1. Learn how to make a lei. The Asia Pacific Cultural Center, 4851 South Tacoma Way, Tacoma, hosts a hands-on workshop from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. tonight. The workshop will introduce you to making a simple crochet lei with eyelash yarn. Cost is $20 and includes all the materials to make a lei. Call (253) 383-3900 for more information or to register.
2. Watch Drum Taps: Nine Poems on Themes of War at Pacific Lutheran University's Lagerquist Concert Hall tonight at 8 p.m. The show, by composer Gregory Youtz, is a 55-minute oratorio for four vocal soloists, mixed choir and orchestra. Four poems by Walt Whitman written during the United States' Civil War (1861-65) from his series Drum Taps, written during the Civil War, provide an evolving view of war from an American perspective: from excited anticipation of a quick and heroic experience, to a somber reflection on the human cost of war. Interspersed amongst these are five poems by writers from other lands and other times - perhaps not coincidentally places where the U.S. has been involved in wars: Vietnam, China, the Middle East and Europe. Tickets are $8 for general admission, and the event is free for those 18 and younger. Call (253) 535-7150 for more information.
3. Learn how to make salad a dish for dinner from 6 to 8:30 p.m. in Olympia. Instructor Leanne Willard prepares four main dish salads that you'll want to serve more than once during the summer months. Her selections include gruyere fondue salad, great on its own or with grilled meats; Thai shredded chicken and strawberry salad with rice noodles; salmon sesame salad with won ton and lemongrass-chile dressing; and Mediterranean barley with chickpeas, pistachios, feta and arugula. The class is held in the Bayview School of Cooking (BSC) demo kitchen on the second floor of Bayview Thriftway, 516 4th Ave W in downtown Olympia. For more information on this event or other classes call (360) 754-1448 or visit www.bayviewschoolofcooking.com.

 4. Listen to pianist Angela Hewitt tonight at 8 p.m. at Meany Hall, 4001 University Way N.E., Seattle. Tickets start at $42. For more information, call (206) 543-4880 or visit uwworldse

Nothing says garage sale season like seven sunny weekends in a row. This Saturday in Olympia, The Patrons of South Sound Cultural Arts (POSSCA), a non-profit supporting kids and culture, presents the Artists' Garage Sale, an art -lovers' extravaganza and fundraising event.

From 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., over 70 participants will have goods for sale. From art supplies to finished pieces, the $1 admission will be well worth it. The event will be at the National Guard Armory at 515 Eastside St, SE, Olympia.

All money earned will support POSSCA's arts awareness mission, including their annual scholarship program, enabling talented high school seniors to pursue higher education in arts, and CAPS program, which provides musical instruments to students who would otherwise be unable to participate in school programs.

"We believe that a thriving arts scene is an excellent barometer for quality of life in our community," says the POSSCA website. "When the arts scene is alive and dynamic, we believe it has a profound and positive impact on education, business and private life."

What an excellent way to spend a sunny Saturday - supporting your local non-profit while sifting through tons of art-related treasures.

For more information, visit www.possca.org.

Filmmaker Denny Tedesco has spent the last several years touring the world with his labor of love, a documentary entitled The Wrecking Crew, and this week it arrives in Tacoma for one day only. The Grand Cinema will host afternoon and evening screenings of the film on Wednesday, May 23, with Tedesco in attendance for both.

Since our town has secured its own little niche in rock history, I think local audiences can appreciate this true story of musicians long overdue for recognition. Back in the 1960s, The Wrecking Crew was an eclectic group of instrumentalists responsible for recording many of the day's hits for artists like The Byrds, Cher and Elvis. Yet credit and fame always went to the pop star, and never to those talented craftsmen and women behind the scenes, the ones really pulling (or plucking) the strings.

Tedesco's dad Tommy played for The WC, and has worked tirelessly on this cinematic tribute since 1996, the year doctors diagnosed the guitarist with cancer. At that point, Tedesco knew he had to do something.

"If I don't do it (make this movie), it's not going to happen," he says. "I'm going to be really killing myself later after (my dad) is gone that I didn't do it."

Good luck finding an excuse not to like this doc. Crew includes interviews with band buddies and celebrities conducted by Tedesco over the years, as well as selections from plenty of toe-tapping tunes - 133 music cues, actually. With approximately seventy-five percent of the music royalties already paid to various record companies, Tedesco still has about $150,000 left to raise. Any amount helps, so stop by The Grand this Wednesday and raise a (metaphorical) lighter to the fun-loving sounds of the Crew.

Watch The Wrecking Crew trailer and donate online at http://www.wreckingcrewfilm.com.

People are in love with the iconic, giant Yard Bird that has roosted in a Chehalis parking lot for nearly 40 years.  It just won Evening Magazine's best roadside attraction for the second year, a testament to the fact that the Yard Bird has long been a symbol of community and culture in the Northwest. Thanks to Yard Bird historian Jason Mattson, the bird has made a regional resurgence. Mattson has hosted a plethora of events to restore the well-weathered bird to its original state and has earned close to all the money needed. All that's left is repair to the tail feathers. Enter big sister cities Olympia and Portland burlesque troupes. That's right, members of Olympia's Own Tush Burlesque and Portland's Rose City Shimmy will be in at the Shire in Centralia Saturday night shaking their tail feathers for the cause.

