Weekly Volcano Blogs: Walkie Talkie Blog

Posts made in: July, 2013 (56) Currently Viewing: 1 - 10 of 56

July 1, 2013 at 6:54am

5 Things To Do Today: Deep Space Showcase, punk rock, comedy open mic and more ...

We smell something extraterrestrial at Northern.

MONDAY, JULY 1 2013 >>>

1. Deep Space Showcase is a collaboration of five female puppeteers, burlesque dancers, sideshow freaks and clowns hailing from points across the United States. The weird circus combines the puppetry prowess of the Many Furs Puppet Troupe with the tranimalistic shenangians of the Bonobohobo's Panspermic Circus, adds a dash of live music and a handful of aliens and blasts the whole shebang across Northern in downtown Olympia. Check out the evening of evocative entertainment for earthlings and extraterrestrials alike at 7 p.m.

2. Standup comedy hasn't evolved much since the glory days of ventriloquist and puppet. Every so often, there's a Gallagher smashing watermelons or a musical funnyman like Jack Black, but for the most part, comedy is a dude on a stage with a microphone, plodding through a joke-punchline-new-joke routine. You're funny. You need to change the course of comedy forever. At 8 p.m. the Grit City Comedy Club opens its stage to the public for a comedy open mic.

3. Jazz and blues band Maia Santell & House Blend will perform at 8 p.m. inside The Swiss.

4. Wyoming punk rocks Ackrite and Nebraska ska punkers Bombs Blast plays a 9 p.m. show at Le Voyeur in downtown Olympia.

5. Every Monday at 9 p.m. Jazzbones presents Rockaraoke - live band karaoke. Expect $2 PBR drafts, $3 Sinfire shots, $4 Smirnoff flavor vodka bombs.

LINK: Monday, July 1 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

July 1, 2013 at 10:23am

Eat This Now: Mom's Sloppy Joe

Crockett's Public House's Mom's Sloppy Joe

Food Network celebrity Guy Fieri drove his fiery red Camaro up to Puyallup digs Crockett's Public House last fall to film Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives - which aired in March - and raved about Mom's Sloppy Joe. Naturally, I had to check it out.

Pulling around the corner to find parking already has me salivating as the air is filled with aromas of barbecue wafting around Crockett's.

Mom's Sloppy Joe ($11.99) features healthy portions of slow cooked ground pork and beef doused in a rich tomato sauce on a toasted sesame bun. The tomato sauce is packed full of flavor with just the tiniest hint of heat. The crisp fried onion garnish adds a nice flavorful texture to this sandwich, which begs of you to bust out the fork and knife. Served with a side of seasoned hand-cut fries this dish is absolutely reminiscent of the childhood home-cooked favorite and lives up to its name. Crockett's Public House is all about twists on comfort food.

You may also enjoy breakfast Saturdays and Sundays.

CROCKETT'S PUBLIC HOUSE, 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 11:30 a.m. to midnight Friday, 8 a.m. to midnight Saturday, 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday, 118 E. Steward Ave., Puyallup, 253.466.3075

Filed under: Food & Drink, Puyallup, Screens,

July 1, 2013 at 11:47am

Tacoma City Ballet Scavenger Hunt July clue

GOLDEN KRAKATUK NUTS: The Tacoma City Ballet has hid them around Tacoma. Go nuts and find them for prizes.

By now you know the Tacoma City Ballet is in the midst of a yearlong scavenger hunt for Golden Krakatuk Nuts. The nuts tie into the company's highly anticipated Dec. 7, 2013 performance, Prequel to The Nutcracker.

Here's a refresher: 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. 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. You find the Golden Krakatuk Nuts and great riches will be heaped upon you! For complete on the contest and Nutcracker performance, click here.

The July Golden Krakatuk Nut clue dropped this morning. This clue 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.

Read more...

