MATT DRISCOLL: RED CARPET TREATMENT AT THE TACOMA FARMERS MARKET >>>

After weeks (if not months) of hype and excitement, today the 2008 Broadway Tacoma Farmers Market is finally a reality. The festivities started at 9 a.m. sharp, and the fresh produce and artsy craftsy extravaganza will run until 2 p.m.

The event is sure to draw a who’s who in Tacoma â€" with every local living, eco-friendly personality in the City of Destiny sure to show up and be seen.

And, of course, the Weekly Volcano is there, too â€" documenting the action and looking for free samples.  Steph DeRosa and I have drawn to tough assignment of covering the fracas, and shortly we’ll be reporting live from the action.

Pictures of corn. Eavesdropping on discussion at the Local Living Lounge. The feel of the djembe beat.

Today’s the day. You’ll find it soon here on the Spew.

11:22 a.m. PAPPI: I wonder where the hell my writers are hiding.

11:29 a.m. PAPPI: While you're waiting for the live reports, talk amongst yourselves. Here's a subject: An NBC poll released Tuesday shows that an overwhelming number of Americans are sick of polls.

11:31 a.m. PAPPI: A similar poll commissioned by the Los Angeles Times found that a sampling of Americans polled agreed that they've "had it up to here with polls so leave me alone already or I'll find your office and poll your face until its unrecognizable."

11:33 a.m. STEPH: I'm walking as fast as I can toward the Market. I have crack sweat already.

11:35 a.m. MATT: Just parking now. I think I see Steph's crack sweat across the street.

11:36 a.m. STEPH: The two brothers from the Joshua Cain Band are cranking out the tunes. By the way Matt, your bra straps are showing.

11:46 a.m. PAPPI: I'm regretting this already.

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11:58 a.m. STEPH: My dog has eaten the first official organic doggie treat of the season. Stay tuned for the first official organic dog poop of the 2008 Tacoma Farmers Market.

Noon: STEPH: Political activists are setting up more than 15 signs asking people to impeach Bush.

12:02 p.m. MATT: Fifteen minutes in and I already got crabs.

12:05 p.m. PAPPI: I doubt Tacoma  Mama will link to this.

12:14 p.m. PAPPI: Matt just posted something on Spew regarding the show Saturday at Bob's Java Jive. That post better have been preprogrammed.

12:16 p.m.: MATT: It was.

12:17 p.m. MATT: Flowers are out in full force this afternoon.

12:21 p.m. MATT: Surprisingly, the BFM wouldn't let me set up my "herb" table.

12:22 p.m. PAPPI: I assume Steph's equipment has malfunctioned or she's inside El Toro at the bar.

12:25 p.m. MATT: Though under represented, Terry's Berries came through with some fine spinach, cauliflower and salad greens.

12:30 p.m. MATT: No recession at the BFM. Check out this ATM line.

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12:35: STEPH: Busted. OK, back at it. This years potted trees look taller than ever before! I credit global warming.

12:37 p.m. STEPH: The stench of beans from the taco truck promises it to be a good year for anti gas medicine.

12:40: p.m. STEPH: Tacoma Mama has made an appearance armed with crafts for kids using recycled materials.

12:41 p.m. MATT: Bread makes a cameo at the Broadway Tacoma Farmers Market.

12:42: p.m. STEPH: Reminds me of high school prom in the back of my date's car " "Baby Im-A Want You."

12:48 p.m. MATT: Check out the kid and me being all sustainable and shit.

12:50 p.m. STEPH: All Tacoma offspring younger than the age of 5 have started the patchouli craze by rolling in the grass.

12:51 p.m. STEPH: Weekly Volcano scribe Carmen has arrived. She has on the hottest red heels I've ever seen.

1 p.m. STEPH: Yogi bear is walking the red carpet as we speak. He's wearing an Armani full-body fur coat.

1:05 p.m. MATT: Balls and glass art â€" two things Tacoma goes gaga for.

1:18 p.m. PAPPI: And we're spent.

1:24 p.m. STEPH: No we are not. I've kicked off the Uggs and stripped off the sweatshirt. It is damn gorgeous out.

1:29 p.m. STEPH: In the next week we should be seeing salads in a bread cone from Gayl and Bianca at the Swiss Pub. This is of course after I have an angioplasty from the Market's tamale stand.

1:32 p.m. STEPH: Justin the Market manager is in the house wearing a Calvin Klein original red traffic vest.

