THURSDAY, JAN. 24 2013 >>>

1. Remember that time in high school when your parents went away? You know, plot line of every teenage movie ever made - except this time, you blew up the house. Standing in the ashes as your parents roll up, what do you do? Say it with us now - iiiiiimprovise. Take notes Thursday, Jan. 24 at the Washington Center while watching the best and blithest live comedians and next time you're in a lose-lose situation, you'll wondrously make screams turn to laughter. On the main stage, Ryan Stiles, Greg Proops, Joel Murray and Jeff Davis star in Whose Live Anyway? - 90 minutes of improvised comedy and song made up before your eyes from your suggestions. In the black box, the Center's Comedy in the Box series features the best from the Seattle Comedy Competition. Both begin at 7:30 p.m., which is not funny. Read Sean Contris' interview with Ryan Stiles in the Weekly Volcano's Arts section.

2. Alec Clayton, author of The Backside of Nowhere and art critic for the Weekly Volcano, recently published Return to Freedom, which begins where Backside left off - the day of the hurricane that wiped out the little bayou village of Freedom, Miss. Teenage hoodlums, who looted an electronics store during a flash flood many years ago, are now adults - one with an alcoholic wife and three teenage children, the other an evangelical preacher - living in the same condo overlooking the bay with an unicycle-riding street performer and single mother who owns a diner. Their lives are as stormy as the hurricane from which they are still recovering. Hear Clayton and local actors Luke Amundson, Michael O'Hara, Sharry O'Hare, Samantha Camp, and Jenifer Rifenbery read scenes from Clayton's new book at 7 p.m. inside King's Books. Discussion and book signing will follow.

3. Against a background of a long drawn-out war and a counter-culture of free love, cross-dressing, and pastoral lyricism, the 1660s look a lot like the 1960s in Or, a neo-Restoration comedy at 8 p.m. inside Harlequin Productions in Olympia.

4. Blending many of the principles of traditional bluegrass and Americana roots, Barleywine Revue supplies a contemporary flavor to their music by playing primarily original tunes. Expect the fiddles, banjos and voices to fire up at 9 p.m. inside The Swiss. Warning: The Tacoma Runners are using The Swiss as their base tonight. Expect to see a mass reflector vest hoedown.

5. Blues dancing derives from the so-called "Black vernacular" of Southern dance styles and includes such moves as the Lindy and the irresistibly named "Funky Butt." Worst case scenario: you have two left feet but get to listen to Nina Simone. Check out OlyBlues Dance at 9 p.m. inside the Eagles Ballroom.

LINK: Thursday, Jan. 23 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

CONTEST BASED ON HIDDEN NUTS >>>

Tacoma City Ballet kicks off a scavenger hunt today the likes of which Tacoma has never seen - a yearlong search for nuts. You heard right. Nuts. The nuts tie into the company's highly anticipated Dec. 7, 2013 performance, Prequel to The Nutcracker.

The contest in a nutshell: TCB hides hand-painted Golden Krakatuk Nuts inside jewel boxes around Tacoma; inside the boxes is a scroll with prize details, such as gift certificates, merchandise or tickets to Tacoma City Ballet's World Premier of said Nutcracker in December. You find the Golden Krakatuk Nuts and great riches will be heaped upon you!

"The grand prize every month will include tickets to the Nutcracker this year," says Melissa Goldman, director of Community Relations, Development, and Marketing at TCB. "The grand prize will also have something that the participating business contributed. If it's a restaurant, it might be a gift certificate for dinner. If it's at a store, it might be a specific piece of merchandise or a gift certificate at that store. There will also be smaller prizes."

No, this is not nuts. It's a cool way to introduce the new Nutcracker act. TCB Artistic Director Erin M. Ceragioli hand painted a limited number of Golden Krakatuk Nuts too.

The Prequel to The Nutcracker performance will explain why a prince is trapped inside a nutcracker doll. Apparently, a beautiful princess is cursed into ugliness by the evil Mouse Queen. To break the curse, Christian Elias Drosselmeyer has to find the magical Golden Krakatuk Nut - the hardest nut in the entire world - and the young man who is fated to crack it. Except, as we now know, Drosselmeyer needs the entire city of Tacoma to help him.

Is your head spinning like a Sugar Plum Fairy?

