SUNDAY, DEC. 11, 2011 >>>

1. The Finnish legend of Santa Claus is a little darker than ours. Namely, he shows up and demands presents. And the version of Santa Claus in Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale is after more than presents. Basically, a greedy corporation unleashes demon Santa from his icy mountain and he starts nabbing kiddies. So a couple trappers have to end his ass. The full-length film in Finnish with sub-titles will screen at 2 p.m. at The Grand Cinema.

2. The juried Fine Arts and Crafts Show will be held from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Women's Club of Olympia House in downtown Olympia.

3. Astronauts, Elvis, sky rides, royalty, the Kennedys, religion, topless  showgirls, the Canadian tattoo, the Cold War and futurist speculation - the 1962 Seattle World's Fair had it all.  The era and its people come to life in The Future Remembered: The 1962 Seattle World's Fair and Its Legacy - a new, coffee-table-style book by Paula Becker and Alan J. Stein filled with fascinating history, stories and pictures to celebrate the fair's upcoming 50th anniversary. Stein will drop by the Tacoma Public Library Main Branch for a 2 p.m. chat, slide show and signing.

4. Gen Silent is a critically-acclaimed documentary from filmmaker Stu Maddux that explores the challenges of six LGBT (lesbian, gay, bi, trans) seniors who face the difficult choice of hiding their friends, their spouses and their entire lives in order to survive in the health care system. The film will screen at 5 p.m. as part of SAGE Olympia's senior gay and lesbian film series at the Capitol Theater.

5. Little Bill and the Blue Notes headlines the Christmas Blues Vespers show at 5 p.m. inside Immanuel Presbyterian Church in Tacoma.

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

LINK: 2011 South Sound Holiday Happenings

LINK: Happy hours!

SATURDAY, DEC. 11, 2011 >>>

1. The magical, wonderous world of the Nutcracker we see today is a far cry from the bleak, unhappy place imagined by the story's original author, E.T.A. Hoffman. Clara is Marie, a child in an unhappy home whose closest companion is a Nutcracker doll. The mouse king has seven heads and while it features a happy ending, the tale as a whole was so dark it was never intended for children. Then Alexander Dumas nice-ified the text and Tchaikovsky was commissioned to write a ballet score. And the far kinder version that Tacoma City Ballet presents at 3 p.m. inside the Pantages Theater. Representatives from the Marine Corps Toys for Tots Foundation will be on hand to accept donations for needy children in our community. Yet another reason why we should all love ballet.

2. Duck The Malls sounds fun on paper. If nothing else, this holiday sale to benefit the Olympia Film Society cuts out so much of the guesswork and crap of going to a regular flea market: With just the freaks on board selling their Yaz CDs, hipster bicycles and Ronald McDonald drinking glasses, you're sure to be steering clear of screaming babies and the scary men selling kicker boxes and enormous knives. Meanwhile, you may finally pick up that home-tattooing manual you've always wanted, along with that Boss phaser pedal whatshisname uses. You know there's going to be that moment where somebody runs into her ex, who's behind a table selling everything she ever gave him. Check it our from 1-4 p.m. inside the Capitol Theater. For the complete story on the event, click here.

3. We love the holidays, but let's face it: shopping at this time of year can suck. Snagging your nails in a catfight over a cashmere scarf, ruining your skin in the moisture-sucking mall air, and growing monster knots of tension just to cross each gift off your list makes for a stressful season. Enter the Mad Hat Tea Company, whose Cash Flow Show featuring local artists you know and love, slinging a bounty of artistic goodness priced at $25 or less, from 7-11 p.m. Santa has all the details here.

4. Who better to lean about Himalayan Sherpas than from someone whose last name is Sherpa. After traveling  around the world in 1991, Caryl Sherpa returned with a story to tell and a desire to write. Her passion is for Nepal, most especially the Sherpa people, after she met and married her trekking guide, Nima Sherpa. Caryl will enter Orca Books with a backpack full of her new book, I Taste Fire, Earth, Rain: Elements of Life With A Sherpa at 7 p.m.

