SUNDAY, JUNE 26, 2011 >>>

1. The Urban Arts Festival continues today along the Thea Foss Waterway. The weather looks amazing. Come out and play.

2. Today is your last chance at Taste of Tacoma this year. You've been warned.

3. Sleeping in Gethsemane will perform today at Metronome Coffee. Or, if that's not your musical cup of tea, find the Volcano's extensive live local music listings here.

4. It's Movie Night at the Brotherhood in Olympia. It's a tradition - and it's awesome. Wind your weekend down in style.

5. Vote for Tacoma's best baristas, politicians, bloggers, bartenders and local businesses in the only 253 "Best Of" issue that matters. The Volcano's annual Best of Tacoma issue publishes July 28, and this year's readers' poll launched last week. Let your vote be heard now! Find all the details here.

LINK: South Sound Live Local Music Listings

LINK: Viva South Sound Arts & Entertainment Calendar

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

WEATHER REPORT

Friday: Partly sunny, possible showers hi 61, lo 49

Saturday: Partly sunny, hi 66, lo 48

Sunday: Partly sunny, hi 70, lo 53

>>> FRIDAY-SUNDAY, JUNE 24-26: Taste of Tacoma

For more than 26 years, the infamous Taste of Tacoma - a three-day, food-focused festival in Point Defiance Park -- has offered live music, entertainment, craft booths, exhibits and more. The long stretch of food booths - Gluttony Row - is the source of both excitement and financial woe. And sometimes heartburn. And, almost always, at least one elepehant ear.

• Point Defiance Park, 11 a.m. - 9 p.m. Friday - Saturday, 11 a.m. - 8 p.m. Sunday, admission is free, 5400 N. Pearl St., Tacoma, tasteoftacoma.com

>>> SATURDAY, JUNE 25: Tacoma Urban Chicken Coop Tour

Honestly, you know your city is coming up in the world when you have an urban chicken coop tour. Yes, an urban chicken coop tour - here in Tacoma. It's happening Saturday, and no, we're not pulling your leg. People actually raise chickens at their house, mainly for the eggs - though sometimes there's a hair of companionship too. We first wrote about urban chicken farming last year, and it's only blown up since then. Saturday's coop tour, which is organized by GardenSphere in the North End, will include eight coops according to the website. Maps can be picked up at GardenSphere through Saturday, and the tour runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

• Tacoma Urban Chicken Coop Tour, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m., maps available at GardenSphere - 3310 N. Proctor St., 253.7617936

>>> SATURDAY, JUNE 25: DYDD Championship Bout

You've waited all season. Screamed in excitement. Winced in empathy. Cheered with vigor. And it all comes down to this. The Dockyard Derby Dames hold their championship bout Saturday afternoon at the Foss Waterway Seaport building. The festivities will match the Femme Fianna and Marauding Molly's in what's described as  the "ultimate grudge match,´ before the Trampires and Hellbound Homewreckers do battle for the league crown. Hype says it's going to be "epic," and we can't see how that could not be accurate.

• Foss Waterway Seaport, 6 p.m., $12, 705 Dock Street, Tacoma

>>> SATURDAY - SUNDAY, JUNE 25-26: Urban Art Festival

The Urban Art Festival is a grassroots festival at its best - a little bit of every kind of art (including some varieties not always recognized as art) all dumped into one public park, then shaken, not stirred, with lots of music and other cool stuff. Now in its seventh year, the Urban Art Festival has expanded to two full days, and will take place June 25 and 26 along Thea Foss Waterway.

• Thea Foss Waterway, from the Museum of Glass at 1801 Dock St.,to beyond the 21st Street Bridge, Tacoma, tacomaurbanart.com

>>> WHERE OUR STAFF IS GOING

NIKKI TALOTTA Features Writer
This weekend marks my official shift change at the bar, meaning this Saturday will be my last Saturday night! The bar is hosting an after bout party for roller derby ladies  - so it should be a blast. A good friend is visiting this weekend as well, so I look forward to catching up with her. And Netflix just sent me the next season of Weeds, so I'll get my boob tube fix as well. Good times all around.