SUZY STUMP: IT WILL BE THE GREATEST DAY EVER >>>

Unless you’ve lived under a rock for the last bazillion years, you should know the Tacoma Farmers Market starts tomorrow to make Thursday mornings a lot sweeter. But fresh fruit (where it’s impossible to shy away from free samples) isn’t all you’ll encounter. The market is all about supporting local growers and producers. In addition to gourd birdhouses and handmade soaps, look for locally processed specialty cheeses, baked goods and a million honey products.

This year, the Living Local Lounge debuts at the Tacoma Farmers Market. Check out all the juicy details here.

[Tacoma Farmers Market, Thursday. May 15, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Ninth and 11th streets on Broadway, downtown Tacoma]

LINK: Special events at the market.

MATT DRISCOLL: EXIT 133 STUDY SESSION UPDATE >>>

Today the City Council is discussing what to do about organizations that serve Tacoma’s homeless population that failed to make the grade when the Human Services Commission reviewed and made recommendations about the disbursement of federal block grant money â€" specifically the MLKHDA’s Men’s and Women’s Emergency Shelter and the Salvation Army’s Emergency Family Shelter. Both organizations were recommended to receive no funding through Community Development Block Grant funds.

Exit 133 is reporting City Councilman Mike Lonergan has made a proposal to help out both the aforementioned shelters. Check out Exit 133’s story here.

WEEKLY VOLCANO LINK: Here’s some back information on the situation. 

WEEKLY VOLCANO LINK TWO: And here's a little bit more.

STEVE DUNKELBERGER: VOYEUR TOUR OF TACOMA >>>

In honor of nationally recognized walking advocate Dan Burden’s lecture on making Tacoma a more walkable city tonight, I present my downtown Tacoma walking tour. 

The best place to start the downtown Tacoma voyeur tour is the heart of the theater district at Ninth and Broadway. The clean, wedge-shaped Tully’s coffeehouse is always filled with a mix of government suit-jockeys walking over from City Hall between meetings and artsy folks running out to grab a squat between artistic inspirations.

This is the headquarters of any walking tour around downtown Tacoma since it generally has ample parking for anyone willing to swing around the block a few times.  Besides, with its expansive windows, Tully’s makes for good people-watching too.

One of the best urban walks through downtown heads south along Broadway to see the deli windows and gallery displays at places such as Pastrami’s in the Rhodes Center at 11th and Broadway and the Woolworth Windows across the street. People are funny while they eat, especially if passersby press their faces against the large panes of glass and stare at them as they stuff their faces with cured meat and chips. A handful of street-side businesses along Broadway provide ample material for voyeurs in the making. One standout is the Opti Staffing office at 13th and Broadway, where there always seems to be an ample stable of attractive women hanging around the receptionist’s desk in hopes of landing a job. The floor-to-ceiling windows make this office a massive fishbowl, prime for people watching from a legally safe distance.

The next stop on the tour is the Starbucks at 15th and Commerce, next to the Convention Center station for the Tacoma Link line. Those java peddlers and the customers they serve never disappoint any voyeur seeking to spy a clever exchange, smitten flirting or eavesdrop on a private conversation. Consistently having people break up with their girlfriends, cheat on their husbands, battle their credit card company or gripe about their bosses for all the world to hear is a tell-tale sign of being a great urban destination.

At the corner of 15th and Commerce is the Rainier Pacific Bank. This branch and bank headquarters at Pacific Avenue and 15th Street always seems to have a heavy gaggle of attractive looking 20-somethings loitering around the information desk. Walkers can’t help but look at the eye candy available within. Watch but don’t touch. This is a walking tour not a grocery store. You aren’t allowed to thump the melons anywhere along the tour. Sorry for not explaining this earlier. My apologies. I thought that was understood.

Taking a left takes walkers back to the Theater District via Pacific Avenue, where walkers will see their share of desk workers sitting at their street-side workstations as they fiddle with their hair or clandestinely pick their noses while they talk on the phone, apparently oblivious to the fact that the people they see walking along the street outside their window can also see them. Others have wised up a bit and turned their desks away from the window only to allow passersby to look at what information is displayed on their computer screens. Some window-office dwellers in Tacoma’s Financial District, for example, are spending excessive time in Yahoo chat rooms and checking sports scores.

MICHAEL SWAN: SEE YOUR FUTURE, BE YOUR FUTURE >>>

WALKABILITY LECTURE AND DISCUSSION: Pedestrian advocate Dan Burden will discuss how to make Tacoma a more walkable city.
May 12, 7 p.m., no cover, University of Washington-Tacoma Carwein Auditorium, downtown Tacoma.