Filed under: Arts, Contest, Tacoma,

July 1, 2013 at 1:26pm

JBLM Modified Dolls bust out bake sale at Old Navy

Modified Dolls and JBLM spouse Em Seymour work to break the stereotype that being different is a positive. “We are the different making a difference,” she said. Photo credit: J.M. Simpson

The women were different. The colorful tattoos and body piercings were hard to miss.

"We break stereotypes," Cara Ballinger, the spouse of a Joint Base Lewis-McChord soldier and member of the Modified Dolls, said matter-of-factly.

"Our tattoos and body piercings do not make us bad women."

Founded by Holly Roettger and granted non-profit status in 2012, the Modified Dolls is a worldwide organization dedicated to living their mission statement of, "We are the Different making a Difference."

Body modification is the deliberate altering of the human anatomy.  It is often done for aesthetics, group membership, body art and self-expression.

Body piercing, ear piercing and tattooing are common modifications.

One looks different.

To Amanda Tomasura, another JBLM spouse, body modification is about art and self-expression.

"I like to think of my tattoos and piercings as art," she said. 

"Some people buy works of art to hang on the walls of their homes; I put art on my body."

>>> JBLM spouses Amanda Tomasura, Jennifer Whitaker, Em Seymour and Jackie Fenton of the Modified Dolls took part in a bake sale last Saturday at Old Navy in the Lakewood Towne Center.Photo credit: J.M. Simpson

Read more...

July 2, 2013 at 6:57am

5 Things To Do Today: Wanderlust Circus, "Zen of Bennett," The Raven and the Writing Desk and more ...

The merry band of pranksters that is the Wanderlust Circus hits the Capitol Theater July 2. Catch these acrobats, aerialists, jugglers and vaudeville types outdoors, accompanied live by a swing band. Press photo

TUESDAY, JULY 2 2013 >>>

1. Meet two Muscle Beach boys from the neon 1980s who fall in love with some circus aerialists and end up join the immortal, 200-year-old traveling troupe, which is part of Portland's Wanderlust Circus. Wanderlust is different from a traditional circus. It's more of a theatrical show, with a storyline titled "The Endless Road" (see: muscle boys in the '80s) that feels a little Steampunk-ish Vaudevillian. Oh stop, there's ton of action, including Risley juggling in which people are juggled instead of objects like barrels. Be sure to arrive on time to see opening act Poki and Ember of Button Wagon who team up with artists from Lookout Arts Quarry in Bellingham to create a surreal circus world of floods and fairytales. The show will go on at 7 p.m. in the Capitol Theater.

2. Lakewood's own Kari Ehli was somewhat of a child protégé and began recording in her early teens. While she lists her influences as rockers Heart and Pat Benatar, her sound is closer to Shania Twain or LeAnn Rimes. With shades of rock, blues and country, Ehli reflects the new face of Nashville with the face of an angel. She uses her powerful pipes to belt out self-penned originals with a sincerity that is genuine. Catch her and her band from 1:30-4:30 p.m. at the Lakewood Farmers Market.

3. The Zen of Bennett, a documentary playing exclusively at The Grand Cinema about Tony Bennett as he approached his 85th birthday in 2011, is like the singer himself -  smooth and classy. Created by Bennett's son Danny, the film centers on the recording of the 2011 album Duets II, which had the singer collaborating in-studio with artists ranging from Aretha Franklin to Willie Nelson. The vocal performances are extraordinary, but the film finds its purpose in Bennett's low-key musings on the value of beauty and authenticity in art. It screens at 2 and 6:30 p.m.

4. Randy Linder's Trilogy Of Rock: A Tribute To Bob Seger, Mick Jagger and Tom Petty hits Red Wind Casino at 8 p.m.

5. The Raven and the Writing Desk are about confounding expectations. A six-piece outfit from Denver, the Raven and the Writing Desk's music initially conjures up connections to bands like DeVotchKa (another literary allusion) and Beirut - these purveyors of gypsy-and-otherwise-worldly musical strains. It's notable that the heart of the Raven and the Writing Desk is located in their piano, violin, and percussion. These instruments can travel anywhere, but fit quite nicely into the sort of theatrical flourish that accompanies gypsy music. Catch the band at 10 p.m. in Le Voyeur. Read Adam McKinney's full feature on the Raven and the Writing Deck in Northwest Military's Music & Culture section.