5. Yet another chance to enjoy seasonal music, this time provided by Rich Wetzel's expanded million-piece Groovin' Higher Jazz Orchestra. Wetzel will lead his big band through both traditional and non-traditional holiday music, with many of the arrangements taken directly from the great Stan Kenton. Wetzel will also orchestrate hallowed stuff in the jazz world and some big band arrangements of bygone holiday swingers, as well as some of Groovin' Higher's regular jazz book. The music begins at 7:30 p.m. inside Tacoma Community College's Building 2 Auditorium.

PLUS: Today's Santarchy, Beautiful Angle Holiday Party and Dickens Fest are previewed in our Weekend Hustle.

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

LINK: 2011 South Sound Holiday Happenings

LINK: Happy hours!

THE LOWDOWN ON WHAT'S UP THIS WEEKEND >>>

WEATHER REPORT

Friday: Clear and cold, hi 45, lo 30

Saturday: Mostly sunny, hi 43, lo 34

Sunday: Partly cloudy, hi 43, lo 32

>>> THURSDAY-SUNDAY: A Christmas Story

True, there are a boatload of holiday theater productions to choose from right now - including Capitol Playhouse's Scrooge: The Musical and Tacoma Little Theatre's A Christmas Carol, both of which received rave reviews in this week's Volcano. Still, only one South Sound holiday production stars the Volcano's own Christian Carvajal, theater critic extraordinaire! And that production is Olympia Family Theatre's A Chrismtas Story, currently running through Dec. 18 at the Minnaert Center-Black Box. Rather than watching the re-run on TBS for the 800th time, see Ralphie's quest for the elusive Red Ryder BB gun with the whole family in Olympia.

• The Minnaert Center-Black Box, through Dec. 18, 7 p.m. Thursday - Friday, 1 p.m. Saturday - Sunday, recommended for ages 8+, $9-$16, 2011 Mottman Road SW, Olympia, 360.753.8585

>>> SATURDAY, DEC. 10: SANTARCHY TACOMA

Anarchy is once again coming to Tacoma, and it's wearing a Santa suit. Well, hopefully hundreds of Santa suits. The pan-continental holiday riot known as Santarchy could easily be denounced as just another excuse to get s***faced - like wedding receptions or a visit to Sea World. But it's more. The revelry involves dozens, hundreds, sometimes thousands of Santa-suited sots marauding about town - and in Tacoma it's been a tradition since 2007.  This year Tacoma's version of Santarchy goes down Saturday, Dec. 10. And there's a Santarchy party bus involved! The Santarchy party bus takes off from the Harmon at 5 p.m. (must have a purchased bracelet to ride), and will drop the drunken Santas off at 9 p.m. at O'Malley's. Before, during, and afterward craziness will ensue. Follow Tacoma Santarchy on Facebook for all the details.

>>> SATURDAY, DEC.10: BEAUTIFUL ANGLE HOLIDAY PARTY & POSTER SALE

Now in its ninth year, there's there's no doubt that the annual Beautiful Angle Holiday Party and Poster Sale is an event Tacoma has come to know and love. Going down this Saturday at King's Books and kicking off at 7 p.m., the event will be a, well, beautiful exposition of everything Tacoma's underground-legend guerilla arts project is all about. If you're not on the Beautiful Angle train yet, see what you've been missing. Bryan John Appleby, along with special guest, The Living, will be providing the music. And you'll have the opportunity to buy a poster or two while meeting Lance Kagey and Tom Llewellyn. It's a win-win.

• King's Books, 7 p.m., free admission, 218 St. Helens Ave., Tacoma, 253.272.8801

>>> SATURDAY, DEC.10: DICKENS FEST

Oh Dickens! It's time for another Stadium District Dickens Festival! Every year, for one Saturday in December, Tacoma's postcard-esque Stadium District (Hey, they make postcards of a lot of stuff...) gets all Dickensy in the spirit of the holidays, busting period costumes, carriage rides, beard contests and even Bill Baarsma telling stories of the Chinese expulsion (What, really?). It's all true. Even the Baarsma part (he'll be at King's Books at 4 p.m.). Get in on the tradition this year. Find all the info you'll need right here.

