WEDNESDAY, APRIL 11, 2012 >>>

1. The Magic Lantern Society are not intergalactic peacekeepers led by a six-pack sportin' pretty boy with a lisp, but rather a group of Victorian-era lantern enthusiasts who will converge on Tacoma in June to project imagines on walls through hand-painted glass slides powered by candle or oil lamp powered lanterns. The magic lantern was the entertainment juggernaut of the 19th century, a familiar presence in theaters, schools, churches, even homes. Essentially, the magic lantern was a forerunner to the movie projector. Anyhoo, Lynette Miller, the Washington State Historical Society's head of collections, will cut the ribbon on a new exhibit, The Magic of Lantern Slides, full of these magical lantern slides, projectors and advertising materials at 10 a.m. inside the Washington State History Museum. Still, if you see the yellow energy of fear, do run.

2. The Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium will be offering free admission to anyone who shows up with picture ID or other proof of residency. That's awesome.

3. A penny saved is worth two in the bush. And your burning bridges have been gathering moss lately, anyway. The time has come to rework your literary life (or maybe, to create a literary life). Too long have you lingered in the annals of John Grisham; the Classic Book Club may be just what you need. You will save your pennies (because the book club's novels are long; therefore you will take longer to read them, and therefore, go book shopping less - such logic, eh?) and keep moss from burning, ahem, your brain. And you'll become hopelessly intellectual and never make lame, extended jokes involving metaphors, ever. At 7 p.m. inside King's Books, the Classic Book Club turns the pages of H. Rider Haggard's She.

4. Set on a street corner in Manhattan's Washington Heights - Upper West Side Story, if you will - the Tony-winning 2008 musical In The Heights introduces one-dimensional black and Latino characters, each striving to buy the winning ticket to the American dream, through a series of loosely connected vignettes depicting turning points in the characters' lives. In The Heights hits the Washington Center stage at 7:30 p.m.

5. Play bingo with those not just killing time before the Grim Reaper calls their number. Every Wednesday at 10 p.m. inside The New Frontier Lounge, bingo players are treated to a rather boisterous evening of number-calling by the lovely Brooke. The music rocks, the prizes are craptastic and sessions are free with $2 margaritas and $4 Cuervo Gold shots during bingo.

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

LINK: Live music and DJs in the South Sound

LINK: South Sound happy hours