LINK: Tuesday, July 2 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

July 2, 2013 at 9:50am

Dirty Oscar's summer menu, nightly specials

Start your dirty Oscar's summer dinner with tempura fried pork belly. Photo credit: Adrienne Kuehl

With a new chef at their helm, Dirty Oscar's has a freshly revamped summer menu that's a little bit lightened up, but still keeps the trademark playful dishes the restaurant is known for.

While the breakfast menu hasn't changed, the dinner menu now features a popular appetizers such as the smoked cheddar beer dip, served with soft pretzels ($10), and chicken wings ($9) with mild, medium and hot dipping sauces that change depending on what the kitchen staff creates. The tempura fried pork belly ($12) sounds like a heart attack waiting to happen, but was surprisingly light and tender.

>>> West Coast cherry salad

Also notable is the quinoa burger ($12), a sweet and spicy patty that's both gluten free and vegetarian, and can be served with or without a bun. There are also fresh salads, including a West Coast cherry salad ($10), with sweet and tart cherries and crunchy duck fat croutons, as well as a beet and bulgur salad ($10), with roasted beets, bulgur, arugula and goat cheese.

Each night of the week has a special, with Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays being the BBQ pork sliders, salmon tacos and the "Dead Elvis" burger, respectively. The rest of the week, there's a new special every day. This week, with the holiday, Chef Geoffrey Yahn will be doing a play on red, white and blue with blueberry-spiced pork ribs and red chili spiced coleslaw.

>>> Quinoa burger patty

Chef Geoffrey gets his inspiration for the nightly specials from what's seasonal and local. "I go to the farmers market every week," he said. "This week, I saw raspberries and blueberries from Washington. Bring it on. Let's do some blueberry baby back ribs in a non-sweet manner."

His favorite menu item is the steak frites ($14), a lightly smoked tri tip steak with a red chimichurri and their awesome crispy skin-on fries.

DIRTY OSCAR'S, 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. Monday-Thursday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday, 8 a.m. to 2 a.m. Saturday-Sunday, 2309 Sixth Ave., Tacoma, 253.572.0588

Filed under: Food & Drink, Tacoma,

July 3, 2013 at 7:17am

5 Things To Do Today: Ford Food Truck Challenge, brewery night, DJ Timbo, Coke Bust and more ...

Will the Waffle Wagon kick the crepe out of Crisp Creperie? You decide. Photo courtesy of Facebook

WEDNESDAY, JULY 3 2013 >>>

1. Titus-Will Ford is hosting the Ford Food Truck Challenge from 4-7 p.m. with three objectives: eat, drive and vote. After you roll onto its lot at 36th and South Sprague in your crappy car, Titus, Will and crew ask you to chow down on samples from two competing food trucks, Crisp Creperie (Seattle) and Waffle Wagon (Kirkland), both parked on the lot. After you clean your hands, you'll be asked to test drive competing vehicles: Ford Fusion vs. Toyota Camry, Ford Fusion Hybrid vs. Toyota Camry Hybrid, Ford Escape vs. Subaru Forester and Ford C-MAX vs. Toyota Prius V. Finally, because you live in America, you can vote for your choice for the "Best Bite" and "Best Ride." Afterward, you can hop back in your crappy car and seek out more objects to judge. Suggestions?