• Stadium District, 11 a.m. - 5 p.m., all ages, most events are free, $40 dinner and theater package available, dickensfestival.net

>>> SATURDAY-SUNDAY: THE NUTCRACKER

Stop pretending you're some sort of tough guy and go see the goddamn Nutcracker already. You know you want to. You're fascinated by people in tights. Plus, the local productions are simply amazing. In Tacoma, Tacoma City Ballet does its thing at the Pantages. In Oly, catch Ballet Northwest's take at the Washington Center for the Performing Arts.

• Pantages Theater, Tacoma City Ballet presents The Nutcracker, Saturday-Sunday through Dec. 18, 3 p.m., Wednesday, Dec. 21 at 1 p.m., $19-$60, 901 Broadway, Tacoma, 253.591.5890
• Washington Center for the Performing Arts, Ballet Northwest presents The Nutcracker, Friday- Sunday through Dec. 18, Friday- Saturday 7:30 p.m., Saturday - Sunday 2 p.m., $14-$30, 512 Washington St. SE, Olympia, 360.753.8586

>>> WHAT SOME OF OUR STAFF MEMBERS ARE UP TO

NIKKI TALOTTA Features Writer
All things Christmas. Finding and cutting the perfect tree with my boys, shopping at Duck the Malls arts and crafts sale, baking and decorating yummy cookies and with my hubby - a little kissing under the mistletoe. Sweet stuff.

JOANN VARNELL: Theater Critic
Saturday the whole family is going to the annual Beautiful Angle Holiday Party where we will grab some amazing limited posters (I may throw an elbow or two if necessary so watch out) and listen to Bryan John Appleby!!! The little son and I will be going to his first toddler birthday party for his best friend on Sunday.

STEVE DUNKELBERGER Meat Market Photographer
Going to the Dickens Festival and Happy Feet II with the kiddos as well as working in the church yard and then some jammy time around the house... Oh the glamorous life of a writer.

ALEC CLAYTON Visual Arts Critic
PFLAG holiday party and white elephant gift exchange Sunday.

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CHRISTIAN CARVAJAL Theater Critic
I'll be fighting a furnace all weekend as The Old Man in Olympia Family Theater's production of A Christmas Story. Hosticklepfeiffer!

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

THURSDAY, DEC. 1, 2011 >>>

1. Tacoma's Blue Mouse Theatre kicks the holiday season off in style today with a classic, 1954's White Christmas - which will play at 7 p.m.. Director Michael Curtiz shrugs off the cynicism in his Casablanca and plunges into this unabashedly sentimental musical starring Bing Crosby. The teary finale makes the singing and dancing near worth it.

2. In Olympia, the Blackbery Bushes Stringband will play at McMenamins Spar Café & Bar at 7 p.m. All ages can get in on this bluegrass and Americana-tinged good times, and there's no cover.

3. William Breitenbach, a professor of history at the University of Puget Sound, will lead a public conversation on the Civil War today at the University Place  Pierce County Library. The event, which is the first installment of a series of book readings and discussions led by Breitenbach called "Let's Talk About It: Making Sense of the American Civil War" happening on the first Thursday of the month, will run from 7-9 p.m. Tonight's event is especially important, as a short orientation meeting and distribution of the free books to be read will kick things off. Register at the library or by contacting Adult Services Librarian Jason Anderson at janderson@piercebountylibrary.org.

4. Today is World AIDS Day. In that spirit, the Tacoma Art Museum invites the public to join them and Visual AIDS, "to honor 30 years of AIDS by viewing the film Untitled by Jim Hodges, Carlos Marques de Cruz and Encke King," according to the press release. The film is described as, "a moving, nonlinear montage of archival and pop footage recalling the passionate activism sparked by the early years of the AIDS crisis." Find more info here.

5. The band Keeping Secrets will play Hell's Kitchen tonight - a dynamically rocking reason to start your weekend just a wee-bit early. Plus, the dudes of Keeping Secrets are all about standing around in large bodies of water (see above). So there's that.