"I think burlesque and the bird fit great together because they're both fun and are two blasts from the past that deserve to make a comeback," says Mattson.

"This area is alive with music, arts, and the unusual. I hope the Yard Bird can be a way to rally people with creative interests together now and in the future," he says.

The show is 21+, starts at 9 p.m. and is $10. Visit www.savetheyardbird.com

As I approached my vehicle after lunching with Alicia Lawver a few weeks ago, I couldn't help but take notice of four sexy glass blowers from Tacoma Glass Blowing Studio as they dined out in the sun.

They all though I was crazy for asking to take their picture, but obviously used to the attention.  After all, being sexy glass blowers must take a toll on your body from posing for constant photographs.  Not to mention the extremely high temperatures they must endure, spinning wads of melted glass...in that very, very hot room...so sexy...

Weekly Volcano World Headquarters poo-pooed my suggestion to add a "Most Sexy Glass Blower" to the voting poll this year, but that's not going to stop me from presenting my own personal sexy award.

Feel free to check out these sexy artists as their work is highlighted throughout the summer at Tacoma Glass Blowing Studio and during Tacoma's Third Thursday Art Walk.

Billy Carson- June

Jake Merrritt - July

Brian Farmer - August

Chris Downing - September

If you dare to turn your own artistic ways towards sexy glass blowing, experience it yourself by creating glass art with the help of one of those sexy glass blowing guys.  No experience necessary, appointments needed, sexiness optional.

When undertaking a sprawling 15-hour film (yes, FIFTEEN) about the history of global cinema, one can start just about anywhere. Mark Cousins, who wrote and narrates The Story of Film: An Odyssey, begins near the end, 103 years after the invention of motion pictures. For his documentary's first images he selects a segment from the long D-Day sequence in 1998's Saving Private Ryan. With a soft-spoken voice and accent that I can't quite place (Irish, perhaps?), Cousins lets us in on a secret: Spielberg filmed this scene not in Normandy, but in reality on a quiet beach in Ireland. "A lie to tell the truth" - this is the paradox of cinema, and its very essence.

Odyssey's creator also sees lies in the traditional telling of film history, a version he calls "racist by omission." So besides focusing only on American pioneers like Edison, Griffith, Chaplin, Keaton and the rise of Hollywood, he drops other names too, names you may not recognize - Ozu, Dreyer, Eisenstein - and their groundbreaking yet largely unsung contributions to this international art form.

The Seattle International Film Festival wisely decided to break Odyssey up into more manageable chunks, with 5 three-hour screenings spread out over two weeks. The first part last Tuesday evening whisked viewers along from cinema's thrilling baby steps in a new century to its creative maturation only two decades later, right up to 1928.

The calamity that befell film that year is the subject of part two (playing at 7 P.M. this Thursday, May 24 at SIFF Film Center), and the reason we can now more viscerally feel bullets pinging off helmets in Private Ryan: the invention of sound. Care to travel this cinematic odyssey with me? Yes, five round trips to Seattle for this mammoth production has hints of insanity. But when it ends, you'll feel like you just ran a marathon (and a century) without leaving your theater seat.

The details are here: www.siff.net/index.aspx

Karaoke watchers are now on alert that Linsey Brooke is doing her thing at Cheers West in University Place Mondays and Tuesdays and at O'Malley's in Tacoma on Wednesday. The news prompted a quick swing by the University Place Tuesday for an update on the world of closet rock stars in the making. The feature that is sorta cool is that the song books are gone. They have been replaced by cell phone apps that people can use to select their songs from the clouds and get into the rotation without leaving their bar stools. Thanks Steve Jobs. An iPad is also available for self-proclaimed songsters to use if they still use their cells for calls and stuff. But the night brought more than whisky inspired-ballads of love and lose for the light 20s to 40s crowd of suburbanites. A gaggle of slackers racked some balls like the table owed them money. Drink specials were beer buckets for $8 to $10 and $2 tacos. Bottled beer, gut bomb tacos and drunk singing. A good night was had by all.
SEE THE PICTURES HERE

Join Mountain View Funeral Home for a tribute to veterans service, 2 pm on Saturday.  The Celebration of Life Center, featuring keynote speaker/master of ceremonies, Tommy Carson is followed with a patriotic music/concert by Darren Motamedy, and an ice cream social. 
Mountain View Funeral Home. 4100 Steilacoom Blvd. SW. Lakewood, WA 98499. (253) 584-0252.

The Memorial Day display on Ruston literally stopped us in our tracks.  It's pretty vast, and WAY more visually impressive in person.  Hand written memorials on each.  Some just simple, some with ribbons, words or names written on them.  Don't miss this opportunity to "feel" the meaning of today's day off.

Hola Amigos! We are doing the Sangria today at Azteca near the T-Town Mall. A combination of red wine, brandy, and fruit juices with a hint of sweet and sour and 7-Up, then garnished with lemon, lime, and orange. Ay Caramba!

4801 Tacoma Mall Boulevard Tacoma, WA 98409. (253) 472-0246.
http://www.aztecamex.com/