Each month through the year, Golden Krakatuk Nuts will be hidden at businesses throughout Tacoma. To find the nuts, decipher the poetic clues, which will be posted at Tacoma City Ballet's website, Facebook page, as well as this blog.

The first clue dropped this morning. A second clue will follow close behind on Feb. 1. January will have only a single nut, but the rest of the months this year will have several. Clues will guide you to a restaurant, shop or other business at which the nuts may be in plain sight or may be behind the counter.

Ready for the clue to the first location? Here you go you nuts:

Searching for the Krakatuk Nut, you are? Then like Drosselmeyer you must travel far. Look for beautiful boxes containing the Golden Nut and other delightful prizes - Who can imagine what? Only one box is hidden this month in our fair city And to figure out January's clue, you must be quite witty.

January's Krakatuk Clue

Follow Pearl to the Land of Thai

Where you can dine on delectable delights as the evening draws nigh.

Do you know what that means? Are you off to find the golden nut? A limited number of prizes will be available at each location, so speed counts.

Below is your soundtrack for today:

SHE'S AWESOME >>>

Nov. 11, 2011 Winter Teems drove into downtown Olympia on a crisp, sunny day. Weeks earlier, she sold her possessions in Florida and hit the road with visiting her sister in Olympia as her only solid plan.

After that bright, sunny day - it rained for three months. Teems wondered what the hell she got herself into.

She stayed. It was the creative music and arts scene that grabbed her and shook the sunny Florida weather away.

Today, she's a fitness guru at L.A. Fitness in Thurston County. At night, and during her free time, she's a professional photographer with aspirations to add video production to her skill set.

We bring up Teems not because she's shooting next week's Weekly Volcano cover, or that she's shooting our 2013 Best of Olympia issue, which hits the street Thursday, Feb. 21 (vote now!), but because she recently completed two projects worth your attention.

First, she just finished publicity shots for the Olympia band Elbow Coulee, a band Weekly Volcano music critic Rev. Adam McKinney says "flourishes of lite prog-rock guitar noodling, mixing with dips into '90s emo and tight, spiky, early '00s dance-punk."

Yes, the photo above is Teems' work. Nice, huh?

Second, she produced a video for Ethan Tucker, the Olympia singer-songwriter who will perform at 9:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 26 at Doyle's Public House in Tacoma.

When asked what local photographer inspires her, Teems named Weekly Volcano photographer Patrick Snapp. Nice.

Weclome aboard Winter.

LINK: Winter Teems also snapped this shot

SOTA INTERN REPORT >>>

Now, I assume most of you know about Anthem Coffee and Tea. It is a new coffee company that opened Nov. 1, 2011 in downtown Puyallup. When I first noticed it consumed my beloved Froza, I was a little skeptical. But, the moment I walked in, I knew I would love it.

Upon walking in you will immediately feel the positive atmosphere radiating in the room. It is an atmosphere like no other and defiantly doesn't feel like your average coffee shop. Reason No. 1: Anthem plays loud, catchy music. You will not find nap-inducing, elevator music. Instead, Anthem plays music that I swear came right off one of my playlists. Florence + The Machine, Foster the People, Mumford and Sons - Anthem aims to keep me awake, just like a coffee shop should.

Reason No. 2 Anthem is different from other coffee shops: amazing service. Every time I visit I am greeted with a enthusiastic hello, no matter how many people are in the house. I have been there during the Puyallup Fair when it was wall-to-wall people. In fact, the line was outside the shop and down a block. Still, the staff kept its composure, smiled and made attempts to have quick chats with their customers.

Reason No. 3: It is very comforting and homey. For many people, it is like a home away from home. I see a lot of the same faces. The staff always makes new wanderers feel right at home.

The coffee? Well, Anthem has your standard blends - nothing too out of the ordinary, but they do serve a good brew. I am a picky coffee person. I find most coffee too watery with not enough flavor. Anthem passed my test on both its coffee and tea. Anthem's Espresso Macchiato and Marbled Cold Brew are crowd favorites. I also heard someone suggest the Pour Over.

If you are more of a tea person, then I would suggest the jasmine tea or the chai latte. "If you want something with a kick to it I think you should try the spice chai," claimed one of the staff. Kick, indeed. The sweet flavor of the chai turned into a "kick" down my throat. It was the perfect mix.

As morning time passes most high schoolers leave - minus the ones playing hookie - and are replaced by young adults holding business meetings or a small get-togethers with office friends.

