THE FESTIVAL
Dickens Festival
Christmas shopping can be fun â€" especially when you dress up the shopping environment like a Victorian English town, make it feel authentic with roving, costumed entertainers, town criers and carolers, and fill it with beautiful handmade gift items and scrumptious food. You’ll get all that at the Dickens Festival at Stadium, a period-piece shopping experience in Tacoma’s Stadium District Saturday, Dec. 8. Dickens Festival at Stadium concludes at 5 p.m. with the Stadium Jazz Band performance inside the First Presbyterian School gym, then pop outside for the lighting and a few carols to watch the tree light up in Norton Park at Division and Tacoma Avenue at 5:30 p.m. â€" Michael Swan

[Stadium District, Saturday, Dec. 8, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tacoma Avenue and Division, Tacoma, dickensfestival.net]

THE EVENT
Historic holiday
Historic Fort Steilacoom Museum Association is staging its annual Christmas at the Fort event this weekend. Travel back in time to Fort Steilacoom as it once was. Tour the candle- and lantern-lit quarters of Lt. Col. Silas Casey and soldiers of the fort as they and guests engage in Christmas merry making, conversation of the time, tree trimming, dancing to the tunes of a fiddler, and caroling. Special activities for children include hands-on ornament making. The gift shop has a good stock of books, toys and souvenir items for your Christmas shopping. â€" Steve Dunkelberger

[Historic Fort Steilacoom, Saturday, 4-7:30 p.m., $3-$5, $10 for family, 9601 Steilacoom Blvd. S.W., Lakewood, 253.582.5838, www.fortsteilacoom.com]

STRING SWING
The Tune Stranglers
Comprised of Scuff Acuff (washboard, lead vocals), James Schneider (banjo), Eliza Welch (fiddle), Boom Boom “Sweets” Levine (bass), and Rich Sikorski (lead vocals, guitar, ukulele), the Olympia-based acoustic unit incorporates bluegrass, country swing and vintage string jazz. All very accomplished musicians, they placed first place at the Northwest String Summit in 2006. As a live act, the zany quintet creates a relaxed atmosphere and probably wouldn’t mind if you showed up to gig in your underwear or at least kicked your shoes off.  â€" Tony Engelhart

[Ben Moore’s Restaurant, 9 p.m., no cover, 112 W. Fourth, Olympia, 360.357.7527]

POP
Oh Voices
I recently discovered that Tacoma band Oh Voices sounds beautifully soothing and content like a cool breeze on a sunny afternoon. The music sounds like friends standing arm in arm around an old-timey piano and an acoustic guitar, grinning ear to ear and singing together in harmonizing voices. It makes you want to sing along â€" or maybe that’s just me.

The band states its influences as the Beach Boys, Randy Newman, The Carter Family, Gillian Welch, the Beatles, Panda Bear and Debussy. But the comparisons they’ve been accused of encompass pretty much anything with harmony and a sweet, simple melody. â€" Angela Jossy

[Origin 23 Coffee, with Allan Boothe and John Nichols, 8 p.m., no cover, 3518 Sixth Ave., Tacoma, 253.212.1503]

MORE MUSIC: In the clubs tonight.

Annual holiday events are much looked forward to and are a cherished tradition in Tacoma’s Stadium District. The 3rd annual Dickens Festival at Stadium on Saturday, Dec. 8 promises that no matter what your age, it’s still a delight to have your photo taken with St. Nick. If you’re an adult, think of how much silly fun it will be to send that picture as your holiday card this year. And of course, Santa Claus loves the kiddies, so bundle them tight and bring on the smiles. Even the pets get included, but remember to keep a leash on Fido.

Watch for roaming street performers inspiring giggles and bestowing good cheer. You can’t help but hear the carolers, and speaking of music; four stages will host live music and dancers appropriate for all ages this year at Tacoma Little Theatre, First Presbyterian Church, Titus Automotive, and King’s Book’s.

