SUNDAY, JULY 28, 2013 >>>
1. The second annual Moveable Feast - Tacoma's largest food truck festival parks at Cheney Stadium from noon to 5 p.m. With 38 food trucks, seven breweries, live music and kids activities, it is an event not to miss. New this year is a market-style "Made in Tacoma" section, with local companies that include Dry Soda, Lynnae's Pickles, Little Eorthe Farm, Great NW Popcorn Company, One Spot Jam and more. There will also be a kid zone and more access to Cheney Stadium's party decks for more seating and a chance to get into the ballpark.
2. If you've ever been to a mushroom festival - particularly the Pacific Northwest Mushroom Festival, which this year runs from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Thurston County Regional Athletic Complex - you already know that mycologists ('shroom experts) are in a league of their own. Mushroom festivals are the strangest, funniest and, not so incidentally, most educational experience you're ever likely participate in. And, no, hippie: Pacific Northwest Mushroom Festival does feature "magic" mushrooms (psilocybes and otherwise). What it does include are about a dozen local restaurant chefs who will prepare mushroom-based delectables during the Lacey festival.
3. You don't need to attend the annual Ethnic Fest to see Tacoma is a melting pot, but it certainly doesn't hurt to help you appreciate it. That's the power of more than a dozen food booths representing a multitude of delicious tastes from cultures around the world, not to mention more arts, crafts and music than you can shake a culturally diverse stick at. In its 27th year, Tacoma's Ethnic Fest is easily one of the shining moments of each summer for this city. See why from noon to 7 p.m. at Wright Park.
4. Fronted by Donnie Van Zant, brother of Lynyrd Skynyrd's Ronnie Van Zant, .38 Special was one of a handful of groups mixing blues and rock with country twang. Not immediately embraced by mainstream rockers, the Jacksonville quintet would have to wait until the release of its fifth album, 1981's Wild Eyed Southern Boys, to crack the Top 40 album charts. After that, it was smooth sailing for a couple of years as their follow-ups would outdo each other. But with the arrival of the MTV age, the band saw a dip in popularity despite strong albums. Now in their 39th year, .38 Special's straight-ahead Southern boogie style is still alive with founding member guitarist Don Barnes at the helm. Catch the band at 5 p.m. at the Little Creek Casino.
5. The Paula Fuga + Mike Love project brings together two of the rising stars from the Hawaiian Islands. Fuga has established herself as an ambassador of the Hawaiian culture - having toured the world over and collaborated with artists such as India Irie, Jack Johnson and Ziggy Marley. Love, long a local legend on the Oahu music scene, recently released his debut album that was driven into the top-5 on the iTunes reggae charts. Expect traditional Hawaiian music with solid percussion when they perform at 8 p.m. in Jazzbones.
LINK: Sunday, July 28 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area