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

LINK: Live music tonight

LINK: This week's freebies

FREE EVENTS IN THE SOUTH SOUND NOV. 28-DEC. 3 >>>

Oh man, Bobble Tiki loves outer space, UFOs, lizard people from the 5th Dimension walking among us and everything X-Files. Many times Bobble Tiki has hopped around the Arizona desert, searching for clues and bunkers and spacecraft wreckage and secret codes written on tablets of transparent zirconium. And look! Northwest expert James Clarkson is lecturing this week. Righteous. In his honor, Bobble Tiki presents a week of free outer-space-ISH events in happening in the South Sound.

MONDAY, NOV. 28: Every Monday DJ Melodica spins punk, post punk, New Wave and early electronica tunes during Micro Mondays at Magoo's Annex in Tacoma. Bobble Tiki can only assume Melodica will spin "space" music by Aphex Twins, Thomas Dolby, Enigma, Brian Eno, Peter Gabriel, and, of course, "Space Age Love Song." The free music begins at 8:30 p.m.

TUESDAY, NOV. 29: Once Sold Tales Bookstore Outlet in Kent allows those 18 and younger to take home free five books from 60,000 titles from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. as a way to encourage reading in the next generation. Bobble Tiki expects The Magic School Bus Lost in the Solar System, The Sky Is Full of Stars, Binky The Space Cat, Captain Underpants and the Invasion of the Incredibly Naughty Cafeteria Ladies from Outer Space and Colonization Of Psychic Space: A Psychoanalytic Social Theory Of Oppression and to be among the choices.

WEDNESDAY, NOV. 30: Yes! James Clarkson, a career investigator and UFOlogist will discuss cases of unidentified flying objects in the Northwest and ideas on the nature of non-human intelligence for free at 7:30 p.m. inside the Olympia Timberland Library. Is anyone else suddenly picturing Gillian Anderson in a black dress with a white duster?

THURSDAY, DEC. 1: This might be stretching this week's theme but Bobble Tiki believes mediation is an attempt to build on your inner consciousness so that you have an enhanced awareness of both your valid existence and your rightful relationship to the infinite cosmos. At 7 p.m. inside The Nalanda Institute Dharma Center in Olympia, a free class will be held on "Contemplative Science, Dharma Practice from a Research Perspective," These teachings are based on recent collaborative research studies between Buddhist scholars/meditators and western researchers.

FRIDAY, DEC. 2: Space is the place. The Future Bass maestros of intelligent electronica descend upon the Tempest Lounge for a cover-free night so intense that mere dancing is not sufficient. DJs BROAM, Bobby Galaxy and Sound Selector E.S. present the latest and future of electronic music while immersed in a lush environment of projected video and live visuals. The spaceship takes off at 9:30 p.m.

SATURDAY, DEC. 3: As Hollywood's bottomless recycling bin continues along the dark path of rebooting, relaunching, CGI-ing and 3D-ing an entire generation of young executives' childhood memories into franchise-ready properties, Jim Henson's iconic creations have hit recently returned to the big screen with The Muppets. In celebration the Lakewood Pierce County Library will celebrate The Muppets with Muppet movies, including Muppets From Space, beginning at 1:30 p.m.

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

LINK: 2011 South Sound Holiday Happenings

WHAT WE HAVE FOUND TODAY >>>

Good News: There will be people still around to put out your house fire and help you when someone smacks you in the face. (News Tribune)

Raided Again: Law enforcement shut down five medical marijuana dispensaries in both Pierce and Thurston counties. (News Tribune)

For The Record: eMusic editors come clean with five picks. (Paste Magazine)

Telling Stories: Hear five National Book Award finalists. (NPR)

New Star Wars Flick?: Possible.(io9)

We Can See It: Tim Burton may direct an adaptation of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. (Deadline)

Dessert: We're talking Mad Men marathon on Turkey Day. (The Hollywood Reporter)

It's Wednesday!

