Weekly Volcano Blogs: Walkie Talkie Blog

Posts made in: 'Benefits' (380) Currently Viewing: 21 - 30 of 380

October 26, 2014 at 9:51am

5 Things To Do Today: Jerry Miller, Pacific Coast Brass, The Capitol Steps, Out of the Woods benefit ...

Jerry Miller performs tonight at The Spar in Old Town Tacoma.

SUNDAY, OCT. 26 2014 >>>

1. 1. Moby Grape was one of the most versatile San Francisco rock bands to emerge out of the summer of love. Sadly, through a combination of inner turmoil and bad management decisions, the mighty Moby Grape broke up in 1969. However, their debut album is still considered one of the best of all time by many critics, in part because of the nimble fingers of guitarist Jerry Miller. Miller was named one of the top 100 guitarists of all time by Rolling Stone above Eddie Van Halen, Johnny Winter and Randy Rhoads. The Tacoma native has enjoyed a rich career sharing the stage with countless musicians including members of the Doobie Brothers and Carlos Santana. Miller performs at 7 p.m. at The Spar in Old Town Tacoma

2. Pacific Coast Brass, a new ensemble of world-class performers, will make its debut with New York trombonist and guest artist John Rojak at 2 p.m. in in Schneebeck Concert Hall on the campus of the University of Puget Sound. Rojak, a faculty member at The Juilliard School, and musician in the American Brass Quintet, will join five of the new group's members - playing trumpet, French horn, tuba, and trombone - for the public performance.

3. Esteemed character actors Alfred Molina and John Lithgow play George and Ben, longtime partners who get married in Love Is Strange's opening scenes. After a celebration at their apartment things immediately fall apart. With his sexuality now a matter of public record, George is fired from his job as a choir director at a Catholic school, and the two must sell their apartment and stay with different sets of friends and relatives until they find a new place of their own. Indie filmmaker Ira Sachs creates finely observed relationship dramas (Forty Shades of Blue, Keep the Lights On) in which life's disruptions are characterized not by dramatic blow-outs but by small everyday scenes that slowly build to heartbreaking clarity. Here, a loss of a job leads to a drop in finances which forces Ben and George to give up their Manhattan apartment. After nearly four decades together, the pair is also physically separated, forced by the city's brutal real-estate market to seek temporary shelter apart: Ben bunks down with his nephew's squabbling family and George gets a couch with former neighbors, two young gay cops who stay up late. It's awkward for everybody. Catch the film at 2:30 and 7:30 p.m. in the Capitol Theater.

4. Every year, the Washington D.C. comedy troupe Capitol Steps descends on the South Sound bringing with it a full bag of political humor and clever song parodies about things that rhyme with Scalia. Major laughs ensue. The Steps will perform at 3 p.m. in  the Pantages Theater, no doubt full of new material thanks to a whole year of new inspirations - American political attack ads, Obama administration's drone wars, NSA spying scandal, Bridgegate. ...

5. Seattle's Jennifer Kelly Band will perform their high-energy blend of folk and rock at the Out of the Woods benefit show at 7 p.m. in Traditions Café. Olympia's Out of the Woods shelter is one of only two family shelters in Thurston County. A rocking band, an amazing vocalist and helping families with children find stability and safety in a home environment makes for a great Sunday night.

LINK: Sunday, Oct. 26 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

October 25, 2014 at 8:09am

5 Things To Do Today: 2nd Cycle concert, Dick's Brewing, Capitol Steps, Phobos & Deimos ...

Rockwell Powers will perform at Fulcrum Gallery in Tacoma tonight.

SATURDAY, OCT. 25 2014 >>>

1. Eliot Lipp, Rockwell Powers and Lozen - a musical dream lineup for many - will fill Fulcrum Gallery with a little bit of this and a whole lot of that beginning at 7 p.m. It's eclectic enough roster to be a good match for its beneficiary, 2nd Cycle. This 6-year-old nonprofit bike shop, located next to Fulcrum, is saving up to move into a bigger place where more people can be helped. 2nd Cycle is around to educate, support, and advocate for Tacoma cyclists. The shop sells used bikes and bike parts as well as host educational programs. All funds go toward 2nd Cycle's efforts to move into a larger space.

