A zombie apocalypse took over part of Joint Base Lewis-McChord, forcing hundreds to battle through hordes of zombies. Luckily, these zombies didn't have a taste for human flesh; they only wanted the blood red flags each runner wore around their waist.

Halloween excitement at JBLM reached the zenith with the inaugural JBLM Zombie Apocalypse 5k Run Nov. 1, bringing servicemembers and families together for this ghoulish and heart-pounding event hosted by the JBLM Directorate of Family and Morale, Welfare & Recreation.

More than 200 people joined in the scary fun, and tried their luck surviving in the face of 100 volunteers dressed as zombies.

"Everyone's on a big hype of zombies, right now, with shows like Walking Dead, they're huge and it's great to take part of something that's so big right now in our generation," said Spc. Bruce C. Svendsen, a military policeman assigned to the 66th Military Police Company, 504th MP Battalion, 42nd MP Brigade.

>>> Photography by Staff Sgt. Micah VanDyke/19th Public Affairs Detachment

Lizza Lockett, an intramural coordinator with JBLM's DFMWR, broke down the unique aspects of the 5k run compared to others and how the zombie interaction was planned out. She pointed out how the run is not going to be like the movie World War Z, which had fast zombies, but rather it will be slow moving zombies trying to snag the runners flags.

"The goal is to complete the course with at least one flag left and you'll be entered in a special door prize to win a Dell laptop," said Lockett. "We have other door prizes, such as tickets to (LeMay - America's Car) museum, tickets for tattoos and gift certificates from AAFES."

>>> Photography by Staff Sgt. Micah VanDyke/19th Public Affairs Detachment

Many participants brought their children to compete in the run and dress up as zombies.

"It's awesome. We're trying to keep our kids active and it's fun to be a part of the first (zombie run) on the post," said Sgt. Patrick Moorer, who is in Bravo Company, 47th Combat Area Support Hospital, 62nd Medical Brigade, JBLM. "They really enjoyed it and had a great time."

The appeal of this type of event encouraged many people to put down their tablets or smartphones, and children to hold off on picking through Halloween candy until after the run.

"It's great to see everybody outside getting away from the TV and other technology; staying active and being fit," said Moorer. "So, it was a good time for the family."

Svendsen was excited about the role of playing as a zombie and really enjoyed the evening.

"It's a riot. I love it, and I have my own make-up on. I wanted to use it for something and this gave me a chance to do it," said Svendsen. "People are getting some exercise and we're getting the screams and scares."

>>> Photography by Staff Sgt. Micah VanDyke/19th Public Affairs Detachment

Everyone, young and old, survived the run but only a few kept at least one flag to compete for the grand prize and bragging rights. The JBLM Zombie Apocalypse 5K Run is set to be a yearly post-Halloween event. If this year's run was any indication, it will quickly become one of most the anticipated DFMWR events.

Staff Sgt. Micah VanDyke is with the 19th Public Affairs Detachment.

I'm a hairy guy; there's just no getting around it. Thanks, ample testosterone! With one infuriating exception - my scalp - I can grow hair pretty much anywhere, seemingly just by flexing for a few seconds. My face sprouts a beard at the speed of a Play-Doh "spaghetti" extruder. Thus, autumn's a special time for me, when I'm free from theatrical obligations and can allow my cheeks a break from the razor. I'm happy when others join me in my yearly "No Shave November" ritual, a phrase our culture has since portmanteau'd to "Noshember." Like many, I tend to conflate Noshember and Movember, but did you know the latter has a very specific purpose? It was conceived by Aussie blokes in 1999 as a way of publicizing men's health issues, especially prostate cancer and depression, and applies only to the growing of mustaches. All those other facial hairs are just you and me being lazy. Hey, no shaving, no shame!

