TIME TO DONATE TOO >>>

Saturday, Aug. 21 Music and Art in Wright Park will, once again, shake the lawn bowlers at Wright Park in Tacoma's Stadium District.

This year's bands have been announced: Stone Axe, The Speans, Clearcut The City, C.F.A., The Fucking Eagles, Gold Teeth, Pioneers West, James Hunnicut, Lozen, Guns & Rosetti, The I Love Myselves and Si Si Si. Two more bands slots still need to be filled.

Unlike most summer outdoor rock concerts, there are no advance tickets. The whole dang thing is free. However, like most worthy events, it's expensive.

"This event is totally reliant on sponsors, vendors, etc. for the costs associated with producing the event," states the festival's website. "Please help us make keep this event FREE to the public and grow it even larger.  Your sponsorship dollars all go to the production of the event."

Word. This festival is a Tacoma institution. Donate here.

LINK: Music and Art in Wright Park history lesson

YEE-HAW! >>>

Cowboy poets will gather at the Puyallup Fairgrounds today as part of the American Cowboy Days Roundup inside the Fred Oldfield Western Heritage & Art Center. Stop laughing. Can you do it? OK, then. Cowboy poetry is cool. You live in the West, you should learn to appreciate it.

Come hear tales told by some of today's finest cowboys, storytellers, poets and songwriters and see some pretty cool roping and horse demonstrations.

More details, kind of, are on the Heritage Center website.

American Cowboy Days Roundup

Saturday, July 17, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The Fred Oldfield western Heritage & Art Center, Red Gate, Puyallup Fairgrounds, Ninth and Meridian, Puyallup

SATURDAY, JULY 17, 2010 >>>

1. Death is everywhere, and the sooner the tykes under your supervision learn about it, the better equipped they will be to deal with the chaos their own world holds in store for them. The movie Ice Age sets the standard for sensitive treatment of mass extinction - oh, and computer animation. The Grand Cinema screens the movie for free on two screens at 10:30 a.m.

2. The skies over Joint Base Lewis-McChord will be filled with MiG Fury, T-33 Ace Maker, C-17s, F/A-18 Super Hornet, Tuskegee P-51 Redtail and many more planes when the gates open at 8 a.m. for Air Expo 2010, which kicks off at 11 a.m.

3. How does rock climbing on a bike sound? Awesome? Then head down to Ruston Way today near Marine Park at 11 a.m.  The T-Town Throwdown Bike Trials Competition will take place on the rocks, beach, logs and other natural obstacles on the Ruston Way waterfront until 5 p.m. Five bad-ass courses for various levels of expertise will be marked among rocks and other natural features.

4. The streets of Olympia will be filled today with sweat and good cheer as the Capital Lakefair crowd club hops tonight: Le Voyeur on Fourth will have Lozen and Blood Bones; McCoy's down the block will have their infamous Fitz show; Fourth Ave Tav hosts The Missionary Position; The Eastside Club Tavern stages funk bands in the back; The Loft on Cherry has an All City Dance Party; The 109 and China Clipper will have karaoke.

5. The jazz quartet Rio featuring Jim MacCarthy on jazz guitar, Jim Trefethen on sax, Tom Brooks on Bass and Paul Boardway on drums will perform from 7-10 p.m. while you sip margaritas at Woody's on the Water.

Oh, and Mr. Fusion featuring Weekly Volcano scribe Joe Izenman performs tonight at 9 p.m. inside Cork!

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

BRING ON THE WEEKEND >>>

Good lord. It's Friday already. Is it just me, or do the weeks seem to be zipping by at light speed lately?

Of course, there are a few reasons for this - including my continued use of drugs and alcohol. Now, these habits aren't making YOUR weeks go by any faster, but they're certainly screwing with mine.

More importantly, though, it's the summer festival season in the South Sound and specifically Tacoma. It feels like for the last month or so every waking moment of Saturdays and Sundays has been spent frantically bouncing from one festival to the next. Urban Arts Festival, Art on the Ave, Hempfest, Out in the Park... the list goes on. It's been fun, but it's also made summer speed at an alarming rate.