2. It was more than 20 years ago Dick Young started off as a humble home brewer, brewing in the back of Northwest Sausage & Deli. Since October 1994, Dick's Brewing has grown from a three-barrel operation brewing flagship Dick Danger Ale to more than 20 varieties of beer, a new brewery location with taproom, new Black IPA recipe called Midnight Ride - the first of Dick's beers carry the brewery's new label and logo - and a 20th anniversary celebration from 3-8:30 p.m. at the Centralia brewery, coinciding with the honoring of Dick Young's passing in 2009.

3. Every year, the Washington D.C. comedy troupe Capitol Steps descends on Tacoma and Olympia, bringing with it a full bag of political humor and clever song parodies about things that rhyme with Scalia. Major laughs ensue. The Steps will perform at 7:30 p.m. in the Washington Center, no doubt full of new material thanks to a whole year of new inspirations - American political attack ads, Obama administration's drone wars, NSA spying scandal, Bridgegate. ...

4. Uncle Bonsai's gorgeous harmonies and silly, singular lyrics remind us of Louden Wainwright III, only sweeter. Start with "Boys Want Sex in the Morning," then listen to "Doug at the Gates of Hell." If you didn't LOL at the first song and shed a tear over the second, then we don't get you but at least we're square. If we're right about your reaction, though, you know what you have to do next, because Uncle Bonsai plays Traditions in Oly at 8 p.m. We love this group!

5. The genius thing about the subgenre of post-punk is that we now have bands like Phobos & Deimos who can mine inspiration from a vibrant variety of bands that existed during the wild and innovative times of the late '70s to the early '80s. Read Rev. Adam McKinney's full feature on Phobos & Deimos in the Music & Culture section., then catch the band withChung Antique, Battersea, Bullets or Balloons and Fountains at 8 p.m. in Bob's Java Jive.

LINK: Saturday, Oct. 25 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

October 23, 2014 at 7:29am

5 Things To Do Today: Oly CLAW, Flavor, Oly Freakdown Fest, Kim Archer ...

DJ Fir$t Lady knows what female arm wrestling spectators want to hear.

THURSDAY, OCT. 23 2014 >>>

1. The Olympia chapter of the Collective of Lady Arm Wrestlers, or Oly CLAW, will battle beneath the holiday lights at The Brotherhood Lounge in downtown Olympia, beginning at 6:30 p.m. Characters such as Ivana KrushU, Cold As Isis, Vegan Villain and more will go head-to-head, or should we say arm-to-arm, in a full-out fight to raise money and awareness for Garden Raise Bounty, or GRuB, an organization that inspires positive personal and community change by bringing people together around food and agriculture in Thurston County. Spectators are encouraged to dress as wild as the arm wrestlers. After the last arm is slammed to the mat, DJ Fir$t Lady will spin favorite jams.

2. Flavor, a night of dining at immigrant-owned and immigrant-supporting restaurants has reached its second birthday tonight with participating restaurants kicking back 25 percent of food sales to Tacoma Community House. Participating restaurants include Adriatic Grill, Aviateur French Diner, Doyle's Public House, El Pulgarcito, Gateway to India, Il Lucano Ristorante, Indochine, Karma Fine Indian Cuisine, Pho King, Southern Kitchen and others. See the full list of participating restaurants, visit TacomaCommunityHouse.org/Flavor.

3. If you walk through the ParkWay Tavern's door between 6-10 p.m., you'll sure to be hit in the face with fresh herby, piney, fruity, floral and earthy aromas. That's right friends, it's Fresh Hop Fiasco night at the Tacoma tavern. The ParkWay will serve Fresh Hop beers while raising money for adorable animals. Click here for the beer list.