The Movember Foundation, which refers to participating dudes as "Mo Bros," says the purpose of those autumn mustaches is to "change the face of men's health." And while the phrase "Mo Bros" or the practice itself may seem silly, they have laudable goals. As you read this, I'm recovering (I hope!) from surgery to repair an inguinal hernia. Inguinal (pronounced ING-gw'n'l) is a fancy medical term for "groin stuff," so, as you can imagine, men's health is very much on my mind these days. My father's a survivor of prostate cancer, and it's highly probable I'll deal with similar issues down the road. According to the CDC, more than 200,000 men each year are diagnosed with the disease, and it kills over a tenth of those men. Next to non-melanoma skin cancer, it's the most prevalent form of cancer in American men, especially among men of Hispanic extraction. Depression's a bit different: men are only half as likely as women to experience it, and more women than men attempt suicide. So why, then, do at least three times more men than women die from suicide each year? One hates to say men are more "successful" at killing themselves than women, but those are the facts. In some years, the male-to-female ratio of suicide deaths is closer to 10:1.

Obviously, it's more fun to read (and write) about wacky fall mustaches than "the true meaning" of Movember. But as you're trimming and styling your fancy soup strainer this month, try to remember we're all in this together. This has been a pivotal year with respect to men coming to grips with issues faced by #YesAllWomen, and that's terrific. In fact, it's long overdue. But it's also a good time for all of us, male and female, to consider men's particular mental and physical health risks. So the next time you see a dude walking down the Ave with a still-growing mustache, remember to shoot him a friendly thumbs-up. He may be a survivor of something far more embarrassing and intense than bad facial hair.

To read about or contribute to the Movember Foundation, check out US.Movember.com.

South Sound Movember

The Handlebar Cycling Studio is challenging men to grow the best 'stache during November to help raise awareness of men's health issues. Snap a photo of your 'stache at the Handlebar, send it to them or post it on Facebook and tag The Handlebar and be entered in a drawing for free gear and rides. Ladies, snap a photo with a fella and his mustache at The Handlebar, post it on Facebook and you'll be eligible for the same awesome prizes. 715 Commerce St., Tacoma

Red Wind Casino is promoting Prostate Cancer Awareness Month in November with Movember Moustache. If you wear a real or fake mustache to the casino Monday-Friday, you'll qualify for the 10 a.m. and 8 p.m. drawings for $125. Red Wind will donate another $25 to the Movember Foundation for each winner. For those without a moustache, fake moustaches will be available at Club Red inside the casino. 12819 Yelm Hwy. SE, Olympia

The staff at Fisher Jones Family Dentistry grows out its ‘staches to raise awareness for men's health. If you would like to join the Fisher Jones staff's annual cultivation of upper lip caterpillars, you may join its Olympia Moustache Militia.  For more details, call 360.943.4644. 2415 Pacific Ave. SE, Olympia

Do you know of a South Sound Movember event? Give it a shout out in our comments section.

WEDNESDAY, OCT. 29 2014 >>>

1. Northwest music scene break-out since 2004, High Ceiling plays alongside some of the biggest names in jam-rock-reggae: John Brown's Body, Rubblebucket, Clinton Fearon, Kyle Hollingsworth, Junior Reid and many others. Roots reggae, world, trance and jazz sounds are infused with improvisation, defining High Ceiling's unique presence in the Northwest music and eclectic arts scenes. Catch the band with IWayne and Black Am I at 8 p.m. in Jazzbones.

2. Between 10-11 a.m., Red Wind Casino will cut the ribbon for its new 600-space parking garage. After the ribbon cutting, head inside for a $6 Sloppy Joe and fries meal in The Medicine Creek Deli. Then, hit the Craps table.

3. Today is the last day you can grab shigoku oysters at Salty's at Redondo Beach. For the uninitiated, the shigoku oyster has a light, clean taste of cucumber and salt with a finish of water chestnut and Jerusalem artichoke. Salty's tops each oyster with local huckleberries poached in champagne and then finish with a lemon thyme-infused verjus mignonette. It's the perfect balance of sweet and tangy flavors.

