SATURDAY, OCT. 5 2013 >>>

1. The Dockyard Derby Dames is gearing up for its 8th season of jams, slams and thank-you ma'ams, with a double-header opening-night bout at 6 p.m. in Pierce College's Health Ed Building. Bridgette Walker, team captain of the Marauding Mollys and head of sponsorship and development, says this year brings switch-ups within the league, with players transferring teams and balancing strengths, a strategic move by organizers, and an interesting twist for spectators. Tonight, The Hellbound Homewreckers will face off against the Marauding Mollys while The Trampires will challenge Vancouver B.C.'s Terminal City Rollergirls Riot Cats. "People should expect an exciting bout," Walker said. "I think the Trampires will be easily matched with Terminal City, and Homewreckers are stepping up their game, so I expect that to be a pretty tough battle."

2. Maris Farms will serve up six of the finest REAL quack-aletes in Pierce County and the ducks cover a grand total of 200 feet at 1 and 3 p.m. during its Iron Duck World Championships. The ducks will start at one end of an old cow feeder by swimming 100 feet one way, then climbing a ramp and "running/fluttering" back to where they started. First one back is the winner. In all, there will be 16 races from Oct. 5-27. The duck with the most victories over that period will be crowned "Iron-Duck" World Champion. The month-long event will help raise money for the Wounded Warriors Project by allowing people to place bets on who they believe will win each race.

3. New Jersey's leonine rock stalwarts Bon Jovi ride their steel horses to the Tacoma Dome at 7:30 p.m. Jon Bon Jovi fired Richie Sambora from Bon Jovi. Yes. This is nearly as bad as Jon Bon Jovi firing Jon Bon Jovi from Bon Jovi. Maybe worse. There go all the feelings of camaraderie from those anthemic choruses. And there goes any joy reminiscing about their "talking box" guitar solos.

4. Big Star, and Alex Chilton in particular, was a band driven to madness by a nation turning a blind eye to some of the purest pop music around. In typical fashion, Big Star were ignored in their time, but later discovered by several generations of power pop acts that valued haunting harmonies and indelible hooks over chunky guitars and arena anthems. Blue Skies for Black Hearts is such a band. Formed 13 years ago, this Portland group began as a solo project for recording studio engineer Pat Kearns. Catch Blue skies for Black hearts with A Leaf, Brite Lines and The Stravinsky Riots at 8 p.m. in Bob's Java Jive. Read Rev. Adam McKinney's full feature on Blue Skies for Black Hearts in the Music and Culture section.

5. It's day two of the Olympia Fall Arts Walk, and Le Voyeur has a hot hip-hop show at 9 p.m. Award-winning hip-hop duo Never Sleep host performs with Everybody Weekend's female-led electro hip-hop sound, the lyricism and microphone bravado of Ang P of The Real Life Click, and 25360 representative Heretic The Heathen (founder/promoter/emcee of For MCs By MCs).

LINK: Saturday, Oct. 5 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area