4. Olympia's loudest three-day Halloween party begins tonight with an all-ages show at Le Voyeur. Serling, Right Your Wrongs, Tallest/Of/Mountains, Whitewoodfunk and Fuzz Bomb will rock the tiny room, beginning at 6 p.m. For more Oly Freakdown Fest details, click here.

5. Last Thursday The Valley tested the live music market hosting the Voodoo Organist and Swampy Draws. The Tacoma restaurant and bar was packed. Wisely, The Valley jump back into live music hosting Kim Archer at 8 p.m. Archer's powerful voice a la Janis Joplin and Chaka Khan will rattle the taxidermy.

LINK: Thursday, Oct. 23 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

September 28, 2014 at 10:22am

5 Things To Do Today: Back to Beale Street blues, Downtown to Defiance, Roxi Wolfe benefit, Super Funny Comedy Show ...

The CD Woodbury Band headlines a blues show today at The Swiss.

SUNDAY, SEPT. 28 2014 >>>

1. The South Sound Blues Association (SSBA) is hosting a fundraiserto help send The CD Woodbury Band to the International Blues Challenge in Memphis in January today at The Swiss. As readers may recall, guitarist CD Woodbury and his band emerged victorious earlier this year at the SSBA's Back to Beale Street Competition.  The band's eclectic array of originals and obscure "gem" covers encompassing roots, blues,rock, old school R&B, funk, jazz, jump swing and Americana - all flavored with the spirit of Jam Band improvisation - blew the judges minds. Now the booty-shaking contemporary blues band is headed to Memphis - meaning the SSBA will be footing the travel bill. Aside from being for a good cause, this Sunday's show at The Swiss will bring together a formidable collection of blues musicians, all of whom will no doubt bring the house down. Starting at 4 p.m. and running until 10 p.m., those scheduled to perform include former Back to Beale Street winner The Randy Oxford Band, Richard Allen and The Louisiana Experience, Emily Randolph and Oaklawn, The Wired Blues Band - and, naturally, The CD Woodbury Band with guest vocalist Maia Santell.

2. Walk, bike and roll to enjoy 6.5 miles of trails and roadways along Tacoma's waterfront from 8 a.m. to noon during Downtown to Defiance 2014. Organized by the city of Tacoma, Metro Parks Tacoma and Downtown On the Go, the event is open for anyone and everyone and there will be plenty of activities from the Tacoma Dome, along the waterfront to Point Defiance Park, including a button-making activity at Marine Park.

3. Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium has planned a special day for its sea otters in the Rocky Shores area. Festivities include special treats for the otters at 10:30 a.m., 1 p.m. and 4 p.m.; tours of the Marine Mammal food preparation area from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.; and hands-on sea otter-themed activities and crafts from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Marine Discovery Center.

4. A few of Roxanne Wolfe's friends are holding a fundraiser to help cover costs of her medical condition that her health insurance won't cover. A night of music is scheduled from 7-11 p.m. at The New Frontier Lounge. Emcee Doug Mackey will keep the laughs coming and The Crazy Texas Gypsies, Stonepony, Evan Purcell and special guests on track. Expect a silent auction and good times.

5. Nate Jackson returns with a double-header of his Super Funny Comedy Show at 7:30 and 9:30 p.m. in Keys On Main. Two comedy shows in one night is a nice twist. Tiffany Haddish (The Arsenio Hall Show, Def Comedy Jam) and Shawn Harvey (Bad Boys of Comedy) will headline the shows, which have received rave reviews since Jackson began hosting and producing them a few years back. The show will be flanked by SFCS resident soundman DJ Tu and a special performance by Grammy nominated singer/songwriter William Jordan.

