SATURDAY, JULY 12 2013 >>>

1. The Tacoma Old Town Rhythm and Blues Festival will add more rhythm to the annual beloved blues festival. From 9:30 a.m. to midnight you'll find the festival back for the pancake breakfast at the Slavonian Hall, free all-day outdoor music stage (with beer garden) in Old Town Park and night headlining shows. Here's the Tacoma Old Town Rhythm and Blues Festival schedule.

2. Love Rhubarb? Sumner hosts Rhubarb Days from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. loaded with a pancake breakfast, kids' games in Heritage Park, tractor display, petting zoo, pie-eating contest, entertainment and more rhubarb than you have seen in your life. There will also be a community bake-off at 11 a.m. Here's the Sumner Rhubarb Day's schedule.

3. Free stuff is good. Better yet, let's talk about free stuff for the entire family - Lakewood Summerfest 2014 at Fort Steilacoom Park. Tons of food, craft and nonprofit vendors will be on hand. (Read: more glass jewelry, organic food petitioners, and meat on a stick than your mom could ever dream of.) If you don't feel like indulging in drippy foods and knitted caps, then there's also going to be pain on triathletes faces to watch, Army Strong vehicles, a kids zone, and an outdoor cinema featuring Jurassic Park. Sound good? We're not done. There's also our favorite part of any event - the live entertainment! Expect country, blues, New Wave, Southern rock and more. And remember: Minus the angioplasty you're going to need after all the funnel cakes, most of it is free. Here's the Lakewood SummerFest schedule.

4. Tacoma's annual, awesome LGBTQ Pride celebration, Out in the Park, will be fabulous from noon to 5 p.m. on Broadway between Ninth and 11th streets. Afterward, until 4 a.m., The Mix throws one helluva block party. Here's the full Tacoma Pride week schedule.

5. After throwing the largest and longest World Cup party in the, er, world, Doyle's Public House will party even more hosting a world Cup Finale Party with The Staxx Brothers and Mighty High at 8 p.m.

LINK: Saturday, July 12 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

California chicken producer Foster Farms is recalling an unspecified amount of its chicken products because the products may be contaminated with a strain of salmonella Heidelberg, according to a Department of Defense All Food and Drug Activity message sent July 9.

The U.S. Department of Food and Agriculture said Thursday it has found evidence directly linking Foster Farms boneless-skinless chicken breast to a case of Salmonella Heidelberg, an antibiotic-resistant strain of the disease that has sickened more than 500 people in the past 16 months and led to pressure from food safety advocates for federal action against the company.

As a result, Foster Farms issued a recall for 170 different chicken products that came from its Fresno facilities in March.

The Defense Commissary Agency has publicized this recall to all its stores. Whenever a commissary has a recalled or withdrawn product in its inventory, the product is immediately removed from store shelves.

Read more...

THURSDAY, JULY 10 2014 >>>

1. Since really wonderful summertime food comes off the grill, the idea that chilled white wine is a good general summer drink becomes nonsensical. More often, room-temperature red wine should be the libation of choice. The marriage of a delicately gamey grilled leg of lamb with a complex yet fruity Pinot Noir, or a perfectly charred hamburger, smothered in caramelized onions and chased by a robust, peppery Zinfandel: Well, isn't this what life is worth living for? Dorian Woodson from Cru Selections knows. He has the scoop on tasty summer reds, which he'll reveal 5-7 p.m. in the STINK Tank wine bar. For $5, you may taste five summer reds, enjoy summer snacks and chat up why sweet, cold and white should stay away from your grill.

2. The second Thursday of the month, the downtown Gig Harbor community skips floating around on their yachts to host a party. The galleries stay open late, artists hold demonstrations, refreshments are passed out and the music goes live from 5-8 p.m.

3. While Van Halen was telling everyone to "jump," brothers Kurt and Rob Widmer opened their brewery with $50,000. It was a slow start. In 1986, the Widmer Brothers introduced their Hefeweizen to America. The rest is history. In 2008, Widmer and Red Hook merged to form what would later be titled Craft Brew Alliance, the ninth largest brewer in the nation. The Copper Door hosts a Widmer Brothers Brewer's Night from 6-9 p.m. Meet the brewer, chat beer history and drink Citra Blonde, Upheaval IPA, Sason de Fleurs and "other secret squirrel beers."

4. We always enjoy a Big Dipper after tight harmonies. And thank the heavenly bodies, Pacific Lutheran University will, once again, make our dreams come true. The college hosts Jazz Under the Stars, an outdoor jazz concert series followed by rare public entry into their Keck Observatory. The series, a different band every Thursday through Aug. 14, kicks off tonight with four-piece Luigi LaCross in the Mary Baker Russell amphitheater from 7-9 p.m. Ah crap, the observatory is open only for the July 31, Aug. 7 and 14 shows. Well, we'll wish upon a star tonight that someone changes his or her mind.