THIS WEEK'S FREEBIES NOV. 14-20 >>>

Contrary to popular perception, writing is actual work. No matter the frivolity of the piece, even if it be a mere Freeloaders column, you can rest assured true blood, sweat and beers were spilled during its composition. Perhaps not as much blood, sweat, etc, in a Freeloaders column, as say in a novel, or a poem, or an essay, or a radio jingle, but. ... This is not the point. The point is that now it's time for you to meet the men and women behind the magic, and learn about the craft. The following are FREE opportunities to learn about the craft, discuss it or actually participate in it.

MONDAY, NOV. 14: New to the graphic novel game? An old pro? It really doesn't matter - Tacoma's Graphic Novel Book Club, which meets on the second Monday of every Month at 1022 South, has something for everyone. And guess what!?! It's the second Monday of the month! The GNBC dives into Y The Last Man: Book One by Brian K. Vaughan, Pia Guerra and José Marzán, Jr., the gripping saga of Yorick Brown, an unemployed and unmotivated slacker who discovers that he is the only male left in the world after a plague of unknown origin instantly kills every mammal with a Y chromosome. Y, this club is perfect for U.

TUESDAY, NOV. 15: The queer Banned Book Club meets at 7 p.m. to discuss banned books, why the books are banned and specifically, the club's November read, Rainbow Boys by Alex Sanchez over cocktails inside the Tempest Lounge. The book follows the lives of three gay high school seniors, each with their own struggles. The story addresses very real, and very serious issues that many gay teens face: suicide, friendship, coming to terms with one's own sexuality, coming out, HIV, family, and homophobia.

WEDNESDAY, NOV. 16: While it takes some English professors an entire semester to analyze one Robert Frost poem, Doug and Anne Hoppper will cover Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice in about 90 minutes. What Bobble Tiki calls Cliff's Notes for Christians, First Presbyterian Church's "Great Truths from Great Books" explores the spiritual meaning of some of the world's greatest books. This week, it's all about mercy, intolerance, and revenge in the South Chapel at 7 p.m.

THURSDAY, NOV. 17: Tacoma's Poet Laureate Josie Turner summoned Tacoma poets to converge on the Proctor Art Gallery and go dactyl, enjambment and free verse on what they saw. The poetry is on display by the art that inspired it in what the gallery calls "Poetry in Response to Art." It runs through Nov. 3, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday-Saturday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday.

FRIDAY, NOV. 18: At midnight on Nov. 1, 250,000 people around the world set out to become novelists in a month with NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month). The Yelm Timberland Library, an official NaNoWriMo participant site, will provide support, hosting a 7 p.m. to midnight write-in. Refreshments and additional support will be provided. Go NaNoWriMo!

SATURDAY, NOV. 19: Writing good nonfiction isn't something that comes naturally to everyone. Maybe there's help: the Pacific Northwest chapter of the National Writers Union, UAW Local 1981 meets at 11 a.m. inside King's Books. Both members and non-members are welcome to attend. Writers are invited to bring two pages of double-spaced copy to read, or you can listen and be part of the critique process.  Nonfiction writers of history, politics, economics, biography or family history are especially encouraged to attend, but those who write about kittens are welcome. Bill Johnston says you better pre-register with him, or else he'll write something about you.

SUNDAY, NOV. 20: While major publishing houses are suffering sliding scales and have axed jobs, e-books have been a perennial Next Big Thing - except to authors without name recognition or comfy advances. But you don't care. You just want to know how to work the damn thing. The Summit Pierce County Library will offer a free 1:30 p.m. class on how to operate e-readers and other devices compatible with Pierce County Library's e-book resources and download and install the software needed to get started.

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

LINK: Free Tacoma restaurant app

SUNDAY, NOV. 13, 2011 >>>

1. If you haven't heard of Pierced Arrows, you're in the dark. Born out of the ashes of seminal garage rock band Dead Moon, Pierced Arrows boasts Fred and Toody Cole - both of Dead Moon fame. Rounded out by drummer Kelly Halliburton, Pierced Arrows have been receiving positive comparisons to the famous band they succeeded, and winning smiles and applause from those who cursed the day Dead Moon broke up. The Brotherhood Lounge in Olympia hosts the band at 9 p.m. Missing out would be foolish.