NATE JACKSON'S SUPER FUNNY COMEDY SHOW, w/ Tiffany Haddish, Shawn Harvey, William Jordan, 7:30 and 9:30 p.m., Keys On Main, 1003 Pacific Ave., Tacoma, $15-$20, brownpapertickets.com

LINK: Sunday, Sept. 28 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

September 24, 2014 at 10:13am

Air Support: NWCZ team, assemble!

This project will only be funded if at least $9,000 is pledged by Sunday, Oct. 12, 2014 8:46 p.m.

We were on our way to Lakewood when my wife suddenly turned down the radio and murmured, "I think I'm finally getting old."

"What do you mean?" I asked with due caution. In my head, Admiral Ackbar was barking, "It's a trap!"

"I hate everything on the radio today," she explained. It occurred to me we hadn't taken a single car ride in two weeks without hearing Charli XCX brag about how fancy she and, by extension, Iggy Azalea are. Granted, Azalea's the rilles', but surely we'd prefer a bit more variety in our musical offerings? My better half was right to kvetch, but not about the music itself. The problem with radio isn't music, my friends, it's the radio. Simply put, the business of FM sees little percentage in exposing its listeners to anything but the dozen songs selected for national exposure two months ago. And if you're still listening to AM radio, well, you're probably hunting for tornado reports or play-by-play commentary on your grandkid's high school football game.

Rest assured, friends, people do still make plenty of music that kicks ass, offering passion, intelligence, creativity and vitality in thundering waves of earhole righteousness. The problem is, you need help finding it. That, of course, is where NWCZradio.com comes in. Full disclosure: noisecrafters NWCZ hosted our Volcano Radio for 19 episodes. We've had our metaphorical hands in each other's financial pockets a few times over the years, not that they offered much beyond movie stubs, unpaid beer tabs and petrified Altoids. As you may expect in a community of struggling wordsmiths, our besties tend to run short on moola as well.

That's where you come in. Yes, it's another crowdfunding plea, but this time it's all but painless. Drop by Kickstarter to check out NWCZ's campaign. The station isn't asking for much, to be honest, just a few thousand bucks to buy much-needed computers, a sound board and other Web-friendly audio equipment. What do you get? Potentially, a lot: an hour as the station's artistic manager and programmer, for example, sets you back a mere $300. A donation of $700 earns a barbecue and blues shindig in your own backyard. Be the envy of all your friends, and/or the bane of your neighbors' existence! Or, if that seems too, pardon the expression, fancy for your blood, fork over a lousy five-spot to earn a cool sticker, plus the self-adoring glow of baseline generosity.

NWCZ thanks you. The Weekly Volcano thanks you. Most of all, my wife and I thank you, for helping us extract that damn "Holy Grail" worm from our ears at long last.

Filed under: Benefits, Radio, Tacoma,

September 11, 2014 at 7:19am

5 Things To Do Today: Le Diner en Blanc, The Art of Girl Trouble, wine and beer tastings, Golden Hour ...

A scene from last year's Le Diner en Blanc at Wright Park. Photo credit: Pappi Swarner

THURSDAY, SEPT. 11 2014 >>>

1. The summer is winding down and clothing retailers are rolling out fall's thick knits and denims, so why on earth are people across the city hitting stores in a mad scramble to find crisp, white duds? It's because Le Diner en Blanc Tacoma outdoor dinner party is from 6-8 p.m. at Wright Park. And if you go and want to help create Instagram pictures as pretty as a postcard, you need to show up in style - all-white style, that is. Yes, looking wicked in white is going to take a little effort, people. But it'll be worth it for what's becoming, along with perhaps the Pride Festival, the fashion spectacle of the summer. Plus, it's a fundraiser for First Night Tacoma. Guests are encouraged to bring a picnic. Tables, tablecloths and chairs will be provided.

