THURSDAY, DEC.12 2012 >>>

1. Legend has it that sake, the Japanese wine made from fermented rice, was originally called kuchikami no sake, which means "chewing in the mouth sake." An entire village would gather to chew up nuts, rice and other tasty grains and then spit the result into a tub, where the enzymes in the saliva would ferment the liquid for several days - or so the story goes. Fortunately, today's sake is made with more sanitary procedures. Sake doesn't get any tastier than what's on the shelves at TWOKOI Japanese Restaurant. And our mouths are full of saliva when we think about drinking a different sake a day for 12 days in a row, which we will do at TWOKOI through Christmas Eve. During its "12 Days of Sake," you will receive 30 percent off the bottle.

2. After work and dinner, and while your better half gets the kids to bed, why not get some holiday shopping out of the way at Tacoma's Antique Row? Thursdays, now through Christmas, the 70 merchants that make up Antique Row offer free parking after 6 p.m. and have extended hours until 8 p.m. So pick up the perfect book for your niece, grab an original framed local art piece for your mom, or find that great shabby chic nightstand for yourself.

3. Tacoma's Blue Mouse Theatre kicks the holiday season off in style at 6 p.m. a visit from Sanata followed by the classic, It's a Wonderful Life. Patrons are asked to donate food and/or cash to FISH Food Bank of Pierce County. If the sight of friends bringing money to bankrupt George Bailey doesn't move you to give, you're worse than crusty old Mr. Potter.

4. For years, trumpeter Rich Wetzel and his big band has been popping up in local bars and restaurants, introducing folks to jazz of years gone by, as well as a few current numbers. The one constant is his big blowout holiday shows where he expands his band to 30 musicians and plays music from A Stan Kenton Christmas. This year expect more mellophones at the 7:30 p.m. show at Tacoma Community College. Tickets are $10-$15.

5. Ladies and gents, tonight at The Royal Lounge, before your very eyes, is a lineup of epic proportions.  Free Whiskey, Smoke, Subversive Minds, Kyle Miller, Puget and "maybe" a guest performance by "somebody else" will hit the stage at 9 p.m. That "somebody else" may or may not have just gotten home from touring with Mackelmore and Ryan Lewis. That "somebody else" may or may not be Olympia-based bad ass, Xperience (XP).

LINK: Thursday, Dec. 13 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

THE WEEK OF DEC. 13-19, 2012 >>>

In this week's issue of the Weekly Volcano ...

We here at the Weekly Volcano have mourned the earth's impending demise throughout its final year, yet somehow this ritual felt incomplete without a wake. Ragnarok deserved one final, defiant exclamation point. We resolved to knock items off our respective bucket lists before meeting our collective Maker. We brainstormed a blowout so intense it'd give Lindsay Lohan the sweats. Christian Carvajal discusses the End of the World and the Volcano's night of debauchery.

Unless you live in a land of perpetual sunshine (in which case sun-madness might be an issue), the holiday season can have a tendency to bring about a little bit of the S.A.D.s. Particularly when it comes to something like New Year's Eve - a bullshit holiday that we thankfully won't even have to deal with, thanks to Mayan prophecy. But! If, for some reason, the Mayans were wrong, then we might have to deal once more with this absurd holiday. Rev. Adam McKinney offers some tips for tap-dancing on the brink of New Year's Eve insanity.

Camp666 presents Awesomeparty2012, a soiree featuring the much-anticipated debut of Scooterhorsey as well as the beloved Mahnhammer and C.F.A., plus the premier of And My Head Explodes Episode 2. But wait, there's more! You will also have the chance to win a date with Tacoma's "Most Eligible Bachelor," Alex Henderson from Dirty Oscar's Annex. Nikki McCoy's interviewed Camp666 co-founder Joe Korbuszewski about his awesome party.

Weekly Volcano art critic Alec Clayton had high expectations when previewing the Foundation of Art exhibition at B2 Fine Art, and he was not disappointed. The show featuring works from 40 artists who have been nominated for this prestigious award over the past five years is a good deal edgier than B2's usual offerings, with works by often risky and politically savvy artists, many of whom - fittingly, as it turns out - have had shows at Fulcrum Gallery, which is owned and operated by this year's Foundation of Art Award winner, Oliver Doriss. Read Clayton's review of the show.

Behold Weekly Volcano theater critic Christian Carvajal's picks for the best in Olympia theater this calendar year, culled from more than 30 reviews.

