SATURDAY, DEC. 7 2013 >>>

1. It's freakin' cold outside, and it's better to admit that fact and find a way to enjoy the season than to stay home cowering behind the heater. Ice skating, with its low requirements in start-up costs and athletic prowess, may be the perfect way to beat the winter doldrums. It's charming and, in Tacoma, it comes with live music. Every Saturday night the Weekly Volcano turns on the amps to the Electric Salchow Stage at the Franciscan Polar Plaza ice rink. Up next is Singer-songwriter Rebekah Ann Curtis, who sings and writes her heart and soul through songs that reflect folk, blues and rock. Curtis showcases her voice next door at 7 p.m. and performs for skaters until 9 p.m.

2. Downtown Puyallup turns cranks the holiday factor to an 11 today. Festivities begin at 9:30 a.m. with the Holiday Market in Pioneer Park Pavilion, where you'll find a variety of artisan crafts and unique gifts, as well as holiday home decor and specialty food items. The Lighted Santa Parade begins at 5 - so-called because Santa got lit and wasn't able to drive his sleigh. OK, not really. He just wanted to a break from the elves and reindeer, and decided to hitch a ride on a fire truck instead. The parade culminates in the lighting of the community tree. 

3. Hello, holiday tradition! The Nutcracker ballet performance is a holiday forever classic. The Tacoma City Ballet does it up right and with a delightful twist. Did you know that there's a "prequel" to The Nutcracker called The Prequel or Tale of the Hard Nut? Celebrating its 30th performance season, the ballet company takes on The Nutcracker performance in its entirety, which includes the prequel. In short: prepare to be dazzled, delighted and enchanted at 3 p.m. in the Pantages Theater.

4. Whoooooooa man, we're tripping on some heavy stuff! What's that, dude? What are we on? Just a little Geist and the Sacred Ensemble, that's what. It's a band, man. And they're laying down their sound - think Gregorian chant meets mind-expanding electronic freakiness - tonight at the Aquarius Space Out. That's at the Java Jive, brother. 8 p.m. Oh yeah, and the band got some other cats with them in the van: The Low Hums outta Seattle, whose brand of catchy space-rock will fit right in (hey, they have a song called "Gongs and Bongs"!) and, rounding out this consciousness-altering show, Retrospecter. Maybe you knew them as Tacoma's The Sugar Beats, but they, like, reincarnated (whooooooa, again!). Anyhow, Retrospecter's kaleidoscope musings provide the third leg of what is bound to be a pretty trippy evening. 

5. So much has been said about the classic Tacoma punk band Girl Trouble that very little more needs to be said. For anyone not in the know, this is the most badass band still working in Tacoma. KP Kendall still performs shirtless. The band still fights the good fight against those pay-to-play scams that rob young, naïve bands. Girl Trouble edges closer to their anniversary, and so they are releasing a number of tributes to their boozy, rocking legacy. The band performs its annual Christmas show at 9 p.m. in The New Frontier Lounge with the Dignitaries and Trees & Timber. Read Rev. Adam McKinney's interview with Girl Trouble drummer Bon Von Wheelie in the Music & Culture section.

PLUS: Holiday Events Calendar

PLUS: South Sound Holiday Command Center

LINK: Saturday, Dec. 7 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

THURSDAY, DEC. 5 2013 >>>

1. This date in history marks the day Prohibition was repealed back in 1933, and Olympia bartenders and the folks at the Olympia Film Society will be celebrating in grand style with an evening of burlesque, music, films and craft cocktails at 6 p.m. in the Capitol Theater. From classic cocktails to Tush! Burlesque and Greta Jane Quartet's old-timey music in the 1924 theater, it will indeed be a celebration. Read Nikki McCoy's full story on the event here.

2. Spark: a Burning Man Story is an engaging documentary that gives audiences a rare behind-the-scenes look at Burning Man - a week-long annual art exhibition/party/socioeconomic experiment held in the Black Rock Desert in northern Nevada. While on the surface it may appear to be nothing more than a bunch of hippies living it up in the desert, Burning Man is a monumental undertaking, requiring months of planning and the combined efforts of hundreds of people to pull off each year. The film screens at 2 and 9 p.m. with a film discussion after 9 p.m. show at The Grand Cinema. Read Jared Lovrak's full review of Spark: A Burning Man Story in the Movies section.