The kids are back in school, so it's time for you to take care of yourself. Pour at Four wine bar hosts a wine tasting of "Back-to-School" wines, meaning six delicious wines that will help you relax and you will surely enjoy from 5:30-8 p.m. The Copper Door beer store and taproom hosts a launch party for San Diego's Green Flash Brewing's season triple IPA Green Bullet from 7-11 p.m. New Zealand grown Pacific Gem and Green Bullet hops were used to create this bold IPA with notes of spicy pine, mango and pineapple. Also on tap will be Flash's Saison Diego, East Village Pilsner and Road Warrior Imperial Rye IPA.

3. Filmmaker Isaac Olsen and band Girl Trouble collaborated on a gallery exhibition to accompany the Olsen's film about Girl Trouble, Strictly Sacred. Fulcrum Gallery hosts the exhibit, with an opening-night gala from 6 to 10. It highlights T-shirt art by guitarist "Kahuna" Henderson, paintings by drummer Bon Von Wheelie, a dress worn by octogenarian dancer and Girl Trouble superfan Granny Go-Go, and a massive store of art and arcana from a band that's still happily banging away. Read Christian Carvajal's full story on the show and film run at The Grand Cinema here.

3. Will Eno, a playwright (and Pulitzer finalist) born in 1965, was cocky enough to write his own, 21st-century take on Our Town. The resulting script, Middletown, is less than four years old, so it truly is about the meaning of life in our time. Its ad copy emphasizes the arc of life from birth to death, and that's a fair summation of the play. An anti-Seinfeld, it's a show about everything. It's loaded with jokes, but none are delivered as jokes. We laugh a few seconds later, having solved a mental puzzle. Read Christian Carvajal's full review of Middletown in the Music & Culture section., then catch it at 8 p.m. at Harlequin Productions.

As a band name, Golden Hour sounds like it would give you a pretty clear idea of what to expect - when using the term for photography, golden hour (or magic hour or lavender hour) denotes the period just before sunset when everything is slightly aglow with a reddish hue, lending a softness and clarity to image, so you might naturally picture a twee gentleness to any band that would adopt the name. While there's a certain delicate air to Portland's Golden Hour, there's a lurking feistiness that lends a twitchy energy to their music. Jangly guitars and cooing vocals will suddenly give way to jubilant yelps. Catch the band with Oh, Rose, Camp Wisdom and Sister Palace at 8 p.m. in Northern.

LINK: Thursday, Sept. 11 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

September 6, 2014 at 10:17am

5 Things To Do Today: "Gayla," Proctor Farmers Market, Crafts from the Past, Electrisad ...

Vicci Martinez performs tonight at the Pizza Klatch "Gayla" in the Washington Center.

SATURDAY, SEPT. 5 2014 >>>

1. Vicci Martinez, Tacoma native and finalist on NBC's The Voice will perform at the Pizza Klatch Gayla: A Slice of the Good Life tonight. Also on tap will be the outrageously funny singing group The Righteous Mothers. There will be a silent auction with items ranging from a wine tasting for 15 people; a night at Cabo San Lucas, Mexico; a Seattle Storm fan pack and more. Featured speakers include Congressman Denny Heck, Sen. Karen Fraser, Rep. Laurie Jinkins and Marissa Rathbone of the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. Other events at the Gayla include a youth art show, specialty wine and beers, advice booth run by teenagers, and a Panowicz Balloon Pop with a chance to win jewelry worth up to $1,500, all beginning at 7 p.m. in the Washington Center.

2. "Plastics: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly" will be the theme of the 4th annual Green Day at the Proctor Farmer's Market from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Expect a cluster of booths at the market, each focusing on different aspects of plastics in our lives, including volunteer programs you can join, children's activities, and drawings every half hour for prizes related to both the market, and going plastic-free.  And, of course, a marimba band. 

3. Meet national best-selling mystery writer Laurie King at a talk and book signing at 10 a.m. in the Lakewood Playhouse. Nine of King's books will be available for purchase and signing, including The Game and Locked Rooms - popular titles in the series about Mary Russell who partners with the retired Sherlock Holmes to solve cases. A former Pierce County resident, King graduated from Franklin Pierce High School in 1970. As a child, she lived in Dash Point in a house overlooking Puget Sound. She now lives on California's central coast.