CHRISTIAN CARVAJAL: Theater Critic
We're celebrating my father-in-law's 60th birthday with mounds of delicious dead cow, and I'll be up to my forebrain in Mamet memorization. I also need to finish unpacking so I can move my "office" off our kitchen table.

REV. ADAM MCKINNEY: Music & Film Writer
On the forefront of my mind will be dodging my friend who recently came down with a typically disgusting case of scabies (ach!). As part of my plan to come nowhere near contact with her, I will be escaping to the New Frontier on Friday for the Dignitaries, and I will be on hand at Dorky's on Saturday for their first ever show--featuring Red Hex, Si Si Si, and the dorkiest band in town, the Cutwinkles.

JOANN VARNELL Theater Critic
Friday night will be the last night in TX so I'll be soaking up the heat and packing for my Saturday flight. Saturday morning, my parents will drive my friend Casie, my little son and I to my brother's house for a family meal before we Tacomans head to the airport. Sunday will be a day of rest with my grad school husband.

ALEC CLAYTON Visual Arts Critic
Having dinner with two of the hottest musical theater stars in the South Sound, Matt Posner and Alison Monda.

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JENNIFER JOHNSON Food and Lifestyles Writer 
Exploring the booming metropolis of Lacey Friday evening followed by dancing. Saturday I'm attending a church brunch followed by Urban Arts Fest and a stop in at Pacific Grill. After church services Sunday, I'll drop in at Metronome to see SONS play at 8 p.m.

STEVE DUNKELBERGER Meat Market Photographer
I'm in North Dakota. For reals.

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

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

WEATHER REPORT

Friday: Partly sunny, hi 68, lo 51

Saturday: Partly sunny, hi 66, lo 49

Sunday: Partly sunny, hi 69, lo 52

>>> SATURDAY, JUNE 11: 10 Years of the Malcolm Clark Band

The Malcolm Clark Band has been together 10 freakin' years! Doing anything for 10 years straight is tough ... we know firsthand, seeing as this is the 10th year of the Weekly Volcano. Saturday, Clark, Mike Couloues and crew celebrate 10 years - blues style, of course - at the FUSE Cafe in Ruston. Expect the blues-based groove Clark has come to be known for, and quite possibly a Hawaiian shirt.

• FUSE Cafe, 8 p.m., Point Defiance Casino, 5307 N. Pearl St., Ruston, 253.722.8712

>>> SUNDAY, JUNE 12: TACOMA CULT MOVIE CLUB

The Reverend Colin, along with Mary K. Johnson and Tobin Ropes of Mad Hat Tea Company fame, kicked off the first Tacoma Cult Movie Club gathering in April 2009. Inspired by a Seattle group that regularly ran grindhouse cinema, the three founders desired to bring their own love of trashy art into this eclectic community. The free meetings take place at 7 p.m. on the second Sunday and third Monday of every month at The Acme Grub Cage. New members should brace themselves for much more than staid discussions of obscure films. Sunday, drop in for the Cult Movie Club's "The Doctor Is In (and out of his mind!), which the entity's "creative grunt," Holland Hume, predicts will feature films akin to Dr. Giggles -- though he stresses Reverend Colin never divulges his plans prior to go time, so anything could happen.

• Acme Grub Cage, 7 p.m., 1310 Tacoma Ave. S, Tacoma, 253.272.1892

>>> SUNDAY, JUNE 12: JULIAN PENA'S CMYK

Celebrate the opening of Julian Pena's "CMYK" art exhibition at the Mix on Saint Helen's Avenue in Tacoma Sunday from 5:30 - 8:30 p.m. Along with a nifty event flyer depicting a hipster kid having life pumped into him by a hovering pink octopus (or something like that), the happening will feature wine tasting, food, beverage and music.