4. The rich get richer, the poor get the picture, as noted U.S. policy experts Midnight Oil once said. The gap in the U.S. between the rich and the poor has never been wider. As we learn in the film Inequality for All, earnings for the "1 percent" have doubled in the last 35 years, while wages for workers have diminished dramatically. The film features Robert Reich -professor, best-selling author, and Clinton cabinet member - as he demonstrates how the widening income gap has a devastating impact on the American economy. Catch the film at 6:30 p.m. in the Capitol Theater, then stick around for a post-film discussion.

5. Barbara Ehrenreich's 2001 book Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America is about her cross-country odyssey as a voluntary member of the working poor. Ehrenreich believes that even as poverty rates - and income inequality - climb, it's only getting harder to be poor. Tacoma Mayor Marilyn Strickland has selected Ehrenreich's groundbreaking study of our nation's working poor for the 2014 Tacoma Reads community reading program.Throughout the month of October, the Tacoma Public Library has been hosting book discussions in various forms, covering topics such as income inequality, the death of the American Dream, the destruction of the middle class and certainly the battle to raise the minimum wage. What is the impact of raising the minimum wage on workers and businesses? Will it substantively address rising inequality and the broad decline of the middle class or, as some assert, result in more youth unemployment, higher prices and increased automation? Discuss it at 7 p.m. at the Tacoma Public Library Main Branch in downtown Tacoma.

LINK: Wednesday, Oct. 29 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

"That is one big flag" said a Pacific Lutheran University ROTC cadet as she looked up at Tacoma Screw's new flagpole. Towering at 180 feet tall, the pole supports a flag measuring 40 feet by 80 feet. It's the tallest flagpole in the Pacific Northwest.

Built to commemorate Tacoma Screw's 70th anniversary, the company's credit services and marketing manager Michael Howard said that it was also built to honor veterans. A flag-raising ceremony was held at the company's Tacoma headquarters Oct. 25.

Howard told the crowd gathered to see the dedication that as the company came up on its anniversary, they tried to figure out the best way to celebrate it. He said they decided the best way to celebrate their success was to give back to their community and those who protect it. "We remain proud of our Tacoma roots and our Tacoma legacy" he told the audience.

One of the speakers was Don Dossa. His father and two brothers all served in the military. "You maybe thank a checker at the store or a friend every day, but veterans don't hear thank you enough," Dossa told the crowd.

>>> PLU ROTC military science instructor Sgt. 1st Class Christopher Hughes hooks up the flag at the dedication ceremony for Tacoma Screw's new flagpole. Photo credit: Kevin Knodell

American Veterans Department of Washington Commander Charles Wharton commended Tacoma Screw for showing its support for veterans. He gave the crowd a lesson on the history of the American flag and its significance.

Members of the PLU ROTC Color Guard raised the flag. The program's professor of military science, Lt. Col. Kevin Keller, said organizers asked a few weeks ago if his cadets were available after the previous flag raisers dropped out.

>>> Pacific Lutheran University Professor of Military Science Lt. Col. Kevin Keller listened to speakers at the dedication ceremony for Tacoma Screw's new flagpole Oct. 25. Photo by Kevin Knodell

>>> American Veterans Dept. of Wash. Commander Charles Wharton addresses the crowd at the dedication ceremony for Tacoma Screw's new flagpole.Photo credit: Kevin Knodell

This fell outside of the color guard's typical event types, they usually present (much smaller) flags for ceremonies and sporting events. It took everyone on their color guard roster - and then some. "This is more than just the color guard out here," Keller said.

It is indeed, one big flag.

Howard said that this moment was two years in the making. The flag was so tall, they needed approval from the Federal Aviation Administration and Joint Base Lewis McChord. It required wading through a lot of regulations, paperwork and signatures.

It also required cash.

Howard wouldn't say how much specifically it cost, only saying it cost "a serious chunk of money."

>>> Photo credit: Kevin Knodell

The soldiers of 1st Squadron, 14th Cavalry Regiment shared a little of their cavalry history with their spouses as they took part in a spur ride Oct. 8.