PLUS: Music critics' picks for the week

PLUS: 12 Beers of Christmas

PLUS: Josh Rizeberg's hip-hop column

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A REPORT FILED TODAY IN THE DAILY JOURNAL OF COMMERCE >>>

Tacoma City Manager T.C. Broadnax explains his vision and strategies for boosting Tacoma's growth in the Daily Journal of Commerce. Broadnax lists nine key priorities his Community and Economic Development team will concentrate on over the new five years, including downtown development and revitalization, light rail expansion and attracting foreign investment.

Broadnax tells the DJC he wants to create a positive environment for start-ups and small business to flourish.

While the city values all business, it embraces a proud heritage of promoting entrepreneurship. Working in partnership with local technical colleges, Tacoma offers an array of services to start-up and existing small businesses, such as business planning, marketing, site selection and other key elements to help grow and sustain our small business community.

According to his last statement in the DJC piece, Broadnax is confident Tacoma will become a city of opportunities.

Read his full report here.

I LOVE THIS JOB >>>

In case you haven't notice I have bourbon fever. I've applauded local distillery endeavors and reported on bourbon dinners. Because the Weekly Volcano is an equal opportunity rag, I turn my attention to the translucent liquids.

No, no, not H2O silly. I'm talking to you vodka and gin.

As mentioned in my local distillery piece, there is a new distillery in Pierce County - Port Steilacoom Distillery. Kevin and Jennifer Laughlin Stewart opened the distillery Friday. Situated in the idyllic community of Steilacoom the Laughlin Stewarts are now concocting Chambers Bay vodka and gin from their charming distillery space.

PSD's vodka and gin have unique flavor profiles. Due to federal restrictions, craft distilleries are required to use 51 percent Washington-grown product. For most distillers, the products are grains. At PSD, Chambers Bay vodka and gin are distilled with blackberry honey and dark cane sugar. As a result, the vodka and gin are gluten free. You gluten-free kids on the crazy train can indulge with no negative consequence, ignoring bad dancing and wicked little hangovers from overindulgence. The honey and sugar combination also distinctly different flavors from many similar products. In other words, I think PSD's vodka and gin are tasty.

Chambers Bay Vodka carries a nice sweetness with a smooth clean finish. The honey and sugar lend this sweetness that is pleasant and light with just a hint of honey. The products are not syrupy, such as flavored vodka. It's mixer friendly, too.

Chambers Bay Gin also has this playful sweetness with a finish teasing with the herbal finish that lends itself to a nice aroma. I myself am not a fan of gin. Thankfully, Chambers Bay Gin lacks that uber-juniper berry flavor that can overwhelm some drinkers. Port Steilacoom Distillery uses a traditional London dry technique with its gin.

In six weeks, or so, PSD will add a rum type liquor to its product line. Though technically not rum since it's not produced from cane sugar Wicked Wind Spiced Rum will be made with Laughlin Stewarts' special recipe of spices and buckwheat honey, which consistency much like molasses.

PSD's tasting room is open Wednesday-Sunday, offering free two-ounce samples, by law, and a limit of two bottles per day.

When you visit the distillery be sure to keep a lookout for its mascot. "There's a tabby cat that is always nearby and on occasion will come in and take a seat. One day while I was labeling he jumped right up, I decided to read his little tag on his collar and get his name ... Martini," Jennifer Laughlin Stewart says with a laugh.

If that isn't a good omen, I don't know what is.

PORT STEILACOOM DISTILLERY, 3:30-6:30 P.M. WEDNESDAY-SUNDAY, 1601 LAFAYETTE ST., STEILACOOM, 253.212.0090

LINK: The scoop on local distilleries Heritage and Parliament

BANDITO BETTY LOU WHO'S LEAP OF THE DAY >>>

Bandito Betty Lou Who isn't a huge fan of jingtinglers, floofloovers, trumtookas, blumbloopas and the other wack musical instruments her fellow Whos bang during the holiday season. Every two years she gets the hell out of Whoville and spends the holiday season in the South Sound.

She's back. The Weekly Volcano secretly attached a GPS device to her whocarnio. We're tracking her. Apparently, she popped into the Harmon Tap Room to grab the first day of beer early.

We spotted Bandito Betty Lou Who springing out of The Red Hot and blazing down Sixth Avenue. She busted out a jump in front of North End Physical Therapy, Carter Peckham's house of pain relief and functional rehabilitation. Something popped. Bandito limped into Peckham's office and locked the door. Don't fret. The Weekly Volcano is hot on her trail. Expect more Lou Who action tomorrow.