4. The Fort Nisqually Living History Museum's Crafts of the Past program features milliner Dana Repp as this weekend's artist-in-residence from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The program - which will be ending this month - allows visitors to see the "creativity of daily life" in crafts of the 1800s (other crafts for September include tin whistles and cyanotypes, a photographic printing process that produces a cyan-blue print). Repp makes period replicas of bonnets based upon examples in museum collections, period illustrations and photographs. Examples of various 19th century bonnets will be on display, and Repp will demonstrate bonnet construction methods.

5. The Phoenix, Arizona, band Electrisad makes music that's perfect for swooning young lovers. Simple synths and gentle melodies weave in and around the cooing vocals. When things rise above a tender whisper, the energy is offset by a lingering sense of melancholy. Cheap synthesizers lend everything the feeling of a heartbroken teenage girl shutting herself away in her bedroom and setting her journal entries to music and endlessly writing the name of her love in her notebook. Catch the band with Seth Boyer at 8 p.m. in Metronome Coffee.

LINK: Saturday, Sept. 6 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

August 21, 2014 at 7:29am

5 Things To Do Today: Amy Ray, ART WALK, Dustin Lynch, Buddy Banter ...

Amy Ray has gone country.

THURSDAY, AUG. 21 2014 >>>

1. We love "Closer to Fine" as much as the next dirt-kicker, but only ridiculous amounts of cash would have persuaded us to label the Indigo Girls as hard rockers. Which is why Amy Ray's solo albums are such a mind-blower - they pit one half of the pleasant-harmony duo against her previous hold-hands template, opting for more aggressive guitars and cutthroat lyrics. Ray performs at the Capitol Theater at 8 p.m. Come get your folk punk on.

2. The Tacoma Post office Building ART WALK! unleashes marauding gangs of craftspeople, artisans and their multitudinous admirers on the genteel people of Tacoma and the surrounding city under one, very old but bitchin' roof. In June, 300 to 400 people walked through the halls, discussing art, sipping beer and wine and wiggling a little to DJ music. Expect the same vibe from 5-9 p.m., with DJ Schematik in the Office, artwork by Mod Curio, Just Two Guys Creative, Perry Porter, Kristin Giordano, Alex Schelhammer, Abby Kok and Katlyn Hubner, just to name a few. Isaac Olsen and Nick Bulter will screen their films. Willow Eskridge, Kate Monthy and Daniel Martin present the "Ballerina Project Tacoma." Run for your art!

3. The ParkWay Tavern hosts Get Rowdy For Rhinos fundraiser benefiting Drinking For Conservation and Point Defiance AAZK. All you have to do is show up between 6 and 10 p.m. and pour alcoholic beverages down your throat. Fifty cents from each drink will be donated to the cause. There'll also be a donation bucket available, and contributions can be made online.

4. Dustin Lynch grew up listening to neo-traditional country singers Alan Jackson and Clint Black. Although born in Nashville, Lynch was raised in the small town Tullahoma, 70 miles to the southeast. In 2003, he returned to the city of his birth to make it as a country singer. At 7 p.m. Lynch will perform songs off his new album, followed by a Q&A with the audience, at Steel Creek American Whiskey Company. The all-ages show is free.

5. The lo-fi indie rock of San Diego trio Buddy Banter is the kind of laidback pop that comes across as utterly effortless. Elastic guitars call to mind the slacker goof-off rock of Mac Demarco. Much like many other artists in this era of Nostalgia, Buddy Banter make music that could've easily dominated the college radio charts in the early '90s, even as songs like "Little Devil (Come Kick It)" and its bouncy guitars almost sound like the dusty rock of the '70s. What really makes Buddy Banter shine, though, is the purely sunny air that permeates their music. Catch the band with Hot Rush, Lures and Soccer Babes at 8 p.m. in Northern.