SecondLt. Dan Jester, a platoon leader in the regiment, explained that when soldiers joined a cavalry they were required to earn their spurs. That rite of passage continues today for soldiers and their spouses.

 "I think it's a good way to build the unit's morale and get the families more involved," said Jester. "In my opinion, anything that we can do to get the families involved is going to increase soldier morale and our capability to fight."

The spouses were placed in five teams based on their soldier's troop before completing an obstacle course, a confidence course, a rappel tower, a rifle range and a litter carry relay.

Jester explained that the teams were being graded on how well they performed in each segment and given an overall score.  

>>> Sgt. David Diaz, left, with the 595th Military Police Company, receives a certificate from Lt. Col. Robert Halverson, 1-14 Cavalry Regiment squadron commander, for participation in the unit's Spouse Spur Ride at JBLM. Photo credit: Staff Sgt. Antwaun J. Parrish

Sgt. David Diaz, a military policeman assigned to 595th Military Police Company, participated as a spouse, because his wife Pfc. Kristina Diaz is a member of 1-14th Cav. Reg.

"I'm dual military, so it's easy for us both to understand the army," said Diaz. "Spouses sometimes don't understand what it feels to be on the other part of the perspective."

Diaz expressed that he'd already completed the obstacle courses before with his unit, and he was glad to see that the other spouses were doing so well throughout the day.

"The level of motivation is great," said Diaz.

Caitlyn Stauss, whose husband Sgt. Matt Stauss is a cavalry scout assigned to 1-14th Cav. Reg., expressed how excited she was to participate in the spur ride.

"I'm really proud of him, so it's good to see what he does at work," said Stauss.

Stauss admits that it was tough, but she was proud that she was able to get through all of the day's events and enjoyed most of the obstacles.

Diaz and Stauss were a part of the team recognized at the closing ceremony as the overall winners of the Spouse Spur Ride.

Staff Sgt. Antwaun J. Parrish is with the 19th Public Affairs Detachment.

>>> Spouses of soldiers assigned to 1st Squadron, 14th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, navigate through an obstacle course during the unit's Spouse Spur Ride held at JBLM. Photo credit: Staff Sgt. Antwaun J. Parrish

SUNDAY, OCT. 19 2014 >>>

1. A prolific songwriter, Doug MacLeod performs his own work. Others like it, too, including the likes of Albert King and Albert Collins, who have covered his songs. MacLeod, winner of two 2014 Blues Music Awards, the perennial Blues Music Award Nominee, is a singer-songwriter in the American tradition. He is a traveling artist that writes and sings original songs that are based on his own life and experiences. In performance, MacLeod is known for his unique, unorthodox and powerfully rhythmic acoustic guitar style that incorporates a churning beat to complement his intricate bottleneck and finger-style technique. At the heart of this is his knack for storytelling, bringing characters-from the faceless to the legendary-to strikingly real life. MacLeod is performing live at Blues Vespers at 5 p.m. in the Immanuel Presbyterian Church.

2. Little Creek Casino will offer "authentic" German cuisine and more than 30 varieties of beer from around the world as well as wines and spirits from noon to 8 p.m. as part of its 2nd Annual Oktoberfest. A traditional keg-tapping ceremony will be held at noon followed by live entertainment. Admission is $10 per person and includes a souvenir beer mug and 10 tasting tickets.

3. "Metal-Urge" is a massive celebration of all things metal-art forged by 80 artists holding firm in 20 venues all around Tacoma through the month of October and November. "Metal-Urge" is a citywide celebration of the metal arts that includes both traditional and non-traditional gallery venues exhibiting the metal work of talented artists and includes jewelry, sculptures, vessels, home décor, enamel and artifacts. "Metal-Urge" arrives today in the form of a community featival from noon to 3 p.m. at Tollefson Plaza. Expect live sword fighting reenactments, blacksmithing demonstrations, hands-on metal crafts, steel music and more.