NORTH END PHYSICAL THERAPY, 3007 SIXTH AVE., TACOMA, 253.761.7795

LINK: Bandito Betty Lou Who jumps archive

LINK: Weekly Volcano loves the holidays, cats and crafts, so we joined Pinterest.

FRIDAY, DEC. 14 2012 >>>

1. After 17 years of Stardust holiday schmaltz-fests, Harlequin director Linda Whitney outsourced her holiday revue-writing to James Hindman and Ray Roderick of Miracle or 2 Productions, authors of 2003's A Christmas Survival Guide. From a critical standpoint, it's a welcome change, especially since this anthology's aimed squarely at cynical adults weary of the hustle, bustle, and rabid commercialism of 21st-century holidays. It plays to the Whitneys' principal strengths: live pop music, technical design and intelligence (in no particular order). It also introduces diminutive spitfire Amy Shephard, newly returned from grad school at Exeter, to the Harlequin stage, where she joins revue regulars Antonía Darlene and Christian Doyle at 8 p.m. Read Christian Carvajal's full review of A Christmas Survival Guide in the Weekly Volcano's Arts section.

2. Tonight at 7 p.m. the Happy Sock Club will collect Happy Socks (colorful wool or cotton socks) and donations for The Toy Rescue Mission at Cork! Wine Bar. TRM serves Tacoma and Pierce County infants, children and teens during the holiday season every year. Everyone is welcome to attend, especially if you bring Happy Socks.

3. The Weekly Volcano is not here to make this stuff up. Truth happens. Reality pinches, rides up, makes you start and shiver in utter amazement. The Tacoma Noise Rodeo returns to treat the denizens of Sixth Avenue to experimental electronic music. No, not guitar feedback synced with loud Ultimate Fighting DVDs the neighbor kids cranks in his basement Friday nights. Rather, glorious modular synthesizers, patch cables and Commodore 64 machines producing extremely loudly, wicked alchemical magic, meaty pulsing rhythms, monster drone and giant washes of sound, all making you want to run a marathon while eating raw meat, naked. Epect Obscure Robot vs. Infrared, Black, Kord and a 45 minute free-form collective jam at 8 p.m. inside at Metronome Coffee.

4. Justin Stang, usually of Sideways Reign, and Jim Elenteny, ordinarily of Seattle band Nefarious Jones, unite to form the side project Science! We know three things about Stang and Elenteny: they were voted Best New Band in our 2012 Olympia poll, they're holding a CD release party at Southbay Dickerson's BBQ at 8 p.m., and their project is called Science! so they're approved, we suspect, by Thomas Dolby.

5. Downtown Olympia was rocked Dec. 3 by the senseless murder of one of its own, Casey Heath. Tonight at 9 p.m. inside the Urban Onion Restaurant & Lounge, Heath's longtime friends are throwing a benefit to help with the funeral costs, but more importantly, bring together the Downtown Olympia Community to remember a dear friend. Fitz of Depression, The Dirty Birds and C Average will join for an incredible night of music. There will be a suggested donation of $5.

LINK: Friday, Dec. 14 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

FUTURE THINGS ARE COMING >>>

The end of the world is nigh. Unknown meteors are hurtling toward us. The poles are about to reverse. Global warming is about to kick into high gear. We don't know what's coming and that's not the point - the point is that it's coming and there's nothing you can do about it.

So why not party the night away?

Friday, Dec. 21, 8 p.m. to midnight, you could be trying to aim a telescope through our ever-present cloud layer to spot the incoming meteor hoard, or you could don your finest and go out in style at the End of the World Ball.

Dress can be anything from semi-formal to tuxes and ball gowns to Venetian masks. Like any good ball, this one will be in a ballroom - the Gothic Ballroom at the Landmark Event Center. There will be light refreshments and a no-host bar, as well as a toy drive for unwrapped gifts, cash or checks for Toys for Tots ... although, this seems to imply that the event hosts think we all might survive the night.

Fools! Naught but fools! The Mayans can't be wrong!

Tickets are $35 in advance via Brown Paper Tickets, Crescent Moon Gifts, Le Noir Bazaar and Meier's House of Clocks. If there are any tickets left (supply is limited), they will be $40 at the door.

LANDMARK EVENT CENTER, FRIDAY, DEC. 21, 8 P.M., $35-$40, 47 ST. HELENS, TACOMA, TACOMAZOMBPOCALYPSE.COM

GO BIG, OR GO BIGGER >>>

Ed. note: The venue for the Big Beer festival has been changed to the Foss Waterway Seaport.