Snag a seat for a horse drawn carriage ride before standing in awe as the holiday tree gets its lights at 5:30 p.m. The fun starts at 11 a.m. on Tacoma Avenue. â€" Jennifer Johnson

GIFTS: Shopping in the Stadium District.

EATS: Where to chow during Dickens Festival.

FILM: What’s playing at the Grand.

Yesterday my 5 and a half year old daughter told me she’d had the best Halloween, ever.

So far in her not-quite-6 years, the kid has been a Disney Princess, a Barbie Princess, a random fairy princess, and a witch.

This year, dad hoped the trek to the Halloween Superstore would elevate her in the Halloween echelon, potentially moving her to ghoul or evil sorcerer.

Not so.

Kid saw “Starlet” costume, and the music for “Dream Weaver” started; love lit her eyes, and she was to be The Starlet.

Never mind, warm clothes, thermal underwear, coat: no, starlets shiver, wearing goose bumps with pride as they demand their chauffeurs (moms) to take them to the next neighborhood.

And so my 2007 Halloween was dictated.

Which was just as well, really, because I was daunted by the massive crowds at the Proctor Treats crowd as we drove past.  It looked like a crazy good time, with adults getting into it as much as the kids, but we had other plans, and they included much use of the words “trick or treat!”

The early portion of our evening found us stymied by a lack of houses participating in the fun and games, though it was early.  I assumed most people were still working, or shellacking their own starlets’ hair with massive quantities of extra super hold hairspray.

Finally, we hit on the mother lode home off of North 21st and Bennett; there, we found a super spooky horror scene and favorite friends Chaundra and Adam along with Gretchen.

The kid swore she wasn’t scared, but I saw the look in her eyes.

Winding our way back home, stopping to trick or treat in patches of homes that looked holiday festive, I hit upon a realizations: the old-school version of trick or treat seems to be dying out in favor of the hordes lining up at places they know the goods are easy â€" places like shopping districts and huge new housing developments seemed to have the biggest hordes, while many of the houses we visited had full bowl of candy even after 7 p.m. 

The households where the Halloween Spirit oozed out of the doors and windows were also filled with people who were really glad to see us, and it made me kind of sad.

Probably, the Wednesday thing mucked with the mojo of the trick or treaters, I’m thinking optimistically.  I’m hoping next year to see more families out and about on the streetsâ€"and less of the un-costumed pre-teens looking for free handouts. â€" Jessica Corey-Butler

Haunted house tip of the year â€" wear a diaper.

Sanford and Son's legendary haunted house will otherwise soil costumes and make for an uncomfortable car drive home to change. Consider yourself warned.

The third annual house is shaping up to be the scariest of them all since each group not only builds off the other and teams of sadistic volunteers one up each other to create the scariest display or blood-splashed zombie of the house.

Check out Scary Town on the Weekly Volcano's Web Site for my round up of area haunted houses. â€" Steve Dunkelberger

A pirate walks into a bar. The bartender looks up and says: "Hey captain, did you know you have a steering wheel sticking out of your pants?"

The pirate says: "Arrr, it's driving me nuts."

Pirates, captains, maties and more will be milling about smartly during this weekend's Commencement Bay's Maritime Fest.  Check here for full details.

And did you know the Foss Harbor Marina has a blog? â€" Suzy Stump

Don’t go to the Puyallup Fair with me.

I’m that person who wants to go to the photography exhibit and check out every last photo, and then I have to go see the quilts and afghans.

I know the fair is usually about the rides and livestock and pig races and scones, but for me, it’s not The Fair if I haven’t checked out the handiwork that some individual created meticulously out of scraps of fabric, a labor of love that’s sometimes misguided and horribly dire in its outcome.
The thing of it is, I love to take pictures,  to sew and to crochet, though I don’t get time to do the last two much, and I soak up all kinds of inspiration from what I see.

Unfortunately, it takes me time to get inspired, and in terms of the kid, that’s time that could be spent on kiddie rides after getting sugar and fat overloaded.