4. The Northwest Playwrights Alliance's Double Shot Play Fest is a chance for local scribes to show off and, just as important, for the organization to make a little spending cash. Consider this: eager writers go to work the evening before the festival, as that's when they're handed the topic for a brand-new, 10-minute play. A troupe of actors arrives at Broadway Center the next morning to rehearse the resulting scripts for a 2 show at Theatre on the Square. This year, in a welcome shift toward marginalized voices, the writers, directors, and repertory cast are all women. Read Christian Carvajal's full feature on the Double Shot Play Fest in the Music & Culture section.

5. The Lakewood and Tacoma Historical Societies are joining forces to commemorate the World War I centennial and the fascinating role citizens of Pierce County played in establishing Camp Lewis in 1917. "Every year we put on the Destiny Dinner, which is one of our largest events," explained Bill Baarsma, president of the Tacoma Historical Society. "But when we realized it was the centennial of the Great War - because the events that began in 1914 inevitably led to the U.S. entry to the war - we knew this was a great time to honor our military and the long-standing ties to this community." That rich heritage will be showcased during the Salute to Pierce County event at 4 p.m. Oct. 19 at the American Lake Conference Center on Joint Base Lewis-McChord North.

LINK: Sunday, Oct. 19 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

FRIDAY, OCT. 17 2014 >>>

1. Named after a scientific discovery, The Van Allen Belt are doing their part to tear down and rebuild. Their recent LP, Heaven on a Branch, is a sly study in mixing and matching. The ways they play with sounds and expectations is sometimes so subtle that you find yourself waking from a trance at a song's end and wondering what route you took to get your head where it's arrived. A big part of the band's success comes down to lead singer Tamar Kamin's effortlessly soulful voice, which handily weathers the storm of mastermind Benjamin Ferris' gently forceful experimentation. Read Rev. Adam McKinney's full feature on The Van Allen Belt in the Music and Culture section, then catch the band with Anna Gordon, Swoon and Beatrix Sky at 8 p.m. in Northern.

2. Following a successful first run, "Reach Out at the Well" returns to downtown Olympia's Artesian Commons Park from noon to 3 p.m.  The Olympia Outreach Workers League, a coalition of nearly a dozen downtown service organizations who operate with generous volunteer support, hosts the free community fair. Participating organizations setup booths and provide information on their services and volunteer opportunities. "We aim to uplift the downtown neighborhood through strengthening relationships, cultivating networks, and encouraging volunteerism," said Renata Rollins, event organizer and a coordinator with the Outreach Workers League. "It's all about the ethic of courageous community caretaking. It takes a village to raise a village."

3. Members of the BJ Shea Morning Experience will celebrate their 15th year on the radio with a little shindig at 7 p.m. in Jazzbones. BJ will be giving away a trip to Atlanta to attend a VIP party on the set of the Walking Dead, where you'll tour the real Terminus location, meet members of the cast and maybe even some of the undead. You'll also get the chance to win tickets to see Judas Priest and Lewis Black. Admission is free for this 21 and older event.

4. St. Patrick's Day celebrations aren't easy. You must practice to prepare yourself for the zaniness that goes down every March 17. Doyle's Public House knows this. That's why they host monthly St. Practice Day parties, of which happens again Friday. The party begins with Doyle's Guinness Club toast at 5:17 p.m. All the members gather before Grand Poobah Russ Heaton, who recognizes members who have hit milestones, such as 500 pints of Guinness, while the other members tear up. After the announcement, Heaton raises a glass of the Irish Mother's Milk and toasts the members. At 9 p.m., musical guest Polecat gives everyone another reason to raise a glass. The Bellingham band's nimble, high-energy, fiddle-fueled, hybrid-Americana music really must be seen live to be truly appreciated.

5. The lessons '70s psych bands taught us were not in vain, and some restraint applied to the right blend of mind-melting antics can be very effective. Enter Indigenous Robot, who cram the stomping menace of Black Sabbath and the masculine poetry of the Doors into something resembling Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. Psychedelia still works, as shown in Indigenous Robots' in-and-out brevity, which allows them to pack a considerable amount of punch into three minutes or less. The band performs with Bottlenose Koffins and Static and the Cubes at 10 p.m. in Half Pint Pizza Pub.

