Weekly Volcano Blogs: Walkie Talkie Blog

Posts made in: December, 2013 (66) Currently Viewing: 21 - 30 of 66

December 11, 2013 at 11:05am

Christmas 1863 at Fort Steilacoom

Cutline: Joe Lewis holds an 1860s era lantern that will be used during a guided candlelight tour of Fort Steilacoom Saturday, Dec. 14. Photo credit: J.M. Simpson

Ever wanted to step back into American history?

Christmas at Fort Steilacoom, a guided candlelight tour that depicts the history of the holidays, will be held Saturday, Dec. 14.

"This is a signature event," Joe Lewis, secretary of the Historical Fort Steilacoom Association, said as we talked in Quarters 4. 

"We picked the year 1863 because it allows our guests to see what Christmas was like here 150 years ago."

It will be quite an historical look back.

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December 11, 2013 at 12:09pm

Eat This Now: Housemade Nutella syrup, yo!

If you're looking to incorporate the choco-hazelnut miracle that is Nutella into your life: Nutella syrup is just as good as it sounds.

Self-serve yogurt shops seem to be the trend now, and there is no shortage of them in the South Sound. One of the last to join the Fro Yo So So is Granola's Frozen Yogurt and More in downtown Tacoma. The shop does fro yo with a twist - a heavy focus on snacking smart and healthily. You'll find frozen yogurt flavors such as salted caramel, peanut butter, cake batter and more with some of the usual topping suspects such as brownie bits, fresh fruit and caramel syrup.

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Filed under: Food & Drink, Tacoma,

December 11, 2013 at 2:22pm

WWE at JBLM: John Cena shoots first, wrestles later

WWE Wrestling Champion John Cena took time to talk and joke with soldiers assigned to 1st Battalion, 38th Infantry Regiment Wednesday, Dec. 11 at JBLM. Photo credit: J.M. Simpson

Spc. Josh Saye smiled broadly as World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) Superstar John Cena autographed a target for him.

"Josh, thank you for teaching me how to make this target very dead!!" Cena wrote in blue ink on the target after he had fired a M4 rifle and perforated it with more than 50 bullet holes.

"Thank you!" said a very enthused Saye as Cena handed over the target.

"You are the man!"

Indeed.

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December 12, 2013 at 7:29am

5 Things To Do Today: Ugly Sweater Run, Narnia, Pike Brewing, "Santaland Diaries" and more ...

Warning: Tonight's Tacoma Runners outfits will be graphic. You may need to look away and take deep breaths.

THURSDAY, DEC. 12 2013 >>>

1. Ho, ho, hold up  -  where's your ugly holiday sweater? Don't show up to Tacoma Runners Ugly Sweater Run tonight without one, because some sort of ugliness  -  be it a deck-the-halls display or a simple Santa face - is mandatory. The event will kick off with a 6:30 p.m. check-in at Slappy's Garage - North End Tavern. The Christmasy 3-mile run will wind through Tacoma's northend, with the runners returning to Slappy's to toss back a bunch of drinkies. You've finally got a use for that reindeer sweater grandma knitted you, so Febreeze off the mothball odor and come run around the Proctor District to spread some Christmas cheer.

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December 12, 2013 at 9:50am

Judging by the Trailer: "The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug"

Bilbo Baggins, so concerned about his doilies just three hours of screen time ago, now punches his sword right through the trachea of a goblin.

I was going to start off this article by saying that you couldn't pay me to sit through another Tolkien movie, but that's just not true: $25, plus food and drink, or best offer.

My pliability not withstanding, the fact remains that Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy has stolen away from me roughly 15 hours or so, at last count. Heavenly Creatures would've given me back 90 minutes, but The Frighteners cancels that right out, and Dead Alive is essentially a wash.

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December 12, 2013 at 10:56am

Demitri's Seasonings helps Holiday Meals for the Military at JBLM

Demitri's Seasonings loading their truck to head to Joint Base Lewis-McChord Friday, Dec. 13. Courtesy photo

Operation Homefront is dedicated to providing emergency assistance to servicemembers and their families 365 days a year and right now that includes providing them with a holiday meal.

The annual Holiday Meals for the Military event creates 7,500 meal kits, which include all the grocery items necessary for a holiday meal for four people - including a $30 Wal-Mart gift card for the purchase of perishable items - and then distributes them to lower and mid-grade ranking military families, E-1 thru E-6, at 22 military installations, including Joint Base Lewis-McChord, which will run the program between Dec. 13-20.

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December 12, 2013 at 11:17am

Check This Out: "Fargo" (1996)

You betcha!

Some days you just don't feel like paying for another Redbox rental, and the next movie on your Netflix queue takes FOREVER to arrive in your mailbox. And recession or no, who can pass up free, convenient entertainment? Every Tuesday, "Check This Out" recommends movies available at any of the eight branches of your friendly local library. So you can satisfy your next film fix at the place with the books.