3. Hear ye, hear ye, longtime (or short time) people of Tacoma and the South Sound! Job Carr, Tacoma's original Gritizen and the first settler in these here parts, has a sweet little museum and original cabin replica in his honor in Tacoma's Old Town district (birthplace of our wonderful city), set near the shores of Commencement Bay. Feel all old-fashiony and nostalgic at the Old Town tree lighting celebration at the museum site and Old Town Park from 4-6 p.m. Free photos with Santa, cookies and hot cocoa (while supplies last) mark the event. Even better, non-perishable food donations for Food Connection will be accepted during the event.

4. Circle of Friends in Action, or COFIA, hosts a night of holiday shopping to benefit health and educational programs for the students in Rubongi, Uganda at St. Jude's Primary School. From 6-8:30 p.m. in Tacoma's Proctor and Triangle/St. Helens districts, select retailers, businesses and restaurants will donate a percentage of tonight's sales to the cause. St. Helens neighborhood: Dwelling, Giraffe and Maxwell's Speakeasy. Proctor District: Compass Rose, Megs & Mo, Pacific Northwest Shop, Soul, Teaching Toys, The Old House Mercantile Company, Envy, Foxfire Salon and Spa Aveda.

5. Tommy Johnagin started stand-up at the age of 18, dropping out of college at 21 to become a full time comedian. Tommy vows he will one day make enough money to pay his parents back for the six semesters of college he wasted. Catch him at 8 p.m. in the Tacoma Comedy Club.

PLUS: Holiday Events Calendar

PLUS: South Sound Holiday Command Center

LINK: Thursday, Dec. 5 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

WEDNESDAY, DEC. 4 2013 >>>

1. There is the sometimes perilous aspect of holding a discussion in a room full of folks who have had a couple. People feel inclined to yell weird stuff like ‘I've done Jager! I've done Jager!' But it's that kind of energy that makes the Broadway Center's Think & Drink. Part of the Center's yearlong Free For All focus, Immanuel Presbyterian Church Tacoma and Humanities Washington team up two panelists and moderator/KPLU-FM business and labor reporter Ashley Gross for a discussion on holiday shopping and the American consumer culture at 7:30 p.m. in Engine House No. 9's upstairs room. As far as audience members go, if you can handle your alcohol without being a complete asshole, we totally suggest drinking your face off. Drink, drink, drink, drink - because the amount of money you will spend this holiday season will be depressing.

2. Stretch your legs and your mind today through Dec. 8 as Columbia Bank celebrates its 20th anniversary by sponsoring free admission to the Tacoma Art Museum, Washington State History Museum and the Children's Museum of Tacoma. That's lovely of them.

3. Spark: a Burning Man Story is an engaging documentary that gives audiences a rare behind-the-scenes look at Burning Man - a week-long annual art exhibition/party/socioeconomic experiment held in the Black Rock Desert in northern Nevada. While on the surface it may appear to be nothing more than a bunch of hippies living it up in the desert, Burning Man is a monumental undertaking, requiring months of planning and the combined efforts of hundreds of people to pull off each year. The film screens at 6:45 p.m. at The Grand Cinema. Read Jared Lovrak's full review of Spark: A Burning Man Story in the Movies section.

4. You're in denial, but the signs are hard to ignore. Shops are draped in red and green; cocktail parties - your calendar, and you can't button your skinny jeans anymore. Yep, it's the holiday season. As they say, if you can't beat 'em, join 'em, which is why you'll be singing at the top of your lungs at the Saint Martin's University and South Puget Sound Community College's "Ring in the Season" holiday concert at 7 p.m. in the Kenneth J. Minnaert Center for the Arts. The Department of Washington American Legion Band joins the two Thurston County institutions for a lively Christmas pops concert with multiple choral groups, holiday band music and a carol sing-along. Hark you sing!

