporter of the Rosewood Café.  Few sandwiches can compare. Roast Beef is the foundation. Sautéed onions are done to perfect, soft, caramelized sweetness. Horseradish mayo: a subtle complement that would be noticed more if it were not there. Havarti: Yum! Rustic roll: great balance between chewy and soft. Rosemary au jus: Dip away. The Rick's Dip epitomizes the savory balancing act done by geniuses. 

[Rosewood Café, 3323 N. 26th St. Tacoma.  253.752.7999]

LINK: Super Best of Tacoma issue

MEET RYAN LOISELLE >>>

No better time to gaze at a skunk then after the Dow dropped 600 points. Apparently Amocat Café in Tacoma has local artist Ryan Loiselle's Tacoma skunk decals in stock – in a wide range of colors – for $6 a pop.

Who is Ryan Loiselle?

Daniel Blue profiled him in July 2008 as part of the Tacoma Files series that ran on this blog:

Ryan Loiselle moved to Tacoma in 1989 and quickly dug in his heels like a stubborn mountain goat. The kind of mountain goat that has a face shaped like a pentagram - yes that kind. I don't know if Ryan ever played Dungeons and Dragons, but if he did his character would be a black wizard.

An artist and a scholar, Ryan works for the Tacoma Public School District and creates strange and wonderful artwork in many mediums, such as paint, graphics, music, beer and film.

Ryan is friendly and honest. He loves the humanity of humanity, and the fragility of sanity.

Recently he was at the Urban Art Festival riding around on the tallest bicycle I have seen since Bellingham. I mean tall here, like if you fell you would die.

Thanks for all the danger, Ryan, in the words of Batman's for the Joker, "This town needs an enema."  I wish you were my sixth-grade teacher, but I was home schooled so that's kind of like saying I wish you were my mom.

TAP INTO THIS >>>

It's the second Monday of the month, which means it's Tap Night Tacoma. Five locally owned and operated joints - The Red Hot, The Parkway Tavern, Doyle's Public House, The Swiss, and Engine House No. 9 - will simultaneously tap a fresh cask of ale at 6 p.m.

Count off!

The Red Hot will tap Hopworks Urban Brewery Rise Up Red.

The Parkway will unleash some Double Mountain Vaporizer on cask.

Doyle's will have Wychwood's Hobgoblin out of the cask engine.

The Swiss will feature the Diamond Knoll Knot Brewery Company.

Engine House No. 9 will tap a double dry-hop IPA on cask.

ONLINE CHATTER >>>

Today's comment of the day comes from Glenn Melton, in response to Friday's Tacoma Week in Review post that included a segment about congressmen Norm Dicks and Adam Smith splitting on the debt bill.  

Melton writes,

Norm,
You did the right thing except there should have been revenue increases to make up for the losses to the social safety nets. As far as our drug laws go, we are wasting money fighting what the people very much seem to want. Let's legalize it and tax it!

TUESDAY, AUG. 9, 2011 >>>

1. The celery plant has a long history of being all things to all people. It has been used to embalm King Tut, decorate Greek athletes, flavor Italian meatballs, a conduit for spray cheese and, most of all, stirring sticks for Bloody Marys. Come see the 6th Avenue Farmers Market take of the plant during its "Celerybration" theme day from 3-7 p.m. Country Jim will perform.

2. Traditionally, a cupcake is a small cake baked in a cup-shaped mold. In today's cupcake culture, the trademark features are quite distinctive. Consisting of moist cake, delectable icing, and some sort of eye-catching embellishment, these desserts are designed to captivate all ages. The two-month-old Burning Cupcakes on Tacoma's Sixth Avenue hosts a free kids day beginning at 11 a.m. Under the title Hungry Caterpillar, kids may do a craft, listen to a book read and decorate a cupcake.

3. We have news: Goldfish Tavern on Pearl Street offers $1 PBR every Tuesday. That's right, every Tuesday citizens wake out of their mid-week funk to the alluring call of $1 oat sodas. Then - and only then - the Goldfish ceases to exist as an average, middle-of-the-week pub and becomes a bustling hub of beer drinkers and party seekers. We can hear the cries from here: Rejoice all around, beer is only $1. Screw the Tuesday blues. Rejoice, Rejoice!

4. The Tacoma Food Co-op has signed a lease and agreement to take possession of the Neighborhood Market at Sixth and Junett Aug. 19 with doors opening Aug. 26. There is still much to do. Discover how awesome local, sustainable and fresh can be at the Co-op's coffee talk from 6-8 p.m. at the Greener Bean in Fircrest.

5. Acoustic folk and country female singer Ali Marcus will perform from 6:30-8 p.m. at Skansie Brothers Park on Gig Harbor's waterfront. Bring your lawn chair and picnic or give Brix 25 for delicious grub delivered to your seat.

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

LINK: Live music and DJs tonight!

WHAT WE HAVE FOUND TODAY >>>

Tonight: Tacoma City Council set to vote on the proposal to 1) ban blightful digital billboards from the City of Tacoma, 2) require the removal of non-conforming static billboards by March 1, 2011 (Tacoma Urbanist)

High-ho, The Derry-o: Lakewood takes a stand on pot farms. (News Tribune)

Now What?: Time to buy gold and run for the hills. (Reuters)

Riots: This is really fucking up their Olympics image (New York Times)

Wow: Frances Bean Cobain is all grown up. (Stereogum)

Can't wait: On the set of Mad Men. (Inside TV)

THURSDAY A DJ COULD SAVE YOUR LIFE >>>

DJ Aaron Mack grew up on the East Coast. He left Pittsburgh for Tacoma feeling right at home as Grit City has the same look and feel as the second-largest city in the U.S. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Around 2007, gazing at his stacks and files of music, he jumped into the game spinning at Puget Sound Pizza. Today, he has a regular Thursday night gig at the Acme Tavern.

WEEKLY VOLCANO: Does your "Til Thursday" shows have a theme?

DJ AARON MACK: Yes, I lean heavily toward the post-punk music of the '80s. However, I do mix it up a bit with anything and everything that seems to come from that influence.

VOLCANO: We see you have invited DJ Melodica to join you Thursday.

MACK: Melodica plays music primarily from an era I really love, and as he puts it, he is also "all over the map" and he really makes it work. I am hoping to sit down with him and trade some music over a few beers in the near future.

VOLCANO: What does the Acme have up its gritty sleeve for the night?

MACK: I am not certain what drink specials Steve (owner and bartender of the Acme) is planning Thursday night. He always does something fun. I do know the Acme has some of the best wells on this end of town — ringing in at $3.50.

VOLCANO: Rumor is there's a secret password.

MACK: The secret word is for our Facebook friends. We have been having a little fun with it. One week everyone coming in would walk up to Steve and just say, "stripper pole" to get Acme's specials, which also set the mood for the night. Well ... I guess I can give you this week's word. Whisper to Steve, "I see dead people" and you're hooked up.

VOLCANO: We won't tell anyone. By the way, does the stripper pole see action?

MACK: Every week a few people try out the dancing pole. There is often a group of girls hovering around it and you just know they are working up the nerve. Of course, it's just a matter of a few rounds before they are on it. I am yet to see anyone on it that seems to be a professional.

Til Thursday

With DJs Aaron Mack and MelodicaThursday, Aug. 11, 9 p.m., no cover
Acme Tavern, 1310 Tacoma Ave. S., Tacoma
253.272.1892