• The Mix, 5:30 - 8:30 p.m., 635 Saint Helens Ave., Tacoma, 253.383.4327

>>> SUNDAY, JUNE 12: BACK TO BEALE STREET 2012 COMPETITION

It's become tradition in our area - a yearly blues-blowout local music fans look forward to for the quality it draws. And, like clockwork, it's back. Sunday at Jazzbones, the preliminary contest of this year's South Sound Blues Association sponsored Back To Beale Street 2012 Blues Competition goes down at Jazzbones, offering a chance for competitors to earn their way to the heralded International Blues Challenge in Memphis later this year. Three solo and duo acts will battle it out in front of a panel of judges, as will 10 bands. Included in the musical goodness will be the Rafael Tranquilino Band, the Michal Miller Band, the Al Earick Band, Doug Skoog and Joe Hendershot, the Cody Rentas Band and many more. The top four bands will advance to the finals, to be held during the 4th of July Freedom Fair and Air Show on the Duke's Chowder House Blues Stage.

• Jazzbones, $10, kicks off at 3 p.m., 2803 Sixth Ave., Tacoma, 253.396.9169
  

>>> WHERE OUR STAFF IS GOING

NIKKI TALOTTA Features Writer
Considering graduation is this weekend, as well as the downtown Pride Celebration, I imagine my weekend will be a cycle of busting my ass to make drinks, drinking to heal the pain of bartender knees and back, then sleeping in and doing it all again. Sunday, a barbeque at the in-laws should be relaxing.

CHRISTIAN CARVAJAL: Theater Critic
I'm celebrating my 43rd birthday with two dozen of my closest friends by eating delicious Mekong Thai and seeing Super 8 in IMAX. Also, I'm told there will be some sort of alcoholic beverage, which I gather I'm now old enough to drink.

REV. ADAM MCKINNEY: Writer
Saturday, my brother plans on dragging me to the Rishloo/Wide Eye Panic/Esitu show at Hell's Kitchen. Sunday, I plan on dragging a friend to the Deep Sea Diver/Slowwave/Makeup Monsters show at the New Frontier. If I end up getting a devil tattoo on Saturday, will I be ostracized on Sunday? Please show your work. No calculators.

JOANN VARNELL Theater Critic
While recouperating from my end-of-the-school-year cold, I will be washing mounds of laundry and chasing after my 10 month old. I may throw in some gardening before heading to a friend's beach house to enjoy the final Sunday before school is out.

ALEC CLAYTON Visual Arts Critic
Capital City Pride Saturday and Sunday!

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JENNIFER JOHNSON Food and Lifestyles Writer 
Having a kick-ass yard sale at 1607 North Proctor in Tacoma both Friday and Saturday, 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. Yeah, I'm totally exploiting The Hustle. Come by and meet me in the flesh and buy some stuff. After the most awesome yard sale ever Friday I'll catch the free concert at TCC at 7 p.m. Saturday night I'm cooking (yes, I do that) for a friend followed by a stroll down to Jazzbones for the Bass Odyssey show. Sunday is South Tacoma Way farmers market followed by church services.

STEVE DUNKELBERGER Meat Market Photographer
It is my kiddo time, so I will likely be going to the Working Waterfront Museum's open house on Saturday to see how that effort is growing. There will likely be a trip to the Grand as well followed by some geocaching around town and planning my daughter's Murder Mystery birthday party.

JOE IZENMAN Theater and Music Writer
I am up to nothing less than rocking the hell out. Solo acoustic set at Amocat Cafe music night? Check. Deborah Page rock show in Renton, of all places? Check. Cerebral play about mathematics and insanity at TLT? Check. OK, that last one isn't rocking the hell out. But I'm doing it anyway.

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

FRIDAY, JUNE 10, 2011 >>>

1. The Olympia Experimental Music Festival kicks off today at Northern. In its 17^th year, it promises to be as strange and wonderful as ever. If you're looking for something a little more straightforward perhaps, find the Volcano's extensive South Sound live local music listings here.

2. Proof opens today at Tacoma Little Theatre, billed as a story about a woman named Catherine and her father, Robert, who is a "brilliant mathematician, who has misplaced both his brilliance and sanity in later years." Or, if you're looking for something else, browse the Volcano's South Sound arts and entertainment calendar here.