5. At The Brotherhood Lounge, aerialists are about to take flight again. The re-vamped team is ready to amaze audiences with its color brand of trapeze, beginning at 8 p.m. Creativity never ceases and performances range from naughty to funny to just plain beautiful. The shows are free and tips are encouraged. New this year is a dance party to follow, with grooves by DJ Fir$t Lady. If you've ever been to one of the Broho's impromptu dances parties at past aerialist events, then you know about the twerking, pumping and shaking that goes on. 

PLUS: Holiday Events Calendar

PLUS: South Sound Holiday Command Center

LINK: Wednesday, Dec. 4 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

My co-worker at the bar is all excited. She just found the perfect silky black corset. She has matching rhinestone spanks, a cute hat and a classy cigar box. She has heels and a hairstyle to boot.

She is one of the hundreds of Olympians excited about the Repeal Day Celebration set for the 80th anniversary of the end of alcohol prohibition, Dec. 5.

The Capitol Theater, once again, will be a virtual time warp, as everything of the era will be resurrected. From classic cocktails to Tush! Burlesque and Greta Jane Quartet's old-timey music in the 1924 theater, it will indeed be a celebration.

>>> Tush! Burlesque celebrated Repeal Prohibition Day at the Capitol Theater in 2012. Photo courtesy of Facebook

A Scofflaw Cocktail with Four Roses Bourbon is one of the cocktails to expect.

"This is one drink I like to make every year for Repeal Day because of the drink's history," explains Bradford Knutson, event organizer. "In the early 1920s, a contest was held in America to find a demeaning term to describe a lawless drinker. The winning word was scofflaw."

An Italian Martini will also be on the menu, using Old English gin, a reproduction of a 1783 recipe, and Pisa nut liquor instead of Vermouth. Homemade bathtub gin using moonshine from McMenamin's The Spar will also be on hand.

Dressing from the era is encouraged.

Repeal Prohibition Day Celebration 2013, w/Tush! Burlesque, Greta Jane Quartet, host Elizabeth Lord, 6 p.m., Thursday, Dec 5, Capitol Theater, 206 Fifth Ave, Olympia, $15, $10/OFS members, price includes one cocktail, olympiafilmsociety.org

See Also

South Sound Holiday Command Center

Calendar: Arts and Entertainment

Calendar: Music and Nightlife

SATURDAY, NOV. 30 2013 >>>

1. Winters here are cold and wet, and it's better to admit that fact and find a way to enjoy the season than to stay home depressed. Ice skating, with its low requirements in start-up costs and athletic prowess, may be the perfect way to beat the winter doldrums. It's charming and, in Tacoma, it comes with live music. Every Saturday night the Weekly Volcano turns on the amps to the Electric Salchow Stage at the Franciscan Polar Plaza ice rink. Back from recording a kick ass album in Nashville, voted Best Band in the 2013 Best of Tacoma issue and recent winner of the WAVE Radio Jammin' Challenge Battle of the Bands at the Hard Rock Café, SweetKiss Momma will fire up its Southern soul rock sound at 7 p.m. and perform for skaters until 9 p.m. Oh momma, that's sweet.

2. The Lincoln Winter Market organized by Make Olympia is just what the doctor ordered. Well that, and a hot buttered rum. The market is in its third run, and has grown to more than 70 vendors from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Lincoln Elementary Gym in Olympia. Shanty Slater, who has been heavily involved in Make Olympia (which hosts markets at a variety of locations) since its incarnation in 2010, said the Lincoln Winter Market is "a very special place to buy gifts and treasure from the community." Discover the seven must-see items at the Lincoln Winter Market here.

3. In an effort to make it easy and fun to shop local this holiday season, Duchess of Downtown Tours, best known for its monthly Tacoma ART BUS tours, has hand selected nine of its favorite locally owned shops for the Small Business Saturday Shopping Tour at 1 p.m. Tickets are $25 and include pizza, beverages, VIP swag bags and entry into the raffle for several awesome prizes including two tickets to the sold out Santarchy craziness, a gift basket from Blue Mouse Theater and more. Tickets and list of shop can be found at brownpapertickets.com.