BROWN BAG LUNCH TALK: Bill the REI staffer will motivate and educate you concerning cycling.
May 13, noon to 1 p.m., no cover, City of Tacoma Municipal Building Room 248, 747 Market Street, downtown Tacoma.

CITY OF DESTINY AWARDS: Tacoma honors citizens who do a lot for nothing.
May 13, 7 p.m., Jason Lee Middle School.

NEW TACOMA NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCIL MEETING: Help make downtown Tacoma a safer, more dynamic living space.
May 14, 5:30 p.m., no cover, Tacoma City Hall, 747 Market St., downtown Tacoma.

TACOMA FARMERS MARKET/LOCAL LIVING LOUNGE: Support local farmers, organizations and businesses and check out the Local Living Lounge for hands-on community interaction.
May 15, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., no cover, Broadway Tacoma Farmers Market, Broadway between Ninth and 11th, downtown Tacoma.

LIVABLE COMMUNITIES FAIR: It's all about going green, being prepared for emergencies and watching Ciscoe live.
May 17, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., no cover, Tacoma Dome exhibition Hall, 2727 East D St., Tacoma, 253.798.7477.

MATT DRISCOLL: TRIED NOT TO SPILL WINE ON ANYTHING EXPENSIVE >>>

Yesterday afternoon at Dragonfly, an impressively large gathering of interested citizens, politicians, and business and property owners convened over wine, shrimp and roasted red pepper hummus to talk about the future of Tacoma’s SODO â€" or the South Downtown Dome District. The event was billed as mainly a “meet and greet,” and in that respect it didn’t disappoint. Surrounded by Dragonfly’s “unique furnishings,” a group of 40-50 mingled for the first hour or so, and then heard from Dragonfly owner Angela Schellenberg, Darrel Bowman from Mynetworkcompany.com and Jim Merritt, principal at Merritt Arch â€" all of whom spoke about the importance of defining the future vision of what the South Downtown Dome district will become.

While the presentation, which was led by Mr. Merritt, lasted less than fifteen minutes, the shindig at Dragonfly succeeded in rallying support for the Dome District cause and recruiting some new, motivated troops for the fight.

Speaking to a crowd that included well known faces like Marty Campbell and Jake Fey, Merritt reiterated a theme that’s pulsing nearly everywhere in Tacoma these days â€" where everything seems ripe for the remolding and recreating. It’s time for us to fashion the Tacoma we all want. The decision is ours.

“What happens to this district? What can happen in this neighborhood?” asked Merritt. “How do we make a difference?”

“It will happen to us anyway. So let’s make it happen so it can become something we’re proud of.”

While specific visions for the Dome District weren’t actually discussed, several ideas and things to consider were. What can be done with the Dome? How can we show Brown & Haley we care about them, want them here, and are building a better Tacoma? How can we increase pedestrian friendly spaces and park spaces? How can we do more to bring people to the Le May Museum?

But in the end, it came down to people and community.

“It’s about what’s right for the people. It’s about collaboration, grassroots, and people first,” says Merritt.

“We have not done a very good job over the last decade,” continued Merritt, emphasizing the need to work collaboratively with all Tacoma’s neighborhoods, not separately.

“Let’s define the future vision of what the South Downtown District can be.”

If you’re interested in helping shape the future of the South Downtown Dome District, a group meets every Thursday at Mystic Mocha Cafe between 7:30 â€" 9 a.m. You’re totally invited.

MATT DRISCOLL: WALKING MAKES HIM TIRED >>>

What determines a community’s walkability? While, as a generally flippant dude, it's tempting for me to say nothing more than the citizen’s desire to walk, there’s actually a little more to it than that.

What, you ask? I’m not sure I know yet.

But I just may find out on Monday when Dan Burden, who the City of Tacoma calls a “nationally recognized walking advocate,” will be in Tacoma at the University of Washington Tacoma campus lecturing and leading a discussion about Tacoma’s walkability and potential for improvement. According to the City of Tacoma, “Burden has 25 years of experience developing best practices for walkable and bikeable communities which focus on the needs of citizens.”

You’d figure that’s going to come in handy on Monday.

Here's a link to Walkable Communites, Inc. â€" a non profit organization that Burden is currently the executive director of.

Monday's lecture will be held in UWT’s Carwein Auditorium and it starts at 7 p.m. It’s free, and is scheduled to last 90 minutes â€" which may make it too late to walk home by the time it’s over. It depends on your desire to walk, I suppose.