3. The Capital City Pride Festival  will be in full force today in downtown Olympia. Find more info on the weekend-long extravaganza here.

4. Flashback alert: Sea Jayne Trip will play Hell's Kitchen tonight!

5. Vote for Tacoma's best baristas, politicians, bloggers, bartenders and local businesses in the only 253 "Best Of" issue that matters. The Volcano's annual Best of Tacoma issue publishes July 28, and this year's readers' poll launched last week. Let your vote be heard now! Find all the details here.

(A WEDDING CEREMONY) >>>

When we hear the phrase traditional marriage, we have to ask, "Whose tradition do you mean?" Every culture has its own wedding day customs, and the nature of marriage itself changes from land to land and from year to year. In German villages, for example, the couple's friends kidnap the bride and make the groom go look for her. In Scotland, a bride-to-be is doused with eggs and garbage and paraded through town. At Swedish wedding receptions, if either the bride or groom steps out to the restroom, the guests line up quickly to kiss the remaining partner.

Even our most sacred wedding traditions have changed over the years. In the Hebrew Law of Moses, a man married a woman simply by buying her from her father. She had very little say in the matter. A man could marry as many women as he could afford. Solomon had 700 wives, plus 300 concubines. It got awkward. In Islam to this day, a man can have as many as four wives.

First-century Christians considered marriage a private matter and had no formal service to ordain it. In fact, Christian brides didn't take their husbands' names until the 12th century. There were times when China, Greece, and Rome all recognized same-sex marriages; and in India, the arranged marriage of children was common for centuries-and some kids were married before they were even born. But that doesn't hold a candle to a culture in India, the Manglik Dosh, where women prepare for their weddings by first marrying trees. The trees are then burned to dispel a supposed curse. What matters most on a couple's special day is not some cultural habit, but rather, what marriage means to that couple alone. Amanda and I have differing spiritual backgrounds. It'd be impossible to deliver a service that would fit every family member's hopes for our wedding ceremony. Yet a wedding demonstrates reverence for the abiding things in life. It is a moment of spiritual unison.

Love is the substance of spirit. Our better selves are made manifest in love, and in commitment and trust. Our differing faiths become reconciled through our faith in one another. Amanda and I are devotedly, deeply in love; we are committed. For us, the meaning of marriage is lifelong unity and joy.

SATURDAY, MAY 28, 2011>>>

1. The Metro Parks annual Outdoor Challenge is right down your alley. Starting at 11 a.m. today at Owen Beach at Point Defiance Park, teams of two adults and family teams of four will battle for supremacy in a bevy of outdoorsy and just plain absurd challenges. Cross-country skiing, golf ball chipping and adult dress up will all be in play. Be warned, and be ready.

2. Today, Tacoma and Fircrest upstart team Toxic 253 will engage in their second bout ever, taking on the Ft. Lewis Bettie Brigade Team Bravo at Wheelz Skate Arena. Did we mention there'll be a beer garden? Sold.

3. Today at Freighthouse Square and the Harmon, and in the evening at Stonegate Pizza, the 8^th annual Tacoma Jazz and Blues Festival will offer exhibitions of all the South Sound has to offer in jazz and blues. Familiar names like Little Bill and the Bluenotes and Jerry Miller will make their expected appearances. Closing out the festival will be Rich Wetzel's Groovin' Higher Jazz Orchestra. Or, if this isn't down your musical alley, find the Volcano's extensive South Sound live local music listings here.

4. Born in Everett, currently a resident of Portland, and birthed on blues-worn stages up and down the West Coast, Curtis Salgado is the type of musician you don't get a chance to see every weekend. Luckily for all of us, today Salgado will do his thing at the Washington Center for the Performing Arts in Olympia.

5. Today, Rock the Dock Pub & Grill's two-year anniversary party will offer live tunes by Tim Hall and Zero Down. Find details here.