LINK: Friday, Oct. 17 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

Opening day for the new wing of Tacoma Art Museum is getting closer by the day, and the museum continues to gear up for a huge celebration. Curators are reviewing, restoring and acquiring period frames for a small number of works in the collection. Painting the galleries is complete, and the museum is finalizing the logistics for the Marie Watt sculpture installation, "Blanket Stories: Transportation Object, Generous Ones, Trek". The bronze sculpture made from 400 donated blankets is estimated to weigh 2,500 pounds.

Asia Tail, a member of the Cherokee Nation, recently joined TAM in the role of Haub Fellow. She is reaching out to local Native Americans and tribes across the nation that are included in the artwork of the Haub Family Collection to bring the voice of Native people into the interpretation of the exhibition. This will be an ongoing project and TAM hopes to incorporate quotes and input in various formats throughout the exhibition.

The museum staff continues work testing and operating the lighting system in the new wing. Last year, TAM's team visited the San Francisco Modern Art Museum because as part of their expansion, SFMOMA had established a full-scale test gallery to evaluate lighting systems. The TAM staff was able to learn from SFMOMA's research to make an efficient selection of lighting for the new Haub Family Galleries.

You may see a large "A" on the steel grating of the new entrance canopy; this is a test for the scale of the new logo signage expected to be installed in early November.

TAM's largest annual benefit raising funds for educational programming, called the Go West Gala, takes place Nov. 14 and will include cuisine by El Gaucho, with drinks, dancing and entertainment by performance artist Shovelman with his shovel-turned-guitar, and there will be a gala auction featuring, among other items, beautiful paper cuts by Nikki McClure of Olympia and works donated by artists including Dale Chihuly, Susan Russell Hall, Jeremy Mangan, Camille Patha and Kurt Solmssen.

The Go West Grand Opening will include free Wells Fargo Stagecoach rides on Pacific Avenue from 1-4 p.m. Visitors can join artist Marie Watt in a sewing circle; Other activities on opening day include storytellers, face painting, western-themed food in the freshly updated TAM Café. The Weekly Volcano has summoned The Oly Mountain Boys and banjo musician Forest Beutel to fill the new wing with bluegrass during the opening day festivities. Buetel and The Oly Mountain Boys will also perform at the downtown Tacoma Polar Plaza Ice Rink this holiday season as part of the Weekly Volcano's Rhythm & Ice: Down Home Holiday Hootenanny shows every Saturday night during the rink's run.

TACOMA ART MUSEUM, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday-Sunday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. third Thursday, 1701 Pacific Ave., Tacoma, $8-$10, 5 and younger free, 253.627.6031

SEE ALSO

Painted walls, "Big Red," Celebrity Cake Studio and metal coming to Tacoma Art Museum

Sellen Construction dangles the keys

Checking in with the Tacoma Art Museum

Colors, video, improved store at Tacoma Art Museum

MONDAY, OCT. 13 2014 >>>

1. The Tacoma Film Festival is on, celebrating current independent film from around the globe ... and in our backyard. The 253 represent at this year's TFF. A whole slew of local film shorts will be screened at the Tacoma Community College at 7 p.m.: Lost  byRussell Brooks; Enmity Gauge by Ben Andrews and David S. Hogan; Deadline by Doug Stapleton; Solitude Dawson Doupé and Todd Tapper; Lovesick by Pat Lavigne; Quiet Move by Ronald Lagman; Love-Stuck by Sierra Fein; Fake It ‘Til You Make Believe Kris Crews; and Weeping Willow by Maxwell Swet and Annie Poling.

2. The City of Tacoma's Proposed 2015-2016 Biennial Budget was shared with the City Council Oct. 7. The public is invited to attend a Budget Input Meeting hosted by Mayor Marilyn Strickland to share your thoughts and learn more about how the City is working to prioritize funding between existing services, deferred maintenance, and new and expanded services. It begins at 6 p.m. at The Evergreen State College Tacoma campus.