Beer brewers are constantly pushing the boundaries of their craft, often times brewing beers that defy mainstream beer styles and/or looking at other alcoholic beverages for inspiration. Strong, or big, beers are just one of the many byproducts of this artisanal approach to brewing. The processes involved to create such beers aren't simple. Brewers spend a lot of research time, money and trial and error to cultivate their super yeast strains that can survive the high-alcohol brewing environment and produce well-attenuated beers that have a minimum of six percent alcohol by volume.

These brewers should be rewarded for their big beer efforts. These brewers should be celebrated. More importantly, beer drinkers should be able to taste the big beers - maybe 60 or so of them under one, rustic roof.

Enter the Big Beer Festival. 

Bennett Thurmon and Roxi Lee, two forces behind the annual Tacoma Craft Brew Festival, will celebrate strong, big beers at their new, winter beer get-together, the Big Beer Festival. Twenty regional vendors and around 60 beers will be housed Feb. 16 in the Petrich Marine Dock Foss Waterway Seaport (705 Dock St.) along the Thea Foss Waterway. The festival will be divided into two sessions, one from noon to 4 p.m., the second from 4:30-8:30 p.m. The brewer list is still being finalized, but Lee and Thurmon said they received thumbs up 18 brewers including local brewers such as Engine House No. 9, Tacoma's Harmon Brewing Co., Wingman Brewers, Tacoma Brewing Co., 7 Seas Brewing, DUO Brewing, M.T. Head Brewing Company, Bremerton's Silver City Brewery, Eugene's Ninkasi Brewing Company, Deschutes Brewery from Portland and Edmond's American Brewing Company.

Advance tickets will be $20 at brownpapertickets.com, which includes a 5.5 oz., commemorative taster glass and six tasting tokens. Additional pours will cost $1.50 each. Admission will go up to $25 the day of the event. Proceeds will benefit YWCA. Northwest Mini is the main sponsor.

Big Beer Festival updates will be posted every Tuesday on the Tacoma Craft Brew Festival's Facebook where you may learn a thing or two about the brewers and beers participating.

The latest news out of the Big Beer Festival camp is a private, pre-festival party to be held 7-9 p.m. Feb. 15 inside the Petrich Marine Dock. Titled "The Works," this preview party will serve five to 10 beers brewed exclusively for The Works - beers not available at the Big Beer Festival. For $50, you may taste samples of these special one-offs, as well as gain access to both sessions the next day. Only 200 tickets will be available for The Works. Works tickets go on sale today at Brown Paper Tickets.

BANDITO BETTY LOU WHO'S LEAP OF THE DAY >>>

Bandito Betty Lou Who isn't a huge fan of jingtinglers, floofloovers, trumtookas, blumbloopas and the other wack musical instruments her fellow Whos bang during the holiday season. Every two years she gets the hell out of Whoville and spends the holiday season in the South Sound.

She's back. The Weekly Volcano secretly attached a GPS device to her whocarnio. We're tracking her. Apparently, she was at Old Town Bicycle picking up a few things for tonight's Troll Crank.

We spotted Bandito Betty Lou Who watching Gilligan's Island reruns at Tacoma Cabana. The new tiki bar in downtown Tacoma offers a waggish combination of strategic lighting, dangling blowfish, bamboo, Hawaiian textiles and just enough kitschy accents to conjure up a live rendition of "Tiny Bubbles." It's Fez Friday at the Cabana, which means beginning at 4 p.m. you may receive $5 Vic's Mai Tais, Rangoon Gimlets and Daiquiris all day long with a fez or a flower in your hair. And to justify the use of "zombie" in the headline above, let it be known Pappi Swarner wrote an open letter to the Cabana's Zombie drink here.

Anyhoo, we managed to snap a shot of Bandito before she scampered out. Don't fret. The Weekly Volcano is hot on her trail. Expect more Lou Who action tomorrow.

TACOMA CABANA & RUM BAR, 728 PACIFIC AVE., TACOMA, 253.292.1563

LINK: Bandito Betty Lou Who jumps archive

LINK: Weekly Volcano loves the holidays, cats and crafts, so we joined Pinterest.