FRIDAY, MAY 27, 2011 >>>

1. See Romeo & Juliet through a new lense at the Evergreen State College in Olympia. Find details here. And find the Volcano's extensive South Sound arts and entertainment calendar here.

2. Sugar Sugar Sugar is set to get sexed up and guttural tonight at the New Frontier Lounge in Tacoma. It's gonna be awesome. Trust us. Or, peruse the Volcano's comprehensive South Sound live local music listings here.

3. Meet photographer Ed Kenney, and see his solo exhibition Fourth Phase: Early Images today at Morso in Gig Harbor, during an opening reception today from 6-8 p.m.

4. Get funky tonight with Phunkatron at Jazzbones in Tacoma. You know you want to.

5. Comedian Johnny Cardinale stops into the Tacoma Comedy Club tonight.

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

WEATHER REPORT

Friday: Rain, hi 55, lo 43

Saturday: Rain, hi 58, lo 43

Sunday: Partly sunny (maybe), hi 63, lo 48

>>> FRIDAY, MAY 27: BLAME SALLY

It's not every night you get an opportunity to drop in on a foursome as talented and in-tune as the Bay Area's Blame Sally, making a stop at Traditions Cafe in Olympia Friday as part of a much larger national tour. Packing the individual punches of female songwriters Pam Delgado, Renee Harcourt, Jeri Jones and Monica Pasqual, fans of Blame Sally have come to stand behind this group for a myriad of reason; the obvious musicianship and skill is only the start. The collective voice of this band is one of real life experience, highs and lows, and the power of unity. It doesn't take much listening to realize it's an easy thing to get behind. You'll have a chance to see for yourself Friday.

• Traditions Cafe, 8 p.m., $15, 300 Fifth Ave. SW, Olympia, 360.705.2819

>>> SATURDAY, MAY 28: OUTDOOR CHALLENGE

You're goddamn ridiculous. Just admit it. For this reason, the Metro Parks annual Outdoor Challenge is right down your alley. Starting at 11 a.m. Saturday morning at Owen Beach at Point Defiance Park, teams of two adults and family teams of four will battle for supremacy in a bevy of outdoorsy and just plain absurd challenges. Cross-country skiing, golf ball chipping and adult dress up will all be in play. Be warned, and be ready.

• Point Defiance Park, 10 a.m. registration, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. competition, 2:30 p.m. awards ceremony, $40 per team, metroparkstacoma.org/challenge

>>> SATURDAY, MAY 28: BOOM TOXIC ROLLER DERBY

It used to be that roller derby events were few and far between - whenever one popped up it was to be savored like a rare commodity. These days, in a major improvement, it seems South Sound derby fans have roller-skate-clad fun to get behind almost every weekend. Saturday, Tacoma and Fircrest upstart team Toxic 253 will engage in their second bout ever, taking on the Ft. Lewis Bettie Brigade Team Bravo at Wheelz Skate Arena. Did we mention there'll be a beer garden? Sold.

• Wheelz Skate Arena, 6 p.m., $10, 2101 Mildred St., Tacoma, 253.460.7655

>>> SUNDAY & MONDAY, MAY 29-30: TWO FINAL DAYS OF ROCKWELL

Norman Rockwell, the guy who - we swear it must be so - invented Thanksgiving, watermelon, baseball and prayer, has been on display in Tacoma since February. Or, rather, his art has. The exhibition American Chronicles: The Art of Norman Rockwell scheduled its only Northwest stop at TAM Feb. 26 through May 30, with 44 paintings and 323 original Saturday Evening Post covers.  This means Monday, Memorial Day, is your VERY LAST CHANCE TO SEE IT! It's been here since February, people! There's no excuse for having missed it. See archival materials showing how Rockwell worked, from preliminary sketches, photographs, color studies and detailed drawings to the finished painting. There's more nostalgia, sentimentality and Americana here than at a lifetime of family reunions and Fourth of July picnics. See it before it's gone.