3. Alison Hawthorne Deming will discuss her new book, Zoologies: On Animals and the Human Spirit at 7 p.m. in Orca Books. In this collection of linked essays, Deming asks, and seeks to answer: what does the disappearance of animals mean for human imagination and existence? Moving from mammoth hunts to dying house cats, she explores profound questions about what it means to be animal. What is inherent in animals that lead us to destroy, and what that leads us toward peace? As human animals, how does art both define us as a species and how does it emerge primarily from our relationship with other species? If this sounds like altogether too much intellectual mumbo-jumbo for you, don't worry. She will have her books on hand, so you can just follow along with the pictures.

4. Portland garage-rock husband-and-wife duo, Justin and Terah Beth Varga, aka Hey Lover, perform at 8 p.m. in Northern in downtown Olympia. Opening will be Needles and Pizza from Portland, Mythological Horses from Alaska and Werecat from Olympia.

5. Life Partnersscreens at 9:45 p.m. in The Grand Cinema as part of the Tacoma Film Festival.Straightlaced and straight Paige (Gillian Jacobs) makes a pact with her best friend, sapphic slacker Sasha (Leighton Meester), that she won't get married until Sasha has the same legal right. When Paige falls for handsome doctor Tim (Adam Brody), the two women struggle to find a place for him in their "womance" in this touching comedy from director Susanna Fogel.

LINK: Monday, Oct. 13 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

SUNDAY OCT. 12 2014 >>>

1. The Tacoma Arts Month Studio Tour continues today. There are 61 artists within 37 studios to visit. Luckily, almost all of the studios are within Tacoma city limits, and a map is available online to assist you on this free, self-guided tour. These private sanctums of creativity will be open to the public from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and some will offer hands-on activities.

2. WILLO - Women's Intergenerational Living Legacy Organization - hosts its first annual WILLO Storytelling Festival at noon in Theatre on the Square, hosted by Amanda Westbrook. Celebrate the voices of women and girls in at this free event, full of storytelling, hands-on art-making and community engagement. Stick around after the event for author and activist Sister Helen Prejean's talk, "Dead Man Walking in Washington State," starting at 5 p.m.

3. Russian composer Alexander Glazunov is mainly remembered for his score for the ballet Raymonda, and his Violin Concerto gets occasional airings. Distinguished professor of music and head of the Puget Sound piano department Duane Hulbert has set out to champion Glazunov via the piano. Hulbert spent 30 years playing and marveling Glazunov. He has spent the last 15 years recording all 19 solo and duet piano works by the composer - five full hours of music. The new four-CD collection Glazunov: Complete Works for Piano was released last month, and Tacoma audiences will be the first to hear Hulbert perform a selection of the often magical and always enjoyable Glazunov compositions as part of the Jacobsen Series at 2 p.m. in Schneebeck Concert Hall. The concert also will feature guest pianist Yoshikazu Nagai '92, a professor at San Francisco Conservatory of Music and a former student of Hulbert's. The 4-CD set will be on sale at the concert.

4. Two South Sound threater productions end their run today beginning at 2 p.m. Whodunit? Criminal mastermind Agatha Christie's 1943 And Then There Were None (Ten Little Indians) - based on her best-selling novel of the same name - is a mind-bending murder mystery that asks that very question at the Lakewood Playhouse. Read Joann Varnell's review of And Then There Were None in the music & Culture section. Olympia Family Theater's Busytown, Richard Scarry's musical comedy for kids, was also reviewed by Varnell.

5. Amanda Schukle and Tracy Shapiro are Oakland rock duo Steel Cranes. With Schukle on drums and Shapiro on vocals, the two will showcase their debut album, Ouroboros, at Northern Pacific Coffee Company at 7 p.m. Wild Berries and Skates!, will open.

LINK: Sunday, Oct. 12 art and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area