FRIDAY, AUG. 30 2013 >>>

1. If you're a geek of a certain age or, for that matter, anyone who loves cinematic comedy, you know exactly what happens when someone says the name "Frau Blücher." You know how to bring home the chorus of "Puttin' on the Ritz." You know who made a yummy sound, and you suspect Mel Brooks's 1974 masterpiece Young Frankenstein may be one of the greatest comedies in American cinema history. Whether you've seen it or not, we insist you follow your grentfadda's footshtops to the Washington State Capital Museum, at 9 p.m. where "Movies at the Mansion" presents an outdoor screening of the film. If it's brisk that night, some varm milk, perhaps?

2. The Weekly Volcano is synonymous with fun, so there's no way we would ever let Olympia Harbor Days festival pass without trumpeting it. Why? Because we love the hell out of some tugboats. And if there's one thing Oly Harbor Days is synonymous with, it's tugboats. And history. And fun. Is there another way we could use the word synonymous in this blurb? Probably. But why push our luck. The important thing is that you head down to Oly's waterfront 5-8 p.m. as well as Saturday and/or Sunday and get in on a late-summer rite of passage. Of particular interest are the annual tugboat races, which go down Sunday at noon.

3. The Odd Life is a Very Special Movie about a Very Special Boy who has Very Special Leaves growing out of his legs, and who helps a Very Special Town save its Very Special Pencil Factory. This Special Film screens at dusk - after a Special Performance by jazz guitarist Michael Powers, which begins at 5 p.m. at Point Defiance Park. Special.

4. "I'm on a boat!" Any bets if that's an artwork title at the 11th Annual Open Juried Art Show at the Harbor History Museum, which opens today? The museum nestles the water in downtown Gig Harbor. You can't walk the length of a plank without stumbling into a nautical reference. It seems like a safe bet for at least one of the 150 works by the 90 artists the Peninsula Art League curated would have a sense of humor. The show represents the second component of the 2013 Museum Art Series and follows the Maritime Art Exhibit which closed Aug. 25. An artists reception will go down 6-8 p.m. Why not be on a boat when you arrive?

5. No one ever accused the Night Beats of being a lazy band, and their most recent activity has been no different. With the release of their wild-eyed music video for their song, "The Seven Poison Wonders," off of their upcoming LP, Sonic Bloom, the psych-rockers have kept themselves very busy. Their show tonight at The New Frontier will be their last in these parts before the road warriors take off on yet another extended tour of the U.S. and Europe in support of their new album. Hang with MILK, Bath Party and the Night Beats beginning at 9 p.m.

LINK: Friday, Aug. 30 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area