• Tacoma Art Museum, through May 30, Wednesday-Sunday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., 1701 Pacific Ave., Tacoma, 253.272.4258

>>> WHERE OUR STAFF IS GOING

NIKKI TALOTTA Features Writer
In my fantasies, I'll be doing something awesome, like spending the weekend wakeboarding on Lake Shasta in Northern California, then heading west to camp in the Redwoods, followed by a leisurely drive back up the 101. But, in reality, I'll be bartending, changing diapers, cleaning house, changing chicken coop poop and - if I'm lucky - having a barbeque. Guess all those things are awesome in their own right, too.

CHRISTIAN CARVAJAL: Theater Critic
Not much going on this weekend, really, just catching a screening of Bridesmaids...OH, AND GETTING MARRIED! And yes, we are registered, on Honeyfund.com. It's so sweet of you to ask!

MATT DRISCOLL: Editor
I realize you're probably going to freak out if you have to read me whine about another toddler birthday party in the Weekend Hustle. The gag is old ... I get it. Thing is, next weekend is OUR toddler's birthday party and nary a party hat or kazoo has been procured. There's not a single streamer in the house. This will never do. I anticipate a weekend of hurried preparation and store-bought sheet cake research. 

JOANN VARNELL Theater Critic
I'm gonna take my four-day weekend and spend three of those days in Portland where we will ride bikes and hang out with the cool kids and talk about how great riding the train is. Oh yeah, and buy books from Powell's that may or may not have run-on sentences or fragments.

REV. ADAM MCKINNEY Music Writer
Well, I've run out of my monthly allotment of cigarettes, and I am too broke to buy more. So, as a kind of forced experiment, I will be taking a few days off from smoking, for what will be the first time in probably four years. I will only have expired nicotine patches to protect me. As a result, my plans for the weekend will largely feature staying inside in the fetal position.

JENNIFER JOHNSON Food and Lifestyles Writer 
Friday luncheon then karaoke and dancing. Saturday morning temple trip to Bellevue followed by nice weather (oh please, oh please, oh please), so I can work in the yard. South Tacoma Way Farmers Market Sunday morning with secret chef then church and down time.

STEVE DUNKELBERGER Meat Market Photographer
I am hitting the Rockwell exhibit at TAM and maybe the music festival at Freighthouse Square on Saturday, yada yada yada, kiddo weekend.

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

TUESDAY, MAY 24, 2011 >>>

1. Well-known old time musicians James Bryan and Carl Jones will bust out the fiddle and geetar action tonight at Traditions Café in Olympia. It starts at 8 p.m., and tickets run $15.

2. Learn about natural lawn care and what the city calls "smart watering" today at the "Natural Yard Care" workshop at the City of Tacoma TAGRO facility (2201 Portland Ave.). The learning runs from 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. and is completely free. However, space is limited, so register by calling Geoff Rinehart at 253.798.4587 or emailing him at grinehart@tpchd.org.

3. James Coates will make an appearance today at the Sixth Avenue Tacoma Farmers Market.

4. James Hunnicut performs this evening at Gruv Lounge's Booze and Tattoos night. It's going to be awesome. But, if you're looking for something else, try the Volcano's extensive South Sound live local music listings here.

5. Get down with the upstart Vegan Book Club tonight at King's Books in Tacoma. It's free, starts at 7 p.m., and the book for May is Terrorists or Freedom Fighters?: Reflections on the Liberation of Animals by Anthony J. Nocella II & Steven Best. It that doesn't sound like your bag, browse the Volcano's South Sound arts and events calendar here.

YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT >>>

"As the saying goes, knowledge is power, especially for those living in the margins," reads the public invitation for the 15th annual Evergreen Tacoma Spring Fair. The goal behind the fair, which goes down Saturday at the Evergreen Tacoma campus, is to provide useful information regarding social justice and culture to the Tacoma community.

This year the Evergreen Tacoma Spring Fair planning committee, made up of Evergreen Tacoma students, chose "Food and Culture" for the fair's theme. "The idea is to adjust the lens of how we view food and culture in our society," explains planning committee member Tasha Ina Church.

To read Zach Powers' full article on the Evergreen Tacoma Spring Fair click here.