4. For the fourth year in a row, the entrepreneur and hilariously funny and talented Nate Jackson will treat the Puget Sound to a holiday event chock full of fun, class and comedy. Nate Jackson's 4thAnnual Thanksgiving Weekend Super Funny Comedy Show will consume the Temple Theater Plaza Ballroom at 8:30 p.m. featuring a live comedy show followed by an after party. Shang Forbes, whose socio-political views graced CBS's The Late Show and BET's Comic View, will join Jamie Foxx 2011 NBA All Star Comedy vet Lil Rel and fellow Comic View funnyman Ronnie Jordan and Tacoma's own Mr. Mookie on the Temple stage. Afterward, The D1 Experience Band and DJ TuMuch rock the party. Jackson's events are always full of fun, good-looking people and mo' fun.

5. So you don't want to admit to drinking and going to the mall with your friends when you were a teenager. Fine. But there's no shame in shopping at The New Frontier Lounge Saturday night with a few drinks in hand. The fine folks at Feather & Oar men's clothing store are hosting a fashion show with Tacoma Apparel Co., Paper Diamonds Clothing, Gallery of Ambition, Kinfam and Noble Suit Co. with original music by the Keyboard Kid from 9-10 p.m. at The New Frontier Lounge. Rumor is the tickets are going fast; you might want to give Feather & Oar a buzz, or jump on Brown Paper Tickets. After the show, The Flvr Blue will fill the joint with synth pop in between the funky beats spun by Mr. Melanin. Hot Topic this ain't.

PLUS: Holiday Events Calendar

PLUS: South Sound Holiday Command Center

LINK: Saturday, Nov. 29 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

FRIDAY, NOV. 29 2013 >>>

1. In the spirit of making the best out of a bad situation, Zach Powers has organized a Black Friday "mini-concert series" to simultaneously take the sting out of the dubious holiday and to direct shoppers to local establishments. From 1 to 5:30 p.m., select downtown Tacoma stores will be host to mini-performances from local acts. At each of these businesses, one band will show up and play a brief, 15-minute set, designed to draw in shoppers with being too distracting a presence: 1 p.m. at Learning Sprout Toys will feature singer-songwriters Olivia Joy Hustoft and Jenny Snipstead; 2 p.m. at UrbanXchange will have Rockwell Powers; from there, it's 3 p.m. at King's Books with Goldfinch; 4 p.m. finds Apartment Lights at Millesime Designs; and the day closes out at 5 p.m. with Q-Dot at Feather & Oar. Read Rev. Adam McKinney's full feature on the Tacoma Black Friday Concert Series in the Music and Culture section.

2. As you know, the Washington State History Museum has taken a step back in time to study one of America's greatest unsolved mysteries: the 1971 disappearance of skyjacker D.B. Cooper from a plane traveling from Portland to Sea-Tac. What you might not know is Geoffrey Gray - the author of Skyjack: The Hunt for D.B. Cooper - will host a 2:30 p.m. book signing and 3:30 p.m. presentation on his research and conclusions. He'll also be available to join attendees and chat theories afterward at The Swiss. 

3. We dig holiday lights. We just don't like holiday lights on our office (why? laziness, lack of skill, laziness, lack of patience, laziness - you get the drift). Ah, but there's that wonderful Tacoma institution of Zoolights, the Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium's holiday light show and extravaganza. We are not talking a few dinky lights thrown haphazardly into a shrub (much like our sad little office displays). No. We are talking more than half a MILLION lights, crafted whimsically throughout the zoo. Better? Zoolights throws in these groovy little extras like camel rides (yes, really), an antique carousel and a scuba-diving Santa on select days. Zoolights opens for the season from 5-9 p.m.

4. Break out the feel-good tears, tissues, angel wings and silver bells, because local theater is bringing a holiday classic to life. Here are some hints: George Bailey, Clarence the Guardian Angel, Bedford Falls, Christmas Eve transformation, life really is good, "every time a bell rings an angel gets its wings" ... (sniff, sniff). The wonderful and historic Tacoma Little Theatre, located in Tacoma's Stadium District, has been delighting audiences of all ages since 1918 (making it one of the oldest community theaters in the United States) and is taking on the holiday staple, It's A Wonderful Life, at 7 p.m. 

