TUESDAY, DEC. 6, 2011 >>>

1. The theme of Robert Zemeckis's The Polar Express, like that of this year's NBA season, is "Believe," though you might not believe the groundbreaking animation that hits you like childhood wonderment on Xmas morning. Zemeckis engaged a team of 500 special effect specialists to blend live-action renderings and snowy, CGI backdrops that look like something out of the Pixar factory. Based on Chris Van Allsburg's best-selling book, what unfolds is an adventure that follows a doubting young boy, who takes an extraordinary train ride to the North Pole; during this ride, he embarks on a journey of self-discovery that shows him that the wonder of life never fades for those who believe. Today as part of its Tuesday Film Series, The Grand Cinema will screen the awesome film at 2:05 and 6:30 p.m.

2. A group of Tacoma City Council members, ecologists, the public, business leaders, asphalt pourers, UW Tacoma officials, parking stall line painters, bloggers and other folks who have made parking their life blood will gather at 2:30 p.m. inside the William Philip Hall on the UW Tacoma campus to talk about parking issues in downtown Tacoma. At this drop-in public session participants will work with large interactive maps to identify parking challenges and opportunities in the areas around the UWT campus and in the Dome District. Several participants will return to parking tickets on their vehicles.

3. Adventure. For some, it is an irrepressible welling in the chest that will never go away no matter how many lakes canoed, rock faces climbed, horizons paddled after, peaks scaled, or miles of trail hiked. For others, adventure is something to marvel at - a celebration of man's achievements. Most folks tend to admire the adventurers of the world, whether they are adventurers of the mind, the spirit or of the physical world. The touring Banff Mountain Film Festival lands in Tacoma at the Rialto Theater at 7 p.m. Climbing, biking, skiing, snowboarding - it's all up on the big screen, looming high and making you feel bad for sitting on your duff almost all year long.

4. Between 8 and 9 p.m. the community will Skansie Brothers Park in Gig Harbor and sing to the more fortunate. That's right holiday lovers, the Argosy Christmas Ship - full of folks jingling their jewelry and tossing back fancy cocktails - will drift by the park while you shiver in the cold, singing carols with the St. Martins University Chorale to the partiers. It's a beautiful thing.\

5, Hey kids! Do you like the rock and roll? Mikal Cronin, The Bermudas and Si Si Si will rock The New Frontier Lounge beginning at 9 p.m. Rev. Adam McKinney has the details here.

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

LINK: This week's freebies