But let's not complain. It could be far worse.

That said, it's time for The Prefunk, a primer for the coming weekend for you and your liver - with a picture of an alcoholic household pet thrown in for good measure.

Seventh Annual Plogfest @ Uncle Sam's American Bar & Grill

Saturday, July 17

As the typically hung-over Bobble Tiki noted in his Threats & Promises column yesterday, the annual Plogfest musical celebration - which made its name as a camp-out, nature meets local music summer music orgy in Graham - has moved this year, relocating the action to Uncle Sam's American Bar & Grill in Spanaway. While the campfires and Kum-ba-ya vibe will be gone, this year's Plogfest - the seventh annual - will still kick major musical ass, with a lineup featuring Koz of Konfuzion, Voxxy Vallejo, I Defy, Dave Hannon, Body Box, Menace, Faces Pale, Dead Soul Funeral and more. More info is available here.

PREFUNK: The thing is, Plogfest - to me, at least - seemed at least half as much about the music as it was about the communal camping experience. While I whole-heartedly support Plogfest's move, as I'm sure the reasons were plenty, it will be sad to see the outdoorsy aspects lost.

So here's what you do...

Plogfest will kick off at noon Saturday at Uncle Sam's in Spanaway. That means, if you play your cards right, you could get a full night of camping in prior to the festivities. Why not pack your backpack, grab a sleeping bag, and finally experience the wondrous camping opportunities offered by Spanaway.

I call dibs on the dumpster behind Lucky Teriyaki.

SUSTAINABILITY FROM A PUBLIC RELATIONS PERSPECTIVE @ PLU

Sunday, July 18

Sunday, Pacific Luther University's Dr. Amy Young, who taught a class last spring, "focused on developing a plan for advertising and building a public relations campaign around sustainability at PLU," according to promotional material, will lead a presentation based on the research that class collected from 3-5 p.m. Young will discuss what her class discovered, including obstacles identified in establishing sustainability into the culture at PLU, and how those obstacles might be overcome. All of this, of course, from a "public relations perspective."

PREFUNK: It might not be a bad idea to brush up on a recent email from the City of Tacoma, which hit my inbox yesterday. Learn the ins and outs of it, and then ask Dr. Young how Tacoma is handing its sustainability... FROM A PUBLIC RELATIONS PERSPECTIVE.

The email:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

July 15, 2010

Consent decree over improper release of refrigerant leads to cleaner air

The City of Tacoma has entered into a consent decree with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Justice regarding improper release of refrigerant into the air at the City's Household Hazardous Waste facility. As a result of the consent decree and environmental projects specified in the decree, the city's environment will be safer and cleaner and greenhouse gas emissions will be reduced.

According to the EPA, the city released refrigerant into the air between October 2004 and August 2007 in violation of the federal Clean Air Act.

Under the consent decree, the city will pay a civil penalty of $224,684 and complete three environmental projects to reduce diesel emissions and improve air quality in Tacoma. The projects are:

1.      Replacing one existing diesel garbage truck with a truck powered by diesel hydraulic hybrid technology. This vehicle saves fuel and reduces diesel emissions.

2.      Purchasing an electric hybrid "yard mule," a small tractor used to move trailers around at the landfill. This vehicle runs largely on electricity, saving fuel and reducing diesel emissions.

3.      Retrofitting 10 semi tractor-trailer trucks with equipment that reduces diesel emissions.

In November 2006, a departing city employee expressed concern about the handling of refrigerant gases at the landfill. The city immediately contacted the EPA to report the potential violation and seek assistance in dealing with the concern.

A city investigation was unable to substantiate improper refrigerant recovery practices, and the city understood that technicians were following accepted procedures.

The EPA determined that the city had released refrigerant from storage tanks after the gases were removed from appliances. The EPA estimated that about 4,160 pounds of R-12 and 450 pounds of R-22 were improperly vented from the storage tanks. The city didn't have sufficient documentation to prove this didn't happen.