THE LOWDOWN ON WHAT'S UP THIS WEEKEND >>>

WEATHER REPORT

Friday: Morning showers, hi 43, lo 35

Saturday: Rain and breezy, hi 44, lo 36

Sunday: Chance of rain, hi 44, lo 40

>>> FRIDAY, DEC. 14: "MESSIAH"

You can hate on the holidays all you want, but there's no denying they bring a wealth of artful yearly traditions. Tacoma Symphony Chorus' take on "Messiah" in St. Charles Borromeo Church fits this bill. As pre-event hype acknowledges, "Chorus Director Geoffrey Boers always brings a fresh take to Handel's beloved work," and there's no reason to expect this year to be any different. Four vocal soloists - soprano Denise Lees, mezzo-soprano Melissa Plagemann, tenor James Brown and Benjamin Harris - will join Tacoma Symphony Chorus and Orchestra, creating an event that's almost to put the whole family in the spirit.

• St. Charles Borromeo Church, 7:30 p.m., $25, 7112 S, 12th St., Tacoma, 253.591.2013

>>> FRIDAY, DEC. 14: "PRESSING ON"

Currently at Pacific Lutheran University's Mortvedt Library is "Pressing On," an exhibition to celebrate 30 years of the existence of the Elliott Press. The exhibition consists of broadsides (hand-printed posters), hand-made books and other printed pieces by students who learn and work at the Elliott Press. Pieces include work by Oregon writer Kim Stafford and Copper Canyon Press founder Tree Swenson - both alumni of the Press, along with many other illustrious local artists, writers and editors, including yours truly. Read Kristin Kendle's full feature on the exhibit in the Weekly Volcano's Events section.

• Mortvedt Library, through Feb. 27, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday-Thursday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday, Pacific Lutheran University, 121st Street and Park Avenue, Tacoma, 253.535.7500
  

>>> FRIDAY, DEC. 14-SUNDAY, DEC. 16: YES YES NO NO HOLIDAY SHOW

Yes Yes No No: The Solace-of-Solstice Apogee/Perigee Bestial/Celestial Holiday Show by award winning playwright Tony Kushner and directed by John Ficker is happening this weekend at the Midnight Sun in Olympia. Featuring Pamela Arnt, Dave Beacham, Brian Jansen, and Elizabeth Lord. The evening also includes Weekly Volcano's Christian Carvajal reading Front Row Center with Thaddeus Bristol by David Sedaris.  The Forever Young Rock & Roll Choir of Senior Services for South Sound will also perform. The group, known for it's Joey Ramone covers and alternative choral style will sing four songs during the first portion of the play, including "Happy X-Mas (War is Over)" by John Lennon and "River" by Joni Mitchell. "They're totally stoked," says Chris Quimby, co-director of the choir. "They're so excited about it, we love to perform and they love learning knew songs. Its good for them too, it's brain activity and cognition. We feel honored to be in this play - we were just floored when we were asked us to do this." See the seniors and the rest of the local talent as part of the Save the Sun series of benefit shows to keep the Midnight Sun open and entertaining. - Nikki McCoy

• Midnight Sun performance Space, Dec 14 and 15 at 8 p.m. and Dec 16 at 2 p.m., $12-18,  113. N. Columbia, Olympia, brownpapertickets

>>> FRIDAY. DEC. 14-THURSDAY, DEC. 20: RARE EXPORTS: A CHRISTMAS TALE

Dear God. I just watched the trailer for RARE EXPORTS: A CHRISTMAS TALE, and I'm begging for more. It looks so demented and awesome and action-packed and touching and totally unlike any Christmas movie ever. Good thing we all have a chance to see it at The Grand Cinema in Tacoma. I know "demented and awesome" are rather vague descriptions, but the rated R Finnish movie in English sub-titles is just that. Here's an excerpt from a press release, "On Christmas Eve in Finland, Santa Claus is unearthed in an archaeological dig. Soon after, children start disappearing, leading a boy and his father to capture Santa and, with the help of fellow hunters, they look to sell him back to the corporation that sponsored the dig. And then there's Santa's elves, who are determined to free their leader..." I got chills just reading that again! The Grand has played the movie the last two years with such roaring success that they hope to make it a holiday tradition where you can also get your picture taken with "demented Santa." - NM

• The Grand Cinema, Dec 14-20, 7:15 and 9:15 p.m., (no 9:15 on Tuesday, Dec, 18) $4.50-$9, pictures with Santa Friday and Saturday 6:30 p.m., 606 S. Fawcett Ave., Tacoma, 253.593.4474