That is also about the time the place gets less crowded and more comfortable, but still very lively. while still lively, it's one of the more quiet times of the day.

Then lunch time hits. That's when the good stuff happens. Anthem pulls out the pizzas. Besdies delicious pizzas, anthem also serves sweet potato fries and chicken wings.

You may also order wine and ale. They have happy hour weeknights starting at 7 .pm. and serve $4 house wine and $3.50 pints.

Below is a video of the first Anthem in Puyallup. 

FRIDAY, JAN. 25 2013 >>>

The prestigious University of Puget Sound will turn 125 years old March 17, 2013 as UPS was founded March 17, 1888 - just a short time after Tacoma itself was incorporated Nov. 12, 1875. September of 1890, the school opened its doors to 88 students. The university moved to several locations over the next 13 years, including a short stint in Portland, before heading back to Tacoma. Today, 2,600 students are enrolled as "Loggers," involved in 23 sports teams and 1,200 courses. UPS is also the only liberal arts college in the Northwest to offer a liberal arts-focused degree in business. From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. UPS kicks off its yearlong birthday celebration with an open house in its Wheelock Student Center. Free cupcakes, historical slide shows, time capsule, Cirque du Sound (11:15 a.m.), What She Said (noon), Trio Consonare (12:25 p.m.), UPS Funk Band (1:20 p.m.) and pianist Jihae Shin '13 (1:45 p.m.) are part of the festivities. UPS Pres. Ron Thomas has fond memories of his time on the campus.

Every winter Varsity Grill in Tacoma hosts an Ice Block Party. It's hosted outside on its front patio. Get it!?! No, but seriously, you'll want to take note because this annual event offers beer lovers the chance at beer in all degrees of wintery awesomeness: the $20 fee gets you nine winter beer tastings from some of the region's top winter brews, as well as access to the appetizer buffet. Plus there'll be prizes and giveaways. Plus beer experts and brewers will be all up in the house. Plus Rock-Bot live-band karaoke will be there to rock your face off after it's all over. It all goes down at 5:30-9 p.m.

Speaking of the University of Puget Sound and its 125 history, the classical music Jacobsen Series, named in honor of Leonard Jacobsen, former chair of the piano department at Puget Sound, has been running since 1984. UPS artist-in-residence David Requiro and guest artist Meta Weiss present a cello concert at 7:30 p.m. inside the Schneebeck Concert Hall as part of the Jacobsen Series. Concerts highlighting two cellos at once are a rare pleasure, so cellists David Requiro and Meta Weiss decided to treat Northwest audiences to a evening featuring the instrument’s beauty and virtuosity they like to call A Due Celli.

Speaking of cellos, Zoe Keating loops her cello to create symphonic arrangements. She will unite with the Portland Cello Project - an act that has spent a lot of time bending and morphing expectations for what cellos can achieve in the realm of popular music - for a 7:30 p.m. concert at the Rialto Theater. What will happen when an artist known for doubling, tripling, quadrupling herself is united with a group that is known for their symphonic arrangements?

Singer/songwriter Bill Davie has a new CD/DVD out, Raise Your Heart. In celebration of the new release the Tacoma native has invited friends Kat Eggleston and Jim Page to join him in celebrating the record's release at Tacoma's Antique Sandwich Company at 7:30 p.m.

LINK: Friday, Jan. 25 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

HERE TO SAVE THE DAY >>>

Remember last week when you were busted for adding that hand-painted platter from West Elm to your Pinterest board during the morning office meeting?

That was embarrassing.

You best go big at the next morning meeting. You better order breakfast for the group. You better order a delicious one, too.

Here's the deal. If you're looking to wow the office or just plain tired of the same old crap, be the breakfast hero and order delivery from Pacific Grill.

Yes, you heard me right. Pacific Grill, the fine dining establishment on Pacific Avenue delivers breakfast and lunch Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. - and available for pick up until 6 p.m. Orders must be placed a day in advance but include awesome breakfast staples such as a continental breakfast ($14.95) that serves six and a variety of breakfast sandwiches ($4.75) and burritos ($5.95). And Pacific Grill even delivers must have breakfast sides such as Tabasco and avocado. Check out it's new delivery menu here.

If you are crunching numbers in Tacoma or most of Fife, then delivery costs NOTHING. If you live outside of its delivery zones the fee is a mere $10.

Now go and be the office champion. Breakfast is after all the most important meal of the day. And you could post a photo of the breakfast sandwich to your Pintrest board.