LINK: Thursday, Aug. 21 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

August 20, 2014 at 9:51am

Kitsap Stampede rodeo includes salute to military Aug. 21, donation to Fisher House

John Michael Montgomery performs tonight at the Thunderbird Arena directly after the Extreme Bull Competition.

Get ready to hold on to your (cowboy) hats. The annual Kitsap County Fair and Stampede kicks off today with five days of carnival rides, critters, deep-fried dough concoctions, a wide array of sure-to-please entertainment and much more.

The "stampede" part of this extravaganza is a series of rodeo events including an Extreme Bull Competition today followed by a concert performance by country singer John Michael Montgomery.

Three days of Professional Rodeo Cowboy Association (PRCA) pro rodeo action kicks off with a special salute to the military at 7 p.m., Aug. 21.

Joint Base Lewis-McChord Fisher House Manager Jodi Land will be on hand to accept a donation of $5,000 courtesy of the Kitsap rodeo committee, which will also honor other local service members prior to the start of the action.

"We are so grateful for the generous support that will be used to provide a 'home away from home' for our military service men and women and their loved ones receiving care at Madigan Army Medical Center," Land said.

The JBLM Fisher House is one of 63 similar houses around the world. It provides a comfortable, safe place for ill and injured service members and their families to stay for up to six months at no charge. 

The Fisher House donation comes as part of National Wrangler Patriot Night, a year-round program that raises funds to support U.S. military veterans and their families.

"We have a high level of pride and respect for individuals serving in the U.S. military who show heroism every day in an effort to protect our country," said Phil McAdams, president of Wrangler Specialty Apparel, on the program's website. "This is our chance to give back to those veterans who have suffered injuries fighting for our country's safety and freedom, and to their families who have lost a loved one while on duty." Since it began in 2009, the Wrangler National Patriot program has donated more than $750,000.

"A local committee will raise money for a local veteran's charity, and they will match it up to $2,500," explained Dennis Wood, a volunteer on the Kitsap Stampede rodeo committee. "We get to pick the charity, and it stays in our area. Then we go out and raise money - at least $2,500 - so they will match it."

During the past six months or so, the Kitsap Stampede rodeo committee has been raising funds for the JBLM Fisher House. Three silent auctions, a comedy night at a local tavern and a barrel race all brought in more than the required $2,500, Wood said.

The all-volunteer committee is made up of many veterans or those affiliated with the military, said Wood, a retired Navy master chief who has been in the area since 1985. "So there are a lot of people really attached to it."

In addition to the check presentation and service member recognition, Wrangler is providing hats to the first 500 veterans at Thursday's rodeo kick-off event along with National Patriot program bandanas. Active duty and retired service members and their dependents with valid military ID, along with first responders, get in to the fair and rodeo that day for just two bucks.

So dust off those cowboy boots, dig out your best cowboy hat and head up to Kitsap this week for some world-class rodeo action.

KITSAP COUNTY FAIR AND STAMPEDE, Aug. 20-24, 1200 NW Fairgrounds Road, Bremerton, tickets start at $11, children 5 and younger free, http://www.kitsapgov.com/parks/fairgrounds/pages/fair_information.htm.

August 15, 2014 at 7:59am

5 Things To Do Today: Signed Book and Wine Auction, indie films, Helsing Junction Sleepover, Voxxy Vallejo ...

Molly Ringwald and Peter Buck, who were at Prosecutor Mark Lindquist's kickoff party April 4, have signed CDs for auction tonight. Photo credit: Jeff Caven

FRIDAY, AUG. 15 2014 >>>

1. Pierce County Prosecutor Mark Lindquist's fifth annual Signed Book and Wine Auction will be held at 5 p.m. inside King's Books. New York Times bestselling author Garth Stein will attend. His new novel, A Sudden Light, will be available for auction six weeks before it appears in bookstores. Other signed books on the auction list include bestsellers by Ann Rule, Maria Semple, and Bret Easton Ellis. For music fans, Peter Buck of R.E.M. and actress/singer Molly Ringwald have donated signed CDs. Lindquist, after being elected by a landslide in 2010, is up for election again this year, although he lacks an opponent. Thankfully, this tall, handsome novelist/prosecutor with cool friends is throwing a party anyway. It's our one chance a year to feel like an A-lister.