>>> SATURDAY, DEC. 15: DRUNKEN TELEGRAPH HOLIDAY SHOW

When I was 8, I received the best Christmas present of my life. My brother was going through puberty complete with standard zits and angst. Of course, I thought he hated me with the spit wads and angry outbursts he hurled at me. But gazing at the tree that magical Christmas morning, I saw a glimmering Polly Pocket pendant tucked into the branches. It was from my brother. Life was grand. As an adult, my best gift has been sexy panties and a cute wooden stash box for my weed. Anyway, self-indulgent writing has taken over. ... The point of this blurb is to let you, dear readers, know you can hear storytellers tell THEIR tales of the greatest gifts they've ever received. Saturday at Medi's Pizza & Pasta, there will be sharing at the Drunken Telegraph Holiday Show, as well as pizza and beer.  After hearing five stories about the greatest gift, from a movie poster to a present from beyond the grave, there will be a story slam. Get there early and sign up to share your own five-minute story about the greatest gift. — NM

• Medi's Pizza & Paste, 7 p.m.,  $5, 2710 Sixth Ave., Tacoma, 253.272.2531

WHAT SOME OF OUR STAFF MEMBERS ARE UP TO

CHRISTIAN CARVAJAL Theater Critic
I'm in the Prodigal Sun holiday revue, pretending to be a mean theater critic. Then we're off to Bellevue for dinner at Din Tai Fung and a 48FPS, IMAX screening of The Hobbit.

REV. ADAM MCKINNEY Music Writer
Friday, I'll be attending my friend's graduation (I swear it's been in the works for a million years); afterward there will be much drinking and merriment.

ALEC CLAYTON Arts Critic
I'm going to a mass wedding at the state capitol to witness a lot of gay and lesbian friends getting married.

NIKKI MCCOY Feature Writer
Slinging booze tonight, followed by the Urban Onion's benefit show for the Heath family featuring Fitz, C Average and Dirty Birds. Saturday, I'm hitting the Fantastical Festivus Faire then headed to Portland for strippers and bands Mosquito Hawk and Black Pussy. Sunday will be moping around until it's time to feed bellies with love at Casey's memorial. Oh, and some writing.

JOSH RIZEBERG Music Columnist
I think Friday I'll chill with the Family and just do the Chanukah thing. Saturday, I'll go out to The New Frontier Lounge and see Tacoma's Favorite DJ voted by Weekly Volcano readers, DJ Melanin. The fun starts at 9 p.m. and it's free!

JACKIE FENDER Food Writer
Round 3 of the Shift your Shopping Tours is going down Saturday night. Not to mention the usual slinging on moonshine breakfast drinks in the a.m. and getting some highly anticipated Wrist issues to distribution sites so that readers can get their local creative literary fix.

JOANN VARNELL Theater Critic
Seeing as I'm so desperate for Winter Break to begin, I'm going to pretend this weekend is a mini break before the real deal. Saturday we will be taking the toddler to Teatro Zinzanni for the Big Top Rock show featuring Caspar Babypants, jugglers, acrobats, carnival atmosphere AND Top Pot Doughnuts. Afterward, we will go to a holiday party where one of my 2-year-old's many crushes will be present. Sunday, I will be reviewing The Best Christmas Pageant Ever at Lakewood Playhouse before rushing off to Puyallup for an adorable 3-year-old's birthday party! Then I will sleep the sleep of the dead to try and have enough energy for my last three days of school.

TIMOTHY GRISHAM Music Writer
I thought the world was ending 12.12.12, guess not. Although Paul McCartney fronting Nirvana certainly has the charm of the end of days. I guess since I was ill planned I will go see the Hobbit like every other nerd in the country. I will also be attending the Northern Craft & Rummage Sale on Saturday. It's free to enter!

STEVE DUNKELBERGER Photog About Town
I'll be hitting The Best Christmas Pageant Ever at Lakewood Playhouse because I hear the narrator is amazing - because of the training she gained from her father. Then comes Saturday for the Lighted Boat Parade down the waterfront with a stop at Rock the Dock for some nog.

NIC LEONARD Music Writer
My cousin is moving out here this weekend from Detroit so I will be showing him around the beautiful city of Olympia. We will most likely be hitting up the Everybody Weekend show at Le Voyeur on Saturday night as well as other various local bars.

ROCKFORD ROWLEY All-Ages Music Columnist
This weekend I will be enjoying all I can before the start of winter quarter, at which point I will be substituting sleep with black coffee, writing and studying and, of course, the EPs of all my favorite Tacoma bands.

LINK: Even more local events that we recommend

LINK: Comprehensive South Sound Arts & Entertainment Calendar