PACIFIC GRILL, 1502 PACIFIC AVE., TACOMA, 253.627.3535

BEST BETS >>>

We'll cut to the chase: Theater is one of this planet's greatest pleasures, and there are two plays worth seeing this weekend in the South Sound.

The Musical of Musicals, the Musical!

Written by Joanne Bogart and Eric Rockwell in 2003, The Musical of Musicals, the Musical! gives a lovingly satirical treatment to some of the Great White Way's most famous shows, from The Sound of Music to Phantom of the Opera. Unless you're obsessed with musicals, you might not get all of the show's references — after all, there are five acts and nearly 50 songs included — but it is entertaining nonetheless. Unless you really hate musicals. Then you really shouldn't go.

Weekly Volcano theater critic Joann Varnell highly suggests you catch Tacoma Musical Playhouse's version of Musical of Musicals.

The costumes were fabulous and the dance numbers were terrific. The set was minimal but extremely effective. Directors Pauls Macs (musicals one and three), Maria Valenzuela (plays two and five), and Jon Douglas Rake (musical four) did a wonderful job with their casts and created a hilarious production. TMP provides a wonderful opportunity to laugh with AND at theater people.

Read Varnell's full review of The Musical of Musicals, the Musical! in the Weekly Volcano's Arts section.

Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks

The setup sounds awfully cute: A tart but lonely matron contracts the services of a mouthy gay dance instructor. Each scene revolves around a different dance -- waltz, fox trot, tango, etc. -- as our odd couple gets to know each other.

Weekly Volcano theater critic Christian Carvajal agrees.

For better and worse, Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks at Tacoma Little Theatre is a very cute play. For some in our Sunday matinée audience, it was LOL funny. Mostly, though, patrons appeared to be charmed but not laughing, and they grumbled through its minutes-long scene changes. The jokes in Richard Alfieri's script are unremarkable, so it falls on the actors to flesh out his characters instead.

Read Christian Carvajal's full review of Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks in the Weekly Volcano's Arts section.

LINK: Arts and entertainment calendar in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

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

WEATHER REPORT

Friday: Cloudy with a little rain, hi 48, lo 41

Saturday: Mostly cloudy with some annoying rain, hi 46, lo 37

Sunday: Some rain here and there, hi 44, lo 39

>>> FRIDAY, JAN. 25: CLUSTERFLUFF: AN ECLECTIC GLITTER EXPLOSION

Rock Candy Burlesque promises a smile, a flip of the skirt and a grind of the hips. The Rock Candy is one of the many highlights of Friday's Clusterfluff: An Eclectic Glitter Explosion at The Royal Lounge in downtown Olympia. The burlesque troupe plans to not only showcase its curves, but some (hidden?) talent, too. A raffle for a Rock Candy calendar, special guests from Twin City Tease, as well as a meet and greet (plus photo ops) with the ladies will also be going down. The Rock Candy's motto is "hard, sweet and sticky." Enough said. - Nikki McCoy

• The Royal Lounge, 7 p.m., $12, 311 Capitol Way N., Olympia, 360. 705.0760

>>> FRIDAY, JAN. 25: ICE BLOCK PARTY

We can't think of a better way to celebrate winter than sampling nine different winter ales on Varsity Grill's heated outdoor patio. (Well, maybe being surrounded by snow bunnies in a remote mountain cabin with a hot tub and three weeks off work!) But, for being a Friday night in Tacoma, this is awesome. "It's one of our best parties of the year," says Razhida Pope, Varsity Grill general manager. To go with the delicious brews, expect tacos served outdoor street style, and heaping warm bowls of chicken corn chowder as well as dessert made with beer. After dinner, follow the party inside for live band karaoke. - NM

• Varsity Grill, 5:30-9 p.m., $20, $15 for Varsity Serious Beer Drinkers Club members, 1114 Broadway, Tacoma, 253.627.1229

>>> ALL WEEKEND: TACOMA HOME & GARDEN SHOW

Surely you have a few home improvements you've been meaning to make. Maybe, for instance, your retirement community building caught on fire. Need some inspiration to get the job started? This week the annual Tacoma Home & Garden Show returns to the Tacoma Dome, running through Sunday and bringing more garden demonstrations, bathroom renovation tips, vinyl siding samples, shag carpet displays, mulching systems and kitchen cabinet seminars than you'll find just about anywhere. This marks the 30th year of the Tacoma Home & Garden Show. — Weekly Volcano