The man in the heavy coat approaches his car windshield, ice scraper in gloved hand. Back and forth, back and forth the scraper goes across the layer of ice coating the glass. Its pitifully dull edges barely make a dent. The man scrapes harder, faster; his chapped lips pucker into a grimace. His patience reaching absolute zero, he throws the scraper and a shriek of rage into the gray sky above.

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Filed under: Screens,

December 13, 2013 at 7:40am

5 Things To Do Today: Holiday boat parade, Spider Ferns, Muh Grog Zoo and more ...

FRIDAY, DEC. 13 2013 >>>

Ed. note: This show is actually Saturday, Dec. 14: 1. Working our way through Modern Kin's self-titled debut, the word that kept swimming around in our heads was "skeletal." Though the songs are adorned with expansive reverb, what you really pick out and identify are the three people behind the songs: Drew Grow, Kris Doty and Jeremiah Hayden. Even though Modern Kin's sound is big, the songs remain testaments to the tight musicianship of the trio. Modern Kin is a remarkable surefooted debut for the band, and one of the reasons may be that it's actually not a debut - not really, anyway. Modern Kin began life in 2007 as Drew Grow and the Pastors' Wives, an acclaimed folk-rock band that incorporated elements of soul and spine-tingling gospel. Recently, with the loss of a member, the decision was made that a change was needed. Catch the band with Not From Brooklyn and Us Lights at 8 p.m. in Grit City Grindhouse. Read Rev. Adam McKinney's full feature on Modern Kin in the Music & Culture section.

2. So many times during the holiday season, there are great events that last just a day, and, if we're lucky, maybe two days. However, LeMay America's Car Museum, a South Sound, state and national automotive loving treasure, takes it 12 steps further. Enjoy 12 days of Christmas at this iconic museum with awesome giveaways, Santa Claus, kid and family activities and all the rad transportation goodness that you can possibly take. Visit the website for the activities of the day. 

3. Don your festive cool weather gear and pop down to the Foss Waterway Seaport on the esplanade to see festive boats from the Tacoma Yacht Club all decked out in holiday lights and displays as they make their way to the Foss Waterway from 7:30-9 p.m. Enjoy a little holiday treat and cocoa (provided by Goodwill's Neighborhood Bistro) by the sea as you watch the boats cruise on by. Do good and bring a non-perishable food item to help out the St. Leo's food drive.

4. The Spider Ferns are a duo that aim to hypnotize. Made up largely of just electric guitar and bass, with no drums, there is very little to prevent you from getting lulled into their bubbling tones. Without percussion, the sounds tend to just wash over you, lively though they may sometimes get. The band performs at 9 p.m. with Oh Dear! and J. Martin in The New Frontier Lounge.

5. Tonight is the first show from Muh Grog Zoo, a four-man improv group that creates an improvised one-act play, starting only with a single word from the audience. Shout the word at 9:45 p.m. in The Lakewood Playhouse.

PLUS: Holiday Events Calendar

PLUS: South Sound Holiday Command Center

LINK: Friday, Dec. 13 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area



December 14, 2013 at 7:42am

5 Things To Do Today: Happy HellaDaze's Evil Christmas Spectacular, Modern Kin, Purr Gato and more ...

The Tacoma Link should be an interesting ride today.

SATURDAY, DEC. 14, 2013 >>>

1. So Christmas is preparing to sidle up next to you and give a wet kiss under the mistletoe as it pickpockets your wallet. You want to celebrate the forthcoming holiday season but maybe you feel like you didn't fully get your Halloween fix satiated. What to do? Luckily the solution is called Happy HellaDaze's Evil Christmas Spectacular. What the hell is Happy HellaDaze's Evil Christmas Spectacular? It's a group of people who dress up in their finest evil-Christmas wear - Bad Santas, Satanic Santas, Krampuses, disgruntled elves, homicidal Mrs. Clauses, crazed reindeer, maniacal Christmas trees, sinister holiday packages, zombie snowmen and such - and then board en mass the Tacoma Link downtown to various bars. The reactions of unsuspecting holiday travelers will be half the fun. Alfred's Café and Bubble Room serves as the starting point. Participants meet there at 3 p.m. before taking the light rail to the next stop. Though how much more evil can you get than a place called the "Bubble Room"?

2. The autoharp, invented in the 1880s and a fad in the 1890s, became a virtuoso instrument among musicians in the early to mid 20th century. There's a huge debate on whether a German immigrant in Philadelphia by the name of Charles F. Zimmermann or Karl August Gütter of Markneukirchen, Germany, invented the autoharp. Now, will you need to know any of this to appreciate autoharp master Bryan Bowers at 2 p.m. in the Tacoma Public Library, when he busts out a free holiday concert sure to delight the masses? Of course not. But it won't hurt. And it just might make Bowers' mastery of the autoharp all the more impressive, as the singer songwriter is often credited as having redefined the instrument.