5. Lakewood Playhouse never seems to disappoint and their most recent production is no exception. People who don't like Monty Python humor, also known as fuddy duddies, might want to skip it but for everyone else, Spamalot (books and lyrics by Eric Idle) will have them laughing, whistling and singing even after the show. Director John Munn's brilliant cast and crew could not have done a better job. Read Joann Varnell's full review of Spamalot in the Music & Culture section, then catch pay-what-you-can show at 8 p.m.

LINK: Thursday, July 10 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

WEDNESDAY, JULY 9 2014 >>>

1. Author Marc Hinton visits the Washington State History Museum to share the history of cuisine in the Northwest - from the time of the mastodon to the molecular gastronomic revolution of today. Hear how chefs have used our region's bounty to create our local cuisine and how winemakers and brewers have carved out their own traditions in Oregon and Washington. Expect to taste samples from Hinton's book, A History of Pacific Northwest Cuisine: Mastodons to Molecular Gastronomy, beginning at 11 a.m.

2. The Berry Festival is a summertime tradition at Pacific Lutheran University; each monthly lunchtime concert focuses on one delicious berry and features summery desserts and free live music and entertainment. From 11:30 to 1 p.m., raspberries will be the focus with live music by the Funaddicts, in PLU's Red Square.

3. The South Sound's popular young adult author Marissa Meyer will hang at the Puyallup Public Library at 6 p.m. as part of the library's summer reading program. She'll discuss her Lunar Chronicles, a book series of futuristic fairy tales made up of Cinder, Scarlet, and Cress.

4. The 35th season of Music in the Park opens with a rousing performance from a crowd favorite - the 133rd Army Band from 7-8 p.m. in downtown Olympia's Sylvester Park.

5. The Something Wicked improvisational comedy troupe presents an evening of ad-libbed shenanigans, performing a movie to your specifications. It's called Double-Double Feature; and if you can imagine it, they can bring it to life before your very eyes. They'll even throw in a couple of jokes at no additional charge. But wait. Now you have to think of something original? On the spot? Making movies is haaard! Check it out at 8 p.m. inside Harlequin Productions' home.

LINK: Wednesday, July 9 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

MONDAY, JULY 7 2014 >>>

1. San Francisco duo Callow are inordinately preoccupied with mood. Everything they do is measured and drawn out, lending unbearable proportions of tension to every song they make. Composed of Red Moses on guitar and Sami Knowles on drums and keyboard, with both singing, Callow describe their music as "ghost western," which is about as apt as anything. While stopping just short of slowcore - that aching subgenre aimed at fetishists of melancholy - there is certainly no shortage of doom and gloom at work, here. The minimalism of the compositions highlights every sudden shriek or guitar stab, giving their songs the feel of a good, slow-burn horror movie. Catch Callow at 8 p.m. in Le Voyeur.

2. According to Kitsap CollaBEERation hype, the week of brewery pairings will "showcase the community spirit in liquid form. Kitsap Peninsula breweries were paired up two by two to create special collaborative beers. The breweries will then showcase the creations each day of the week leading up to the Bremerton Summer BeerFest. A limited amount will be available at the Fest as well at each brewery's booth." Today, Sound Brewery taproom and 7 Seas Brewing taproom feature their Crossover Cask collaboration.

3. Speaking of 7 Seas Brewing, five days before it throws its five-year anniversary bash, Gig Harbor's 7 Seas Brewing will take over the ParkWay Tavern's taps, beginning at 5 p.m.

4. Online Tacoma magazine Post Defiance wants you to SHUT IT in the Hotel Murano's lobby. Grab a book and read in silence from 5:30-8:30 p.m. Turn off the cellphone!

5. Guitarist Steve Cooley grew up in Chico, Calif., making a name for himself in the Cream-influenced band Gunge in 1967. The trippy band with blues riffs opened for the Grateful Dead at a Chico fairgrounds in November of 1968. Although Gunge was short lived, Cooley went on to share the stage with such notables as  Muddy Waters, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Robert Cray, Little Charlie and the Nightcats and Tower of Power. After relocating to Tacoma in 1991, he formed the Steve Cooley Blues Bands, which turned heads and landed them a nomination for Best New Blues Band from the Washington Blues Society in 1995. Today, Cooley leads the blues band The Dangerfields, which includes popular keyboardist Johnny Burgess, Rich Nesbitt on bass and Tom Williams on drums. Catch the band at The Swiss' Monday blues night at 8 p.m. 