2. Stone Brewing Co. will drop in on Pint Defiance 5-7 p.m. to chat beer while you drink your favorite Stone brews, including the Ruination RuinTen Anniversary Imperial IPA and the Espresso Imperial Russian Stout. Founded in 1996 by Greg Koch and Steve Wagner in San Marcos, Calif., Stone Brewing Co. has become almost synonymous with the craft brewing movement. Makers of some of the most highly sought-after beers, they are not afraid to experiment or break boundaries.

3. Pub trivia nights can either ignite the party or stifle the mood. McNamara's Pub & Eatery in DuPont does everything possible to avoid being a major buzz kill. Every Wednesday McNamara's Pub starts team trivia at 7 p.m. Irish-inspired food helps trivia players stock up on brainpower before the trivia starts. Beer and drink specials happen at trivia intermission. Because everyone knows a good buzz makes trivia that much easier. What's the capital of Kazakhstan? Take a drink and think.

4. Coke Bust is going down at 9 p.m. inside Le Voyeur.

5. In our youth, we were under the impression that "hump day" was the day that, you know, you humped. Having outgrown much of our Catholic school misleadings, we now know that hump day is really the day you dance your pants off at Jazzbones. Featuring DJ Timbo on the turntables mixing top 40 hits all night, and no cover charge, hump day can still be fun without the intercourse.

LINK: Wednesday, July 3 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

July 3, 2013 at 10:31am

What should men wear to a wedding?

Feather and Oar in Tacoma can dress you for your friends' big day. Photo courtesy of featherandoar.tumblr.com

Summer is here, and she bestows upon us her finest offerings: sunny days, sultry nights and my favorite - weddings.

But, the devil is in the details, and along with all the what-the-heck-do-I-buy-for-a- gift-decisions, there is always the inevitable what-the-heck-do-I-wear-decisions.

For me, throwing on a sundress with fun colors always seems to work. But, what a struggle it is digging through my man's wardrobe.

Are jeans too casual? What kind of tie? Or is a tie even required? How about shoes? Is a fedora still fashionable? Before my man says screw it and reaches for another plain black T-shirt, I thought I'd ask a pro, and share the advice with you.

"Weddings are a lot more diverse these days," says Greg Miller of g. miller men's clothing in Olympia, "And they have gotten more casual.

Read more...

Filed under: Fashion, Olympia, Tacoma,

July 3, 2013 at 3:07pm

Lakewood gymnasts bring home top honors

Hannah Hamelin, 15, competes on the balance beam during the 2013 YMCA National Gymnastics Championship and Invitational, Level 9-10 Championship Finals, on June 29 in Savannah, Ga. Photo credit: Melanie Casey

It's often a highlight of the summer Olympic Games - a team of flexible, coordinated and impossibly strong young gymnasts who put aside pressure and leap, flip and swing their way into history and our hearts.

But they gotta start somewhere - and that somewhere is often the local Y.

Last week, more than 2,000 gymnasts from 107 YMCA gymnastics teams around the country - including 30 from the Lakewood Family YMCA - converged on Savannah, Ga., for the annual YMCA National Gymnastics Championship and Invitational.

Read more...

July 4, 2013 at 8:53am

5 Things to Do Today: Fourth of July fun around the South Sound

Happy Fourth of July!

THURSDAY, JULY 4, 2013 >>>

1. Well, in Tacoma there's Freedom Fair. Duh. Find details right here. 

2. Then there's a huge celebration at Joint Base Lewis-McChord. Click here for details.

3. What's that? You live in Tumwater. Well, they really know how to celebrate the Fourth of July in style with the Artesian Family Festival and Thunder Valley Fireworks show.

4. The picturesque town of Steilacoom also knows how to party on the Fourth of July. Here's a link to Steilacoom's Fourth of July celebration

5. Honestly, you should just check in with our Fourth of July Command Center for all the goods.

6. You could blow your fingers off ... but that kind of sucks.

LINK: Thursday, July 4 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

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News and entertainment from Joint Base Lewis-McChord’s most awesome weekly newspapers - The Ranger, Northwest Airlifter and Weekly Volcano.

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