MATT DRISCOLL: TODAY IN PRESS RELEASES >>>

It’s only a little after noon, but today has already been a busy day for the folks over at Tacoma Community College who generate press releases for hacks like me.

Not one, but two noteworthy announcements regarding TCC have already graced my inbox. Who knows? By day’s end it could be more.

First off, it was announced this morning that little ol’ TCC, which competed in the annual RecycleMania contest this year, can recycle and reduce waste with the big dogs â€" that is famed universities like Stanford, the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, Princeton, the University of Michigan and plenty of others.  Out of 88 colleges and universities, TCC finished fourth in the Grand Championship category, with a cumulative recycling rate of 47.59 percent. TCC finished third among 95 participating universities and colleges in the Waste Minimization category generating 22.20 pounds of waste per person during the RecycleMania competition. 

The RecycleMania competition started in 2001, as a small contest between Ohio State University and Miami (OH) University. Over the course of seven years it has become a nationwide event administered by the National Recycling Coalition, which lasts ten weeks and drew 400 institutions to participate this year.

More info about RecycleMania can be found here, including complete results from all 16 categories.

Next up was a less descriptive press release from TCC, but nonetheless it seemed worth passing along.

In 2003 President Bush created the President’s Volunteer Service Award, which is intended to recognize people in the community from all over the country that make things a little better for everyone through volunteer community service â€" or something like that. It just so happens that TCC is a certifying organization for the award (one of thousands across the country), and today they awarded 17 people with the distinguished honor. Those people, however, were not listed in the press release.

Apparently, though, almost anyone is eligible to receive the President’s Volunteer Service Award. There’s no shortage of them, and they’re handed out annually. Basically, you turn in your volunteering record to a certifying organization like TCC, and then they make the call. Like I said, there are thousands of these certifying organizations across the country, and all of them have the authority to give the award.

Anyway, more information on the Presidents Volunteer Service Award can be found here. Congratulations to the 17 people that TCC honored today â€" whoever you may be.

SUZY STUMP: A CAUSE WE CAN GET BEHIND >>>

Roxanne Murphy, the PR Bitty for the City, Love Tacoma organizer and now radio star, sent this press release to the Weekly Volcano World Headquarters: 

Love Tacoma and Project:U have banded together to offer you a rockin’ way to support SWEET local music, while giving back to the community, all in one day.
That’s why we’re amped to bring you:


Rock the Cause!

May 18, 2 p.m. Jazzbones, 2803 6th Ave.
Jazzbones, one of Tacoma’s finest live music venues, will host this all-ages, beat-pumping fundraiser that will feature a diverse array of local Tacoma bands that are so very worthy of your love. These groups so far include: 

1. Battersea, post punk / indie / experimental
2. Bumma Stoge, visual / crunk / melodramatic pop
3. Evan Purcell, acoustic / folk / alternative
4. Fear Train Caravan, rock / alternative / indie
5. Matt Coughlin, folk rock
6. Nasty Left, hip hop
7. The Vamanos, rock / garage / punk

Tickets for this event are just $8, with proceeds going to benefit the United Way of Pierce County. And! Bring your old cell phones to Rock the Cause because they’ll be donated and reused through the Crystal Judson Family Justice Center.

Buy your tickets for Rock the Cause early! This event is sure to sell out amongst the strong following between these amazing bands, Project:U, Love Tacoma, Jazzbones and our incredible sponsor, the Weekly Volcano. Purchase tickets now at the Jazzbones Ticket Office.

For more information about the electric Love Tacoma and Project:U, visit www.lovetacoma.com, Love Tacoma Myspace or www.project-u.org/.

MATT DRISCOLL: TOMORROW NIGHT AT THE HUB >>>

While environmental groups often get stereotyped as elitist, Prius driving, granola munching, tree hugging, sandal wearing wackos, it’s a misconception that could use debunking. Especially these days, environmentalists are everywhere and are everyone â€" and thank goodness for it. Somebody has to look out for Mother Earth.

If you need proof that environmentalists are just like you and me, consider this: Environmentalists like to drink. It’s true. Not only do they like to drink, but in Tacoma they get together and do it regularly.

It’s called Tacoma Green Drinks, and on the first Tuesday of every month the group meets at a local watering hole and talks sustainability, conservation and the environment.

Tomorrow night Tacoma Green Drinks will get together at the Hub from 5:30 â€" 8 p.m. You’re totally invited â€" unless you insist on driving that 1974 Plymouth Duster. Tacoma Green Drinks suggest you take the bus or ride a bike.