LINK: Monday, July 7 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

FIREWORKS DAY, JULY 4 2014 >>>

1. Meet the Beatles! Just one month after they exploded onto the U.S. scene with their Ed Sullivan Show appearance, John, Paul, George, and Ringo began working on a project that would bring their revolutionary talent to the big screen. The Fab Four romp and smirk and sing their way through Richard Lester's exuberant 1964 film, A Hard Day's Night. The Beatles play wily, exuberant versions of themselves, captured the astonishing moment when they officially became the singular, irreverent idols of their generation and changed music forever. The film has been restored for its 50th anniversary, and screens at 2 and 6:30 p.m. at The Grand Cinema and at 6:30 p.m. at The Capitol Theater.

2. Today is national Front Yard Barbecue day. Invite the neighbors over for a front yard barbecue. And those who don't have a front yard can still use any park, plaza or public space. Last year more than 30 front yard barbecues took place in the Tacoma area. For more details, go to http://frontyardbbq.org/.

3. What would a Fourth of July celebration be without fireworks? If you said lame, you’re absolutely correct. The Freedom Fair knows this, which is why, blessed with the perfect backdrop of a Commencement Bay sky, technicians will detonate what’s being toted as the biggest fireworks show in the Northwest. The fireworks are set to start at 10:10 p.m., and every color of the rainbow will be represented. The Tacoma Freedom Fair is promising the display will shake the waterfront, the city, and beyond. It will last about 21 minutes, and the display will be synchronized to a musical score that will be pumped through every speaker along the waterfront. The music will also be simulcast on Click 98.9 FM and KLAY AM 1180 for your enjoyment. Before the fireworks, Ruston way will be full of live entertainment will run all day on five stages, including the Back to Beale Street Blues Competition, air show, food and silliness.

4. The 2014 Joint Base Lewis-McChord Freedom Fest continues its annual tradition of delighting and entertaining families from all around the region. The general public is cordially invited to join the JBLM community from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. for an all-day, all-evening holiday celebration like no other. Held on base at Cowan and Memorial Stadiums, the festival will feature live entertainment, aerial demonstrations, military displays, carnival rides, a car show, food, games and a spectacular Fourth of July fireworks show starting about 10 p.m. to cap off the evening.

5. B-Lines are very much not in the mood for fancy-pants subgenre naval-gazing. No hifalutin descriptors; just "stupid punk" emblazoned on their page. One thing does pop up, though: they refer to one of their albums as "post-proto-hardcore," a designation so colossal in its meaninglessness that it approaches the sublime. There needn't be much attention paid to pitches and press kits with B-Lines, however, because the music speaks for itself in furious volumes. Their most recent 12", Opening Band, is a quick burst of nine songs, just barely passing the 15-minute mark. Along the way, B-Lines are steadfast in their desire to get in and out with as much tuneful efficiency as possible. Even their name - B-Lines - is evocative of the breakneck rush they're in to get from A to B, completely waving off the possibility of a C. Read Rev. Adam McKinney's full feature on the B-Lines in the Music & Culture section., then catch the band with No Body and Arc Ov Light at 8 p.m. in Olympia's all-ages club Northern.

LINK: Friday, July 4 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

THURSDAY, JULY 3 2014 >>>

1. Every Thursday at 6:30 p.m., for the last four years, waves of runners head out from a Tacoma pub, following a 5K route announced at the start, before returning to the starting line for multiple hugs and carbohydrate-rich beers. Mike and Lisa Hahn, Derek Young, Rob McNair-Huff and several others launched the social group in 2010, with Young, Sarah Cutting and McNair-Huff running it today, hosting a website and setting the routes for 3,347 Facebook members. Tonight, the Tacoma Runners will celebrate our nation's independence with a fun 5K run, beers and karaoke (8 p.m.) at The New Frontier Lounge. Expect at least 25 Founding Fathers costumes.

2. Downtown on the Go group will be hanging at the downtown Tacoma Farmers Market from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. handing out information on transportation options in and out of downtown Tacoma, as well as selling $10 helmets and Walk Tacoma T-shirts.

3. It's un-American to cancel meetings the day before the Fourth of July. Tacoma Green Drinks knows this. The group of environmental-friendly folks meets every first Thursday to discuss sustainable business and lifestyle while tossing back beer, wine and cocktails. Now that's American! The group will gather at 6 p.m. in The Hub Tacoma and listen to folks from Artisan Electric discuss community solar development. Grassroots community-wide bulk purchase solar programs began in Portland and have spread all over the country. Why hasn't it caught on in Tacoma? Find and get buzzed tonight.

4. Steel Creek American Whiskey Co. is throw a free country music party the next two nights. And by free they mean free bull rides and free cover. Rio dance lessons begin at 8 p.m. tonight with drink specials every 30 minutes.