The city has already implemented strict refrigerant handling procedures, including increased recordkeeping standards. The city believes its current procedures will prevent the release of refrigerants in the future.

Tacoma City Council authorized the consent decree June 15.

###

Now that's some real sustainable shit... at least from a public relations perspective.

See you next week.

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

WEATHER REPORT

Friday: Partly cloudy, hi 72, lo 52

Saturday: Partly cloudy, hi 70, lo 52

Sunday: Partly cloudy, hi 70, lo 52 ("Same as it ever was ...")

>>> FRIDAY, JULY 16: "DON'T NEED YOU"

Olympia plays a major roll in the story of the Riot Grrrl movement - a story brought to life and further light by the documentary Don't Need You: The Herstory of Riot Grrrl, which will be specially screened Friday at the Capitol Theater. The event is a benefit for Natalie Cox, a longtime member of the Olympia music scene currently battling a rare, aggressive form of cancer.  All proceeds from Friday's showing will go to help pay Cox's medical costs.

• Capitol Theater, 9:30 p.m. Fall ages, $5 and up, 206 Fifth Ave., SE, Olympia, 360.754.6670

>>> FRIDAY, JULY 16-SATURDAY, JULY 17: SCRAPBOOKING EXPO

What does everybody love? A birthday party!  What else does everybody love? Scrapbooking!  Isn't that the best thing in the world! If you love it as much as I do, take your scrappy self to the Scrapbooking Expo at the Puyallup Fairgrounds. It's a scrapbooking weekend with classes, workshops and uninterrupted time devoted to putting your precious photographs into cutesy albums – or just stay home with your cat and keep on shoving all your photos into unlabeled shoeboxes.

• Puyallup Fair & events Center, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, $8, 110 Ninth St SW, Puyallup, 253.845.1771
  

>>> SATURDAY, JULY 17-SUNDAY, JULY 18: GIG HARBOR SUMMER ARTS FESTIVAL

Often we try to bring you fun activities at a reasonable price. But it doesn't get any better than FREE! Of course most of the time, free isn't exactly free, that is just the sugar-coated packaging the really expensive activities come in. The Gig Harbor Summer Arts Festival is probably one of them. But it does sound pretty cool, and if you can abstain from buying anything, you might come out scotch free - unless you have a girlfriend. But ... what can be more romantic than taking a stroll along the beautiful Gig Harbor waterfront, hand-in-hand with your better-half, taking in beautiful art by 148 area artists. You will see stained glass, clothing, baskets and, of course, pastels and watercolors.

• Downtown Gig Harbor, all day, free, Judson Street, 253.265.8139

>>> WHERE OUR STAFF IS GOING

MATT DRISCOLL Editor and member of the Hilltop Elementary 1991 Recycling Team
My weekend will be all about preparing for the publication of the Weekly
Volcano's Best of Tacoma 2010 issue, to hit streets July 29. I'll be visiting our readers' pick for Tacoma's best donut shop and best "smoking accessories" shop  - not necessarily in that order. Oh yeah, as mentioned, I'll also be working on Best of Tacoma stuff.

JOE IZENMAN Music/Theater Critic
Saturday: playing concerts at 9 a.m., 4 p.m. and 9 p.m. in and around Tacoma. Sunday: sleeping the hell in.

NIKKI TALOTTA Feature Writer
My weekend consists of: Demo burgers and elephant ears to start, then serving sunburned Lakefairians their PBRs and cosmos. And repeat. Followed by a family reunion and a friends wedding. 'Tis the season!

PAUL SCHRAG Feature Writer
I'm recovering from one hell of a week. May be hosting Eprhyme the Humanimalien and wife, Chani, temporarily observing Shabbat, making some sort of feast with food from the garden, learning about sweet, mystical Jewish stuff.

JENNIFER JOHNSON Lifestyle/Leisure Writer
Going to Temple Square and downtown Salt Lake City today, fishing at Strawberry Friday with family, fish-fry/BBQ with 30 relatives Saturday and church Sunday. Wooo hooo!

