MONDAY, MARCH 16 2015 >>>

1. The Grand Cinema's Science on Screen series pairs screenings of classic, cult, and documentary films with lively lessons by notable figures from the world of science, technology and medicine. Each film is used as a jumping off point for the speaker to reveal current scientific research or technological advances, providing the perfect combination of entertainment and enlightenment - even for the most science-phobic culture vulture. At 6:45 p.m., Dr. Steven Fradkin, coastal ecologist at the Olympic National Park, will discuss the science behind our state's coast, followed by a screening of the adventure drama, Kon Tiki, the retelling of one man's journey to traverse the Pacific Ocean on a balsa wood raft in 1947.  We fully expect Fradkin to warn against floating across the Pacific on a balsa wood raft.

2. Get out your dancing shoes and join in the whimsy of a country western shuffle dance, hosted by the Evergreen Country Dancers, at 6:30 p.m. in the Olympia Elks Lodge. What is a shuffle, you say? It's the country western version of polka - the primary difference being that the style of shuffle is less hoppy than the polka. The basic step consists of a triple to the left followed by a triple to the right.  The shuffle is sometimes called double two-step or traveling swing, for it also uses components of two-step and the popular East Coast swing. This makes shuffle a very versatile dance, allowing a mix and match of patterns, which can result in some exciting variations - and there's nothing wrong with that.

3. The Keith Henson Octet will play an extensive repertoire of jazz and American songbook standards with five-horn arrangements at 8 p.m. in Rhythm & Rye. Led by Henson and composed of jazz folks from around the South Sound, the group includes arrangements by Marty Paich, Shorty Rogers, Vaughn Wiester, Bill Holman, Sammy Nestico from composers including Shorty Rogers, Harry Warren, Mingus, Coltrane and many others.

4. Rockaraoke at Jazzbones will either be your novel opportunity to act as frontman, or be completely intimidating. Perpetually packed with people, Rockaraoke boasts a unique twist for karaoke in Tacoma: instead of a backing track, you get a three-piece band playing behind you. Check it out at 9 p.m.

5. Trizz, born Arthur "Tre" Lea III, is a self- released rapper from the Inland Empire, a region of Southern California, east of Los Angeles. He, along with Suspect, Curci, Mer5e and Mad Max are part of the Reefers And Liters Tour, which hits Tacoma's El Potrero at 9 p.m.