THURSDAY, AUG. 14 2014 >>>

1. CannaCon opens today at 10 a.m. in the Tacoma Dome and runs through Sunday. The cannabis convention is more home-and-garden show than a public smoke-out as marihuana smoking will not be allowed. More than 500 exhibitors - Pipes, vaporizers, dirt, nutrients, lights and everything else but no medicine, because it has to be I-502 compliant. Also expect a whole section about hemp, from biofuels to paper, makeup, all the things that can be made out of hemp.

2. Tacoma Runners was founded over beers. When the weekly running group launches its 3-mile run at a brewery, it's almost like coming home. We have no idea what that means, so meet at 7 Seas Brewing in Gig Harbor at 6:30 p.m. and get in on the party. 7 Seas Brewing was named Best Brewery in Pierce County in the Weekly Volcano's 2014 Best of Tacoma issue.

3. Old Growth Poetry Collective is hosting a weekly poetry open mic at Cafe Love every Thursday at 7 p.m. A different featured spoken word artist from the Cascadia area is featured every week.

4. Not sure what this means astrologically speaking, but it's time again for another Jazz Under the Stars concert, which kicks off at 7 p.m. in the outdoor amphitheater of the Mary Baker Russell Music Center on the Pacific Lutheran University campus. The Jazz Sound Trio is in the house, which is comprised of PLU faculty members David Deacon-Joyner on piano, Clipper Anderson on bass and Mark Ivester on drums. In this performance, the trio will back Scott Whitfield, one of the world's greatest jazz trombonists, and his wife, Ginger Berglund, the newest addition to the legendary Modernaires. Show organizers say the event series has only been rained out twice (it heads indoors if it rains), so pack yourself a picnic.

5. New York City-based comedian Joe Zimmerman is praised for his accessible style of comedy that combines absurdity with a fun loving demeanor. He has been selected by Ricky Gervais as a Conan contest finalist and can be heard regularly on SiriusXM and Pandora. He is an original member of the Beards of Comedy. Catch him at 8 p.m. in the Tacoma Comedy Club.

LINK: Thursday, Aug. 14 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area