5. Little Orphan Annie likes you. Little Orphan Annie wants to be your friend. Little Orphan Annie wants you to visit her in the orphanage. Little Orphan Annie wants you to adopt her. Little Orphan Annie wants to live with you. Little Orphan Annie wants. Little Orphan Annie wants. Go watch her from a distance in the happiest musical in America and be grateful she has Daddy Warbucks. Little Orphan Annie can be seen at 8 p.m. in the Tacoma Musical Playhouse.

PLUS: Holiday Events Calendar

PLUS: South Sound Holiday Command Center

LINK: Friday, Nov. 29 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

TURKEY DAY, NOV. 28 2013 >>>

1. With the family Ultimate Frisbee season behind us, you may have thought your opportunity to bond with your family on the basis of poor athleticism and a bad team name was over. Not so. The annual Norpoint Turkey Trot takes flight Thursday morning. Jog, trot - hell, even go on stilts - to the Center at Norpoint and run your tail feathers off. The event is stuffed with holiday activities and features a 5k chip-timed run, a 2-mile non-timed run/walk and a Kids' Trot for ages 3 to 10. The sponsoring body, Metro Parks Tacoma, asks you bring your entire family, turkey costumes and $45 on the day of race. Better run, turkeys.

2. Homelessness, hunger and despair are a daily and painful reality for thousands of men, women and children in Pierce County. The Rescue Mission, in operation now for more than 100 years, has been serving the Tacoma-area homeless community by providing meals, shelter, drug and alcohol rehabilitation programs, education and job-training skills and other programs. Help this long-standing organization give folks in need a hand up at Thanksgiving. Check rescue-mission.org and The Rescue Mission's Facebook page for the latest updates on what's needed for the holiday meal. As of this mid-November, kitchen staffers are looking for turkeys, hams and roast beef as well as these extras: flats of mushrooms, any fresh produce, canned fruits and vegetables, potatoes, cream of mushroom soup, cream of chicken soup, fruit pies and stuffing mix. Looking to lend a hand? Check out the volunteer information on the site. Help is needed year round.

3. Matthew McConaughey plays Ron Woodroof, a grimy, shady, homophobic, substance-abusing horndog in 1985 Texas who learns he's HIV-positive and procures unapproved means of treatment in the film Dallas Buyers Club, which screens at 11:30 a.m., 2, 4:30 and 7 p.m. at The Grand Cinema. McConaughey's masterful job of portraying one of the more deeply flawed anti-heroes in recent screen history reminds us why he became a movie star in the first place. We start out loathing this guy and learn to love him. Jared Leto disappears into the role of a transgender drug addict and Jennifer Garner is Ron's empathetic doctor.

4. Holiday lights from the comfort and warmth of your own car? Need to keep the kiddos in awe of holiday wonder while not lugging out the stroller? Put away the umbrellas and rain boots, because here's an easy-peasy way to see some stunning light and holiday wonderland displays right in our own backyard. Take a driving tour of Fantasy Lights in Spanaway Park, where carloads of travelers can see more than 300 stunning displays of lights and whimsical and imaginative animation over a two-mile stretch of Spanaway Lake. The light turn on from 5:30-9 p.m. Tune in to a special holiday radio station for a little holiday music to add to the mood.

5. It's not Thanksgiving without a trip to a casino. Wally & The Beaves will rock the Muckleshoot Casino at 5:30 p.m., and the Emerald Queen Casino hosts Asia Fest featuring Ho Le Thu, Don Ho, Huong Thuy, Trinh Lam, Nguyen Ngoc Ngan, Mai Tien Dung, Bao Thy at 7 p.m.