• Tacoma Dome, Friday 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Sunday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., $10 adults, $8 Seniors, 16 and younger free, $16 two-day pass, 2727 E. D St., Tacoma, otshows.com/ths

>>> SATURDAY, JAN. 25: WESTSIDE TAVERN ONE-YEAR ANNIVERSARY BASH

The Westside Tavern in Olympia went through some serious transformation during 2011. Gone are Big Buck Hunter and pull-tabs. They have been replaced by refurbished pool tables and the classy photography of Casey Grant featuring tattooed ladies and Olympia beer. Gone is the tattered blue paint on the outside of the building - inside and out. The ambiance has been mellowed by earthy paint tones, accented by red. Gone is the greasy spoon bar food. The Westside now serves homemade upscale menu items, such as portabella fries with sweet Chile sauce and pineapple express sliders. Saturday, new owners Dean and Lisa Damitio celebrate their first year of being the coolest bar on the Westside by offering a live electric acoustic set by Vaughn Johannes and food and drink specials all night. A super great staff is there to please, and they have a nice heated smoking patio, too. "It's a community place for people to come gather," says Dean, "which is exactly what we were hoping to achieve." — NM

• Westside Tavern, 8 p.m., no cover, 1815 Harrison Ave., Olympia, 360.915.7839

>>> SUNDAY, JAN. 27: SOUTH SOUND WEDDING SHOW

A large percentage of people get married at some point during their lives. Some people, like Newt Gingrich for instance, do it several times. Hopefully soon it will be legal for gay folks to marry too. The fact is, weddings are a big part of our existence. All the more reason to check out the sixth annual South Sound Wedding Show Sunday at Centralia's Great Wolf Lodge. Expect everything from wedding gown and tuxedo models to dancing demonstrations. Pro Tip: If you're South Sound Wedding Show date ditches you for one of the Great Wolf water slides, he's probably not the one. — WV

• Great Wolf Lodge, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., $8, 20500 Old Highway 99 SW., Centralia, southsoundweddingshowolympia.com

WHAT SOME OF OUR STAFF MEMBERS ARE UP TO

CHRISTIAN CARVAJAL Theater Critic
I'm seeing Or, at Harlequin Productions. Yes, the comma is part of the title — plus my friends' intriguingly named band, Dutch Professors.

REV. ADAM MCKINNEY Music Writer
There are two fantastic shows this weekend at The New Frontier: Friday, with I Like Science, Glass Elevator, Oh Dear! and Battersea, and Saturday with Not From Brooklyn, the Harvey Girls and People Under the Sun. I'd find it hard to miss either.

ALEC CLAYTON Arts Critic
Saturday night we're going to see Or, at Harlequin Productions in Olympia. It's a fascinating play about a cross dresser who survived the Nazis in Germany on wit and guts. Sunday, Gabi and I are doing the talkback after The Children's Hour at Lakewood Playhouse - a riveting play, to say the least.

NIKKI MCCOY Feature Writer
This weekend brings an extra shift at the bar Saturday night, which means I will be serving pre-funkers headed to the Royal Lounge for E 40. I also invited Jared Warren from Big Business to come visit me and have a drink on me, so we'll see. If he doesn't make it, I'm sure there will be an entourage from the Capitol Theater in search of libations before, during and after the Bones Brigade flick and Big Business double feature. Other than that, I should probably do some laundry.

JOSH RIZEBERG Music Columnist
Friday night I'm going to check out the all-ages hip-hop line-up at The Loch's in downtown Tacoma. It's only $5 to get in. There are some good Seattle artists coming to perform on the bill. The show starts at 7 p.m. Saturday at 1 p.m. I'll be teaching my spoken word poetry class at D.A.S.H. The center is looking for 13- to 19-year-old poets who want to compete in slams. If ya know a young person who is good, send them to D.A.S.H. Saturday is also swim lessons for my little one. Later that day I'll be performing spoken word poetry at Hip-Hop 4 Homeless. This is an all-weekend event, Saturday and Sunday at the Olympia Ballroom. I'll be going-on during the Free Ya Mind segment of the show. Sunday, I'll be hanging with my Jewish community at Temple Beth El.

JACKIE FENDER Food Writer
This weekend will be a mellow weekend. I'll be writing and slinging booze some ... and otherwise floating around in a pregnancy-induced haze.