2. There's something wonderfully odd and mysterious about the mind of the miniaturist; it takes a certain kind of person to spend so much time around small things, to appreciate the exacting elegance of a tiny table or an itty-bitty bed. Whether it's a simple dollhouse or an extravagant diorama, creating a good miniature world is a matter of scale, a fastidious craft that requires patience, an artist's eye - and lots and lots of time. Gallery Three in Puyallup celebrates those dedicated folks with a wine reception for its Miniature Art Show from 12:30-2 p.m.

3. Dr. Lorraine McConaghy, author of New Land, North of the Columbia: Historic Documents that Tell the Story of Washington State from Territory to Today will discuss her book at 2 p.m. inside the Olympic Room at the Tacoma Public Library Main Branch in downtown Tacoma. She's traversed the state and sifted through the files of three dozen archives to cull the 400-plus documents that bring to life Washington's last 150 years.

4. Puget Sound Youth Wind Ensemble launches its eighth season at 7 p.m. inside the Schneebeck Concert Hall on the campus of the University of Puget Sound.

5. More than a dozen local and national comedians will come together at 8 p.m. inside Jazzbones to make you laugh and raise money for Tacoma comedy veteran Debbie Wooten-Williams, who has recently had set some health setbacks. Hosted by Ralph Porter, tonight's   "Comedy for a Cause" lineup includes comics Jerry Percio, Travis Simmons, Susan Jones, Cari Tillery, Shawn Lawrence, Rodney Sherwood, Mike Wally Walter, Tony Daniel, Rico the Comedian and Mr. Mookie.

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

LINK: Get the Foodcaching foodie app

MONDAY, NOV. 7, 2011 >>>

1. In 1984, author and illustrator Chris Van Allsburg brought 14 drawings, so the story goes, to a children's book publisher by a man named Harris Burdick, along with titles and captions. Burdick promised to return the next morning with the stories to go along with the drawings ... but he never did. The pictures were published in Mysteries of Harris Burdick, "in the hope that ... children will be inspired by them" to write their own stories. As it turns out, 14 great authors were also inspired by the illustrations. The collections have been released in Allsburg's book, The Chronicles of Harris Burdick. Allsburg will visit the Tacoma Public Library Main Branch at 7 p.m. to discuss and sign the book.

2. Swanky bars and restaurants can be intimidating. You know, the hostess in a pantsuit, the expensive looking votives, the dim lighting. Oh God, the price tag. But sometimes you get all the swank without all the intimidation. Indochine Asian Dining Lounge in downtown Tacoma is certainly known for its swank. Luckily, they offer a 4-10 p.m. happy hour Monday through Thursday that has "big beers" priced at $4.75. Big beers. Down a couple of those bad boys and the pyramid bar with the excruciatingly expensive top shelf loses some of its scare. Not all, but some.

3. Tacoma playwright C. Rosalind Bell presents a free, 7 p.m. staged reading of her screenplay about blues guitar legend Robert Johnson at the Toy Boat Theatre in Tacoma's Hilltop neighborhood. This is a rare opportunity to hear a diverse company of 12 professional and community actors read this rich, textured and cinematic treatment about the too short life of Robert Johnson, the archetype bluesman. The man who, legend has it, got his extraordinary guitar skills by bartering with the devil and who lost his life - at age 27 - by being poisoned by the husband of a woman he was wooing.

4. Marty Essen, author of Cool Creatures, Hot Planet: Exploring the Seven Continents, will present a high-energy, seven-continent, digital slide show of his awesome adventures at 7:30 p.m. inside Kilworth Memorial Chapel on the University of Puget Sound campus. His show, titled "Around the World in 90 minutes," will feature stories and the best of thousands of photographs he took while traveling the world for his book. Questions will be taken at the end of the presentation.

5. The Pat Moss Blues Band will hit the stage at The Swiss around 8 p.m.

LINK: This week's freebie events

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

LINK: Happy hours!