KRIS BLONDIN Food/Wine Writer
I will get gussied up for Zoobilee on Friday, and then summer cleaning at the lake place. A modest amount of fun may happen, but I'll have to earn it.

ALEC CLAYTON Visual Arts Critic
I'll be checking out the new show at Fulcrum Gallery plus going to two plays: Withering Heights at Breeders Theatre in Burien (no, that's not a typo, it's Withering with an "i") and Fiddler on the Roof at ASTRA in Puyallup.

CHRISTIAN CARVAJAL Theater Critic
This would be the perfect weekend for Shakespeare in the park, don't you think? Animal Fire Theatre thought so, too. It's a new group that's staging that ominous Scottish play at Priest Point this weekend, and I'll be there with a cooler and Deep Woods Off.

LOOKING FOR MORE IDEAS? CHECK OUT THE WEEKLY VOLCANO'S LISTINGS FOR:

Events

Concerts

Restaurants

Movies

THURSDAY, JULY 15, 2010 >>>

1. The Whole Bolivian Army performs at the Tacoma Farmers Market Broadway, which runs from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.

2. While it's easy to quantify Oly as just a hippie, college town - that's only partially true. A large portion of the population is proudly blue-collar. The most amazing part of all of this is the two demographics - shoeless hippies and hardworking grunts - come together every year for Capital Lakefair, meshing farmer tans with hacky sacks, and creating a fairly unique event disguised as just another summer festival. Carnies, cotton candy, live music, and all the usual trappings - Olympia style - go down from noon to 11 p.m. in downtown Olympia.

3. Young and old. Established and raw. Artistically speaking, Tacoma's got all of the above. Here and Now: A Show of Generations, which celebrates an opening reception today from 6-9 p.m. at Fulcrum Gallery, will investigate the parallels between old and young artists working simultaneously within Tacoma's artistic renaissance - sometimes even oblivious of one another. The show aims to capture the, well, here and now of theGrit City art movement, and should be one of this week's highlights.

4. Tacoma Drinking Liberally meets at 7 p.m. inside The Hub to discuss the primaries, the BP oil gusher, and more over drinks.

5. In the biggest field of comedians ever to compete in the Bay Area Black Comedy Competition, "Seattle's Nate Jackson" brought the prize back to the Puget Sound. Although Jackson gets around - doing his thing from Olympia to Tacoma to Seattle and beyond - Jackson represents Lacey! Jackson performs with Tony Robert at 7:30 p.m. inside the Varsity Grill.

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

HE ACTUALLY WROTE "FREEDOMPALOOZA" >>>

Bill Kaufman, CEO of Kaufman Kreative E-Commerce & Marketing, and board member of the Tacoma Events Commission - the organization that produces Tacoma's annual Fourth of July bonanza Freedom Fair - wrote an editorial in today's News Tribune listing 10 ways to save Freedom Fair. Last week, Doug Miller, executive director of Tacoma Events Commission, said Tacoma Freedom Fair is a million dollar event that is run on about a $250,000 cash budget.

Of the 10 ideas listed, one of Kaufman's ideas is to charge admission:

Ten times more admission revenue next year. I watched the admission gates for a couple hours and was amazed by how many people walked around them to avoid being asked to donate. There was barely one donation for every 100 people.

We could increase admission revenue 10 times by simply requiring an entry fee for everyone, and reducing admission to just $1. Everyone can afford that, and if they want to donate more, great. (For those who didn't donate, you can still do it online at www.FreedomFair.com.)

Another one of his ideas is a FreedomPalooza:

Ten really good music groups of all different types, all donating their performances.

A floating music stage with on-shore bleachers and a $10 admission fee could easily sell out and help generate much-needed revenue. Maybe call it the "FreedomPalooza"?

Of all his ideas, the admission charge seems the most likely to save the huge Fourth of July celebration. What do you think?