Maybe I’ll take a day to go alone this year? â€" Jessica Corey-Butler

Puyallup Fair

When: Through Sunday, Sept. 23
Where: 110 Ninth Ave. S.W., Puyallup
Admission: Adults $10; students (6-18), $8; seniors (62+), $8, 5 and younger, free.
Parking: $8 Monday-Friday, $10 Saturday-Sunday
Public Transportation: Pierce Transit, 253.581.8000
Information: 253.841.5045 or www.thefair.com

One way to spend hours  at the Puyallup Fair without spending money on rides or shammies that leave cars as shiny as the day they left the showroom floor is people watching. Added fun comes by making a scavenger hunt game out of it by writing down a list of 25 "people types" and give each type a point value based on the likelihood of them being spotted. A one-legged cowboy might get 50 points, while a teenage girl in a t-shirt that says "future porn star" on it might get 5 points since you can't order a crusty pup without knocking into their strollers as you step away from the cash register. You can either play with teams, go head to head with everyone in your group. It is good to have one person as judge since points might change if say, someone spots a one-legged teenager in a cowboy hat and a mini skirt pushing a stroller.

This underground game has grown in popularity now that cell cameras can take video clips for verification purposes, allowing teams to break up to cover more territory. Let's just say, all those people having trouble dialing their phones might actually be taping you. â€" Steve Dunkelberger

Puyallup Fair

When: Friday, Sept. 7-Sunday, Sept. 23
Where: 110 Ninth Ave. S.W., Puyallup
Admission: Adults $10; students (6-18), $8; seniors (62+), $8, 5 and younger, free.
Parking: $8 Monday-Friday, $10 Saturday-Sunday
Public Transportation: Pierce Transit, 253.581.8000
Information: 253.841.5045 or www.thefair.com

Honestly, I get creeped out by the Puyallup Fair, largely for the same reason I get creeped out by the mall and Disneyland â€" it's an orgy of carefully-packaged excess.

I mean, I like excess, but try and keep it intimate. Thousands of people doing the same thing at the same time is usually just gross â€" especially when it involves sweating and eating fried food on a stick.

But nestled in amongst the mongers are a bunch of farmers showing off things they grew and made themselves â€" eggs, berries, jams, pies, cows. Most of these people spent the past year working on a schedule that most of us have never experienced â€" a schedule dependent on natural cycles â€" seasons, sunrise, sunset. The product of this seemingly simple life is amazing â€" blueberry jam that tastes like blueberries instead of sweetened, blueberry-colored matter; carrots that taste like carrots; juice that tastes like the fruit it was made from, instead of bottled robot sweat.

I like to find these folks between the fairway games and rows of onion-burger stands â€" gentle commerce lost in the cacophony of people buying balloons, head scratchers and ice cream bars. Oh, and elephant ears, which is my guilty pleasure. â€" Paul Schrag

Puyallup Fair
When: Friday, Sept. 7-Sunday, Sept. 23
Where: 110 Ninth Ave. S.W., Puyallup
Admission: Adults $10; students (6-18), $8; seniors (62+), $8, 5 and younger, free.
Parking: $8 Monday-Friday, $10 Saturday-Sunday
Public Transportation: Pierce Transit, 253.581.8000
Information: 253.841.5045 or www.thefair.com

Though we've often said that the most vehement environmentalists would best serve the Earth by killing themselves, we nonetheless encourage a visit to local Earth Day celebrations first.
Begun in 1970 during the March Equinox (March 20, 21), Earth Day is a worldwide yearly celebration and call to action in order to sustain the natural beauty and viability of our world.
This year, several events are scheduled to commemorate Earth Day. Saturday, April 22, there's an all-day free family-style celebration at the Tacoma Nature Center at 10 a.m. (199 S. Taylor St., (253) 591-6439); demonstrations, entertainment and projects April 22-23 at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium (5400 N. Pearl, (253) 591-5337); and Operation Downtown Clean-up runs 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. in downtown Olympia.
Do your part by ceasing all bathing activity beginning today, and follow the crunchies to Earth Day beginning Saturday. We'll see you there, right after a quick spray to the lawn with pesticide and a quick spray to our hair with Aquanet. - Suzy Stump