THIS WEEK'S FREEBIES NOV. 7-13 >>>

Hey, what happened?  Bobble Tiki was just traipsing happily through autumn, watching the leaves turn pretty colors and fall into someone else's yard, when it suddenly turned cold!

When the cold arrives is when Bobble Tiki begins doing his old man thing: puttering around the house. Bobble Tiki walks around turning lamps on and off, makes coffee, calls to see which checks cleared overnight, visits the porch to see which plants he has killed and, well, just putter. Anything you read on this page must be taken with a grain of salt, because Bobble Tiki can't remember what it is he's supposed to be doing.

But don't fret, gentle reader, because Bobble Tiki sends you another fresh Freeloaders column to keep your tootsies toasty. This week, Bobble Tiki will focus on free events centered on things that are old. Like Bobble Tiki. 

MONDAY, NOV. 7: Tacoma playwright C. Rosalind Bell presents a free staged reading of her screenplay about blues guitar legend Robert Johnson at the Toy Boat Theatre in Tacoma's Hilltop neighborhood. Twelve professional and community actors will bring to life the African American blues artist who, in the 1930s south, developed a sound and approach that was to influence the entire genre of rock and roll music, before his untimely death at 27 after being poisoned by the husband of a woman he was wooing.

TUESDAY, NOV. 8: For some reason, the history books concentrate on the presidents after the adoption of the U. S. Constitution. However there were 14 presidents prior to the U. S. Constitution, eight of which served under an earlier constitution, The Articles of Confederation. The 14 Presidents Prior to George Washington exhibit - on display at Karpeles Manuscript Museum next to Wright Park in Tacoma - will discuss history during these 14 presidential terms. As always, admission is free.

WEDNESDAY, NOV. 9: Emile Zola's epic Germinal was published in 1885: the year Freud arrived in Paris to study hysteria, and the year the miner's son, DH Lawrence, was born. Psychologically, socially and politically, Germinal was a trailblazing fiction set in the 1860s in a mining community in northern France. Meeting in Tacoma since 1994 - the year Bobble Tiki was beat up by his construction site buddies after Bobble Tiki said he preferred anti-folk, no-wave and some math rock over country music - the Classic Book Club will discuss Germinal at 7 p.m. inside King's Books.

THURSDAY, NOV. 10: For the past 25 years investigative journalist David Barsamian has altered the independent media landscape with his weekly audio series Alternative Radio, a one-hour public affairs program carried by over 125 radio outlets in the U.S., Canada, Europe and beyond. In September, he was deported from India for his work on Kashmir and other revolts. At 7:30 p.m. Barsamian will give a free lecture on "Uprisings: Form Kashmir to Egypt to wall Street inside the Washington State Labor Council office in Olympia.

FRIDAY, NOV. 11: The Washington State History Museum will admit active duty and retired military and their family free admission on Veteran's Day. At 2 p.m. the downtown Tacoma museum will commemorate Veteran's Day by reading aloud a series of recollections written by or about military service members past and present. Members of the public are invited to recount, in 500 words or less, a personal experience related to the American armed forces or a memory of someone who is or was in military

SATURDAY, NOV. 12: What was life on Earth like in the years between the dinosaur extinction and the rise of human beings?  Bobble Tiki was thinking it must have been pure bliss.  But no, there were dangers a plenty, which you may witness if you drop in on the shark feeding at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium at 11 a.m. 

SUNDAY NOV. 13: Remember how sweet life was before everyone was addicted to TV and the Internet?  When situations weren't created for you - you actually had to use your imagination to spice up life? Shake the dust off your brain, and listen to Dr. Lorraine McConaghy discuss her newly released book, New Land, North of the Columbia: Historic Documents that Tell the Story of Washington State from Territory to Today, at 2 p.m. inside The Tacoma Public Library Main Branch. Historian McConaghy has traversed the state and sifted through the files of three dozen archives to cull the 400-plus documents that bring to life Washington's last 150 years.

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

LINK: Nightlife It List