PLUS: Holiday Events Calendar

PLUS: South Sound Holiday Command Center

LINK: Thursday, Nov. 28 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

TUESDAY, NOV. 26 2013 >>>

1. Located alongside the Tennessee River, Muscle Shoals, Alabama is the unlikely breeding ground for some of America's most creative and defiant music. At its heart is Rick Hall who founded FAME Studios. Overcoming crushing poverty and staggering tragedies, Hall brought black and white together in Alabama's cauldron of racial hostility to create music for the generations. He is responsible for creating the "Muscle Shoals sound" and The Swampers, the house band at FAME that eventually left to start their own successful studio, known as Muscle Shoals Sound. Greg Allman, Bono, Clarence Carter, Mick Jagger, Etta James, Alicia Keys, Keith Richards, Percy Sledge and others bear witness to Muscle Shoals' magnetism, mystery and why it remains influential today in the film Muscle Shoals, screening at 2:30 and 6:45 p.m. in The Grand Cinema.

2. Rosemary Adkins, author of a new memoir, Reflections of Mamie: A Story of Survival - a heartrending account of her life that took 16 years to write - will sign and discuss the book at noon in Orca Books. Her message to other victims is to "share your story" with someone you trust and if you are able, "shout it out" to other victims, showing them how you overcame and got help.

3. The South Sound has its share of geeks. We should know. Our office D&D room is full of them. Heck fire - we every post a weekly Nerd Alert on our blog. When local book geeks aren't tinkering with gizmos that can scan books at 2,000 pages an hour, they're reading them, including Deadpool, Vol. I: Dead Presidents by Brian Posehn & Gerry Duggan. Said geeks will gather at 7 p.m. in King's Books to discuss the chemical reactions to control moisture when cooking turkeys, as well as Posehn and Duggan's book about an overly patriotic ex-Shield Agent, who is also a necromancer, resurrects all our nation's Dead Presidents in order to fix the nation's problems. Unfortunately, the Dead Presidents' solution is to wipe the slate clean with the blood of the American people who they feel have forsaken its dream. S.H.I.E.L.D. dispatches Captain America to confront the issue and things turn bloody.

4. Full Moon Radio plays grunge/pop/punk rock with crystal clear lyrics that are moving and edgy, executed with the feminism and integrity of three superbly powerful women. Catch the band with The Ground Up and Red Red Red at 9 p.m. in The Brotherhood Lounge.

5. The 1230 Room probably has you at "free taco bar," but you also may be interested in the downtown Olympia club's new Tuesday deep, tech and progressive house night "The Deep End." It launches at 9 p.m. with drink specials, no cover and resident DJs Alex Bosi, Evan Mould and Chris Paro.

LINK: Tuesday, Nov. 26 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

MONDAY, NOV. 25 2013 >>>

1. Monday is typically a black hole for nightlife. Sure, if you run a sports bar, you'll do well during football season, but for most eating and drinking establishments, it's just dead, dead, dead. The folks at The Swiss seem to have found a solution and, oddly enough, it's one that has been the bane of many other venues: live music. Since the beginning of time, The Swiss has hosted live blues every Monday. Factor in the free pool on Mondays and now Tuesdays are a black hole for you. The Crazy Texas Gypsies will be in the house this week. Founded in 1999 by vocalist and guitarist Kenny Williams and bass player and vocalist Kevin Fraser, this rockin' blues band has opened for ZZ TOP, Ted Nugent, Kenny Wayne Sheppard, The Ford Brothers and many others. With the addition of drummer Billy Barner and keyboardist Doug Skoog in 2012, the band is crazy good.

2. How do you escape the pressures of the holidays, like, really quick? Bundle up, drop your packages in the trunk, pinch your cheeks until they glow and strap on a pair of silver skates, Hans Brinker, for a glide across the frozen expanse at Tollefson Plaza. The Franciscan Polar Plaza, located on the corner of Pacific Avenue and South 17th Street. The covered outdoor rink is about half the size of a hockey rink. It will have real ice and hold about 150 skaters at a time. It's open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.

3. Holy Midnight Express! It's a Turkish night at the Acme Grub Cage as the Tacoma Cult Movie Club rolls in at 7 p.m. Tonight, it's more Turkey for the money (free) for this pre-Thanksgiving holiday celebration as the TCMC indulges in movies from Turkey, including the Turkish Star Wars. As always, admission and popcorn are free. Don't forget it's 21+ only, and make sure you indulge in those great drinks and the fabulous raffle drawing.

