SATURDAY, JULY 13 2013 >>>
1. The Tacoma Old Town Rhythm and Blues Festival, founded as the Tacoma Old Town Blues Festival in 1991 by Ted Brown and Mike Mitchell, will add more rhythm to the annual beloved blues festival. From 9:30 a.m. to midnight you'll find the festival back in Tacoma's Old Town Park on North 30th, with eight stages featuring about 22 musical acts, along with many vendors and food. Here's the Tacoma Old Town Rhythm and Blues Festival schedule.
2. Free stuff is good. Better yet, let's talk about free stuff for the entire family - Lakewood Summerfest 2013 at Fort Stialcoom Park. Tons of food, craft and nonprofit vendors will be on hand. (Read: more glass jewelry, organic food petitioners, and meat on a stick than your mom could ever dream of.) If you don't feel like indulging in drippy foods and knitted caps, then there's also going to be pain on triathletes faces to watch, a 5K fun run, Army Strong Fitness Expo, a kids zone ($5), and an outdoor cinema featuring The Princess Bride. Sound good? We're not done. There's also our favorite part of any event - the live entertainment! Expect steel drum band The Islanders, Irish rock band The VooDoos, ‘80s hair band Metal Shop, country twangers Highway 9, R&B with The Hitmen and others. And remember: Minus the angioplasty you're going to need after all the funnel cakes, most of it is free.
3. Tacoma's annual, awesome LGBTQA Pride celebration, Out In The Park, goes down from noon to 5 p.m. on Broadway between Ninth and 11th streets. Afterward, until 2 a.m. The Mix throws one helluva block party.
4. In 1994, The Flintstones was turned into a live-action movie, which will be projected on a giant 40-foot outdoor movie screen at sunset. LeMay - America's Car Museum continues its Drive-In Movie Series with Fred and Wilma Flintstone and friends at its outdoor Haub Family Field. Movie-goers can park and watch the film - for free - from their vehicle or spread out on the grass with blankets and chairs. Food and zip-line rides will be available for purchase and inflatable bounce houses will be free for children. Museum hours will be extended to 8 p.m. and guests can reserve their parking spot on the field starting at 4:30 p.m. So run your rock car to LeMay Saturday, sneak in your bronto ribs and have a gay old time.
5. As we've mentioned many times before, Perry Acker is named like a single dude, but it's actually a band ... a band that's on the rise. Not only did Perry Acker win Ford Motor Company's Gimme The Gig national battle of the bands contest in 2011, then open for Paul Rodgers, the Gig Harbor band is currently in the studio putting the final touches on a new CD. Hear their latest mixture of blues, pop, rock and funk - plus Impossible Bird and Kate Turner - at 8 p.m. at Jazzbones.
LINK: Saturday, July 13 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area