WE GOT SUNBURNED >>>

Yesterday one of the busiest streets in Tacoma was Sixth Avenue - between Pine and Trafton - where from early afternoon to about 5:30 p.m., food vendors, artists, bands and herds of neighborhood people held court at the 12^th annual Art on the Ave festival.

Though body paint and roving packs of teenagers often lead to a damn good time, the Weekly Volcano has a strict "no drum circle" policy - so we stayed clear of the Family/Kids Stage. Not surprisingly, our day was spent soaking up the sunshine in the beer gardens at SAX, O'Malley's Irish Pub and Jazzbones - listing to the bands on the neighboring stages and taking in more distortion and delay than any effects-pedal has to offer. Unfortunately, we just missed Vicci Martinez at the Jazzbones' stage, but Ryan Purcell and the Last Round at O'Malley's and Champagne Sunday at Jazzbones were both  worthy. A high point had to be when the guitarist for Common Ground climbed off the SAX stage while continuing to perform, wandered across the street to his family on the grass, and totally rocked them.

Also, for whatever reason, kids had it in for Mitch Robinson, marketing and business operations mamanger at Click! Cable TV. One after another, kids stepped up to the dunk tank throwing line and hit the bullseye, dropping Robinson repeatedly. Maybe it's time for a Click! marketing survey aimed at Tacoma's youngsters.

The rest of our day was spent doing a number of things at Art on the Ave, including watching Tacoma's Most Sexy server Chelsea O'Sullivan paint a mural, rocking to a random guitarist next to the new Caffe Dei, creeping out the beautiful Kaimiola Polynesian dancers, throwing our hips out working the free hula hoops, and paying the price for not applying sunscreen.

LINK: More Art on the Ave photos in our Photo Hot Spot

SUNDAY, JULY 11, 2010 >>>

1. The Sixth Avenue bonanza known as the Art on the Ave festival returns to Tacoma from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., bringing all the corn on a stick, face painting and Solar Richard sightings that come with it. Yes, Sixth Avenue traffic will have to find an alternate route Sunday afternoon as the good times will be rolling all day. Of special note are the outdoor music stages at Jazzbones, O'Malley's Irish Pub and SAX, which will host Ben Union, Ten Miles of Bad Road, Mighty High, Ryan Purcell and The Last Round and the always-entertaining Vicci Martinez, among other notables. Also, look out for the Save our Sonics guy.

2. Properly speaking, Harlequin Productions' Sixties Kicks isn't musical theater, it's a concert. Five talented young people backed by a killer five-piece rock band sing 37 hits of the 1960s hitting the stag eat 2 p.m. Read the full review here.

3. Uncle Sam's American Bar & Grill in Spanaway hosts the Blues Fest 2010 Cancer Benefit beginning at 2 p.m. with Menace, Careless Hunters, Cory Wilds, Jerry Miller, Shelly Ely, Sour Owl, SweetKiss Momma, and an All-Star Jam with proceeds benefiting The American Cancer Society.

4. Meet Museum of Glass Visiting Artists Marvin Oliver and Richard Royal to learn more about their art and careers during a conversation and slide presentation from 2-3 p.m.

5. The Tacoma Cult Film Club gathers at 7 p.m. inside the Acme Grub Cage to watch films centered on the theme, "Just Say No."

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

WE GOT OUT >>>

This week's heat wave might be getting you hot, but things got steamier when Tacoma Pride 2010 hit Wright Park today in the annual Out in the Park festival. You know the drill - dancing, singing and grinding mixed with advocacy and political groups, friendly politicians and jumbo hot dog vendors. Beside the politicians, vendor tents and advocate speeches, the festival offered a lot of things to the city's LGBT population: a coming-out experience, a chance to be out in public with more ease, or to get more involved. For others, it's just a hell of a party.

We snapped a few photos today.

Out in the Park camps out in Wright Park until 7 p.m. tonight then disperses to the neighboring gay-friendly bars until the wee hours.

LINK: More Out in the Park photos in our Photo Hot Spot