2. Since 2010, The Grand Cinema has been taking advantage of the simultaneously obvious and genius concept of taking Filmmaker Magazine's yearly list and turning it into a film festival celebrating rising talent. Actors, writers, directors, animators and other facets of filmmaking are honored by the magazine, and then in turn are celebrated during the five-day festival at The Grand Cinema. Frequently, the honorees in question show up to introduce their films and participate in Q & A's. Read Rev. Adam McKinney's full feature on the 25 New Faces in Independent Film in the music and Culture section, then attend the opening films today at The Grand Cinema, including a mixer with DJs at 9:30 p.m.

3. "Awesome coffee on a farm in the middle of pretty much nowhere, group photo on the haystacks every year ... swimming in the river, eating food that was grown on the land, standing in the back field late at night, watching the bands play (really loud), or watching from the hay bales under the stars." These are musings from Mariella Luz, K Records general manager, as she reflects on some of her favorite things about Helsing Junction Sleepover. In its 10th year, the Helsing Junction Sleepover is bigger than ever, with plenty of room to grow. The three-day party takes place on a 30-acre-farm. Tonight kicks off with eight performances, including Spider and the Webs, Arrington De Dionysio and Tender Forever. For more info and a complete list of bands, visit www.krecs.com/helsingjunction.

4. If the music of Voxxy Vallejo were the soundtrack for your life, you'd be guaranteed a good time and a crazy ride. Heavy blues laced southern rock and roll that is perfect for sweaty summer nights and back yard barbecues. Hot and sticky ... Voxxy's vocals entice and forbid while Gene's guitar licks interplay with her voice, both teasing and encouraging the song right out of her. It's Gene's Vellejo's birthday so the back will tear it up at 7:30 p.m. in Jazzbones.

5. As you know the CannaCon cannabis convention is going down at the Tacoma Dome. Those with CannaCon credentials or tickets can get into see local, original bands Mighty High and Ethan Tucker at 9 p.m. in The Swiss Restaurant and Pub at a discount, which of course is probably the entire city.

LINK: Friday, Aug. 15 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

About this blog

News and entertainment from Joint Base Lewis-McChord’s most awesome weekly newspapers - The Ranger, Northwest Airlifter and Weekly Volcano.

Recent Comments

Walkie Talkies said:

Thanks for posting! But I want say that Walkie Talkies are really required while organizing fun...

about COMMENT OF THE DAY: "low brow’s" identity revealed?

Humayun Kabir said:

Really nice album. I have already purchased Vedder's Album. Listening to the song of this album,...

about Eddie Vedder’s "Ukulele Songs" available today - and I don’t hold a candle to that shit

AndrewPehrson said:

Your post contains very beneficial content. Kindly keep sharing such post.

about Vote for Tacoman Larry Huffines on HGTV!

Shimul Kabir said:

Vedder's album is really nice. I have heard attentively

about Eddie Vedder’s "Ukulele Songs" available today - and I don’t hold a candle to that shit

marble exporters in India said:

amazing information for getting the new ideas thanks for sharing a post

about 5 Things To Do Today: Art Chantry, DIY home improvement, "A Shot In The Dark" ...

Archives

2024
January, February, March
2023
January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December
2022
January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December
2021
January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December
2020
January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December
2019
January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December
2018
January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December
2017
January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December
2016
January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December
2015
January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December
2014
January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December
2013
January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December
2012
January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December
2011
January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December
2010
January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December
2009
January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December
2008
January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December
2007
January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December
2006
March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December