4. New York Times bestselling author Captain Luis Carlos Montalvan, with his service dog "Tuesday," will give a talk and sign copies of his book, Until Tuesday: a Wounded Warrior and the Golden Retriever who Saved Him, at 8:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 25 at the Olympia Timberland Library. Montalvan is a 17-year veteran and former captain in the U.S. Army, where he was awarded the Combat Action Badge, two Bronze Stars, the Purple Heart, the Army Commendation Medal for Valor. Books will be available for purchase from the nonprofit organization, Northwest Battle Buddies. The library is at 313 Eighth Ave. SE in Olympia.

5. Every Monday at 9 p.m. Jazzbones is packed to the brim with college kids. Party types. The type that wear tight shirts and trucker hats. Throngs of Chad Fratguys and Sarah Sororitysisters swarm the bar, line up for the bathroom and dance to the Rockaraoke - live band karaoke. The Rockaraoke band is skilled, too. Expect $2 PBR drafts, $3 Sinfire shots, $4 Smirnoff flavor vodka bombs and a lot of students home for the holiday.

PLUS: Holiday Events Calendar

PLUS: South Sound Holiday Command Center

LINK: Monday, Nov. 25 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

SUNDAY, NOV. 24 2013 >>>

1. The history books will record the Nov. 24 event as Woodstick 2013 and will list among its participants such drumming greats as Kenny Aronoff of The Rolling Stones, Michael Derosier of Heart, Jeff Kathan of The Paul Rogers Band, Todd Sucherman of STYX, Rick Redmond of Jason Aldean's band, John Bolton of the Beatniks and others. Woodstick, set to happen at 3 p.m. (11 a.m. to 3 p.m. drum clinics) in the Emerald Queen Casino, will be the 11th consecutive attempt to set a new world record for drummers pounding the skins to the same song. The current U.S. record is 533 drummers set at Woodstick 2006 in Seattle. The current world record is 800 set by drummers in Birmingham, England in 2010.

2. A Rhapsody In Bloom Florist & Café Latté hosts an open house from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in celebration of its 25th anniversary. Expect local artists, gift ideas, raffle and, of course, lattés.

3. Do you love the Tacoma art scene? Do you think artists are the most rad people on the planet? Does the word "localvore" describe you to the letter? Bonus question: want to get a jump-start on your holiday shopping while supporting the local artistic community? Of course you do! For not one but two days, Tacoma Is For Lovers presents local artists at the dreamy King's Books for its annual Artists Craft Fair that celebrates local art at its finest. Featured work by a wide variety of terrific local artists will include artwork, culinary goodies, crafts, jewelry and much more from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

4. A good day for reflection, Sunday is. A good day for introspection. A good day for looking at a different way of seeing things. Maybe the way dark artists see things (Bet you didn't see that one comin'!). See if you can find your way up to The New Frontier Lounge at 6 p.m. and catch the "FERUS" raw, untamed art show by Andrei Vassiliev, Pasha Kish and Shelly Ann Snyder. The work is expressive, especially Snyder's handicraft - she creates with acrylics, paper and her hands without brushes or tools. "I have found that it is more organic and really shows the feeling that is behind the painting," says Snyder. Why The New Frontier? "It has a laidback atmosphere," she says. "People that don't know much about art can come and check out what we are doing without feeling intimidated. The staff is also very supportive about art and expression of every form." Debo's Chain Maille and Industrial Art is also part of the show. We have no idea what that means, but it sounds like something to see.

5. Remember that time in high school when your parents went away? You know, plot line of every teenage movie ever made - except this time, you blew up the house. Standing in the ashes as your parents roll up, what do you do? Say it with us now - iiiiiimprovise. Take notes at 8 p.m. in the Tacoma Comedy Club when male and female comedians battle with improve and sketch skills. Watch Monica Nevi, Jen Seaman, Kelsey Cook and Sarah Skilling take on Adam Norwest, Mike Coletta, Kane Holloway and Aaron Kirby - and next time you're in a lose-lose situation, you'll wondrously make screams turn to laughter.

PLUS: Holiday Events Calendar

PLUS: South Sound Holiday Command Center

LINK: Sunday, Nov. 24 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area