3. OK, while the winter solstice technically is the shortest day of the year, and nighttime falls at a ridiculously early hour, for some, the solstice means getting their party on and celebrating. In the Appalachia region, winter solstice means breaking out the instruments, sweet treats and excellent libations in a festival of dancing, music and storytelling. So why can't the South Puget Sound enjoy the same, right? Ah, but we can. The Puget Sound Revels performance brings traditions, energy and spirit right here to our own backyard in an electric, inspirational performance at 2 and 7 p.m. in the Rialto Theater.

4. Working our way through Modern Kin's self-titled debut, the word that kept swimming around in our heads was "skeletal." Though the songs are adorned with expansive reverb, what you really pick out and identify are the three people behind the songs: Drew Grow, Kris Doty and Jeremiah Hayden. Even though Modern Kin's sound is big, the songs remain testaments to the tight musicianship of the trio. Modern Kin is a remarkable surefooted debut for the band, and one of the reasons may be that it's actually not a debut - not really, anyway. Modern Kin began life in 2007 as Drew Grow and the Pastors' Wives, an acclaimed folk-rock band that incorporated elements of soul and spine-tingling gospel. Recently, with the loss of a member, the decision was made that a change was needed. Catch the band with Not From Brooklyn and Us Lights at 8 p.m. in Grit City Grindhouse. Read Rev. Adam McKinney's full feature on Modern Kin in the Music & Culture section.

5. If you could say one thing about Purr Gato, it's that they certainly aren't into half measures. Performing absurd, space-age get-ups and brightly colored wigs, Purr Gato embrace the spectacle of performance. Lead singer Kitty K rocks a honest-to-goodness keytar, if that gives you a good idea of what to expect. Combining cartoonish new wave with trip-hop and four-on-the-floor electronica, Purr Gato make music that seems tailor made to be blared at drugged out music festivals. Catch the band at 10 p.m. in Le Voyeur.

PLUS: Holiday Events Calendar

PLUS: South Sound Holiday Command Center

LINK: Saturday, Dec. 14 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

December 15, 2013 at 9:03am

5 Things To Do Today: Broho Anniversary Party, Christmas Revels, "Santaland Diaries," Transfix and more ...

The Resident Kings will rock The Brotherhood Lounge tonight.

SUNDAY, DEC. 15 2013 >>>

1. We are stoked about this show for two simple reasons: Great bands in a great bar. The Brotherhood Lounge is celebrating its 11th anniversary at 9 p.m. with an open invitation to have fun. Headlining the show will be the Resident Kings. It's a pleasure to be typing the name "Resident Kings", because it has been a damn long time since they've played. The band, made up of Chief and Dirty Birds members, is Olympia hybrid-rawk at its best. Then band's songs range in style from heavy, classic rock to fast, punk garage with an unwavering thread of originality. Opening the show will be a Pixies tribute band. Oh, and there will be free pizza from Old School. See you there!

2. OK, while the winter solstice technically is the shortest day of the year, and nighttime falls at a ridiculously early hour, for some, the solstice means getting their party on and celebrating. In the Appalachia region, winter solstice means breaking out the instruments, sweet treats and excellent libations in a festival of dancing, music and storytelling. So why can't the South Puget Sound enjoy the same, right? Ah, but we can. The Puget Sound Revels performance brings traditions, energy and spirit right here to our own backyard in an electric, inspirational performance at 1 and 5:30 p.m. in the Rialto Theater.

3. The "War on Christmas" decried by Sarah Palin and Bill O'Reilly isn't evident in South Sound theater, which is producing a rich variety of appropriately jolly and family-friendly shows for the holiday season. Weekly Volcano theater critics Joann Varnell and Christian Carvajal chime in with their thoughts on five local productions here.

4. The genius of David Sedaris' essays lies not in his unrelenting mockery of all who surround him, but in the underlying fact that it is he, not they, to whom fate has been most cruel. Yes, all the people involved with Macy's annual Santaland extravaganza may be insane, selfish or idiotic. But it's Sedaris who dresses like an elf for a living, and who will be bereft of even that level of employment as of Dec. 25. Tacoma Little Theatre in partnership with The Changing Scene Theatre Northwest present The Santaland Diaries, a one-man show adaptation of Sedaris' most famous essay at 7:30 p.m.

5. Olympia "death rock" band Transfix will host a record release party for its debut album on Dutch Tilt Records at 9 p.m. in Le Voyeur.

PLUS: Holiday Events Calendar

PLUS: South Sound Holiday Command Center

LINK: Sunday, Dec. 15 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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