JOANN VARNELL Theater Critic
I will spend this weekend rejoicing in completing the first semester of the school year while simultaneously lamenting that my SOTA intern is almost done with her J-term (and me). Of course, all that really means is I have no plans other than entertaining the toddler, spending time with the husband, and attending church on Sunday. The toddler keeps asking for a backpack so maybe I'll finally sew the fabric I cut out last weekend.

TIMOTHY GRISHAM Music Writer
Olympia is a swinging place when Leg. session is in. (Pun here: swinging from the rafters) So to celebrate the increase in temporary citizens, I plan on taking in a movie at Tacoma's Grand Cinema, then catching some form of live show (undecided yet as to what), and a meal somewhere away from downtown
Olympia. Curry Corner in Lacey sounds great.

NIC LEONARD Music Writer
Saturday night I will be checking out the Hip Hop 4 Homeless event at the Olympia Ballroom. Afterward, I'll be heading over to The Royal to open up for Bay Area legend E40. Go me!

ROCKFORD ROWLEY All-Ages Music Columnist
This weekend my friend and I are headed over to Cashmere, Wash. to visit some friends and attend a dessert party. We'll probably also visit Leavenworth, and enjoy the faux Bavarian town during its holiday season.

LINK: Even more local events that we recommend

LINK: Comprehensive South Sound Arts & Entertainment Calendar

BOOK PARTY >>>

Marissa Meyer is a YA author from Tacoma and a Pacific Lutheran University graduate. She's a fan of Firefly. She wrote Sailor Moon fan fiction for 10 years. Cinder, the first book in her Lunar Chronicles, is about an android Cinderella in futuristic China was on the New York Times Best Seller list.

In short, she is one of the lucky few whose love of sci-fi and all things nerdy has paid off.

Tuesday, Feb. 5, Scarlet, the second book in the Lunar Chronicles, will debut with a book signing at Garfield Book Company in Tacoma. Meyer's hope for the event is that it goes beyond a simple book signing and ventures into the realm of a party. Her Cinder launch was filled with red shoes. She hopes people will get into the Scarlet spirit and wear a red scarf.

"We're going to have a swag table," Meyer says. "I'll have lots of Lunar Chronicles goodies - some pens, some temporary tattoos, bookmarks, stickers and everything. I've invited other local authors to bring swag, too. A swag buffet!"

Meyer will read or speak before the signing frenzy. Also expect tasty refreshments, a raffle and prizes and giveaways.

"There's a place down in Olympia called Wolf Haven, where I did some of my research," she says. "They're a nonprofit that focuses on breeding and education about wolves. I'm hoping to have the raffle proceeds go to supporting Wolf Haven. We're going to have three gift baskets for prizes - each one will have a copy of Cinder and Scarlet. One will have a space theme, and one will have a Paris theme since Scarlet is set in France, and one will have an Asian theme since Cinder is in China."

If you can't make the Garfield Book Company event, there will be a second Scarlet launch and party Feb. 21 at King's Books.

GARFIELD BOOK COMPANY, TUESDAY, FEB. 5 7-10 P.M., 208 GARFIELD ST., TACOMA,253.535.7665

LET'S PARTY >>>

The Weekly Volcano's annual Best of Olympia party is one month away, which means you need to hit the "+" button on your electronic calendar and set Wednesday, Feb. 20 as the night you will be partying with the Olympia community. Type in "Capitol Theater" as the Location. Select 6 p.m. as the Start Time. Select 9 p.m. as the End Time. In the Notes field, type: "This is a free event featuring the Tush Burlesque Troupe, emcee Elizabeth Lord, bands Mosquito Hawk and Science!, films, beer and wine, raffle prizes, Best of Olympia winner announcements and more." 

There, you're set. You'll enjoy a cornucopia of Olympia culture packed into one early evening. Bonus: You'll know the 2013 Best of Olympia winners before the rest of the world. We'll announce the winners and distribute copies of the special issue the night before it hits the streets.

The 2013 Best of Olympia Readers' Poll will remain open until this coming Thursday night. The important thing to remember is the 2013 Best of Olympia Readers' Poll is your chance to give recognition to the people, places and things in Olympia and Thurston County that deserve it. Vote now!

LINKS: Scenes from the 2011 Best of Olympia Party and 2012 Best of Olympia Party