5. Boris a.k.a. The Keys, a French-born and raised but now Toronto-based singer-songwriter playing somewhat edgy pop and folk & roll music will showcase his eighth album, You Can't Beat Me If I'm Not Playing, at 9 p.m. in Northern. Paul Mauer and Vinni Straube will perform, too.

LINK: Thursday, July 3 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

WEDNESDAY, JULY 2 2014 >>>

1. You can't profess to love hip-hop without having, at the least, a passing appreciation for the foundation. You don't get Outkast or Dr. Dre without EPMD. There's no Jay Z without Rakim. The Geto Boys helped open up the South. Afrika Bambaataa, The Rock Steady Crew, Grandmaster flash, Kurtis Blow, Fab 5 Freddy, Public Enemy ... it's not just nostalgia; it's a history lesson you can't miss when DJ Fir$t Lady spins your favorite old school hip-hop, plus other eclectic and funky dance tunes Wednesday beginning at The Brotherhood Lounge's Summer Dance Party. Fir$t Lady will do all the heavy lifting for you so all that's left to be done is to fetch that headband out of the dryer and go freak out. Bonus: Twenty-five percent of the night's sales go to Planned Parenthood. It kicks off at 9 p.m.

2. Remember before the Internet when the only way to discover the local underground punk rock scene, slow food, yurt-builders, Kierkegaard or Shannon Doherty was to read bits of typed paper from someone pulling an all-nighter at Kinko's? Today, it's called Tumblr. Yet oddly enough, old school zines are experiencing a renaissance. How do people who've never existed in a world without the web create these handmade textures to express their unfettered opinions? In celebration of International Zine Month in July, the Lakewood Library will host several zine workshops throughout the month, the first one coming together from 6-8 p.m. Express your opinion between two staples! 

3. There will be an Elvis sighting tonight in Steilacoom when Danny Vernon's Illusions Of Elvis enters Pioneer Park at 6:30 p.m. The show is free. 

4. Here's a reason to toast: Scientists say drinking three glasses of Champagne per week helps stave off brain disorders such as dementia and Alzheimer's disease. So head to Abby's on Broadway Bistro and Wine Bar from 5-7:30 p.m. for a bubbles tasting. Fill your brain with Veuve Ambal Blanc de Blanc Brut, Veuve Ambal Brut Rose, Veuve Ambal Cremant de Bourgogne Brut and Veuve Ambal Rose Cremant de Bourgogne Brut.

5. It's the first Wednesday of the month, which means Maurice the Fish Records will take over Jazzbones tonight. The monthly all-ages event showcases some of the best the Pacific Northwest talent, including established musicians as well as young up-and-comers. At 8 p.m., Brooke Lizotte, Strangely Alright and Torre take the stage.

LINK: Wednesday, July 2 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

FRIDAY, JUNE 27 2014 >>>

1. It would be hard to determine what Tacoma tastes like. For starters, where would one sample the soil most indicative of the City of Destiny? Commerce Street? Or would the most-telling turf be found at higher elevations such as Hilltop? And what would that flavor be like? You can be sure the topsoil would smack of scandal - but it would probably also taste a bit like Pacific Brewing Co. Deeper down, there would be traces of salty prospector tang. Then, there'd be all that fossilized dinosaur crap to contend with. When you think about it, Tacoma would probably taste pretty disgusting. Fortunately, the good people at Taste of Tacoma do the thinking for us, presenting a more palatable annual survey of the city's best cuisine from 11 a.m. today through at 8 p.m. Sunday at Point Defiance Park. The Taste of Tacoma hosts 29 restaurants, 17 food product booths, six entertainment stages, comedy club, beer and wine gardens, wine tasting, carnival, more than 50 hand-crafted artisan booths, the poplar culinary demonstration stage and more.

2. Early summer in the South Sound means changing warmer weather, adding a boa and checking out the pride festivals. In conjunction with Olympia Capital City Pride event last weekend, the Olympia Film Society presents the 2014 Pride Film Festival, opening today at the Capitol Theater. At 6:30 p.m. PAS and To Be Takei will screen as well as other festivities.

3. Tonight will see round two of the confluence between small businesses and indie music performances in a moment of synergy that won't rub you the wrong way. Dubbed the Downtown Music Crawl, the event will feature three downtown businesses showcasing three brief, consecutive concerts. Starting with the Wheelies at 6:30 p.m. in Bleach, moving on to Novel Nature at urbanXchange, and ending at 9 p.m. with The Cloves in Anthem, the event is designed to reward those who do the crawl and hit all three stores. If you attend all three concerts, you'll receive 15 percent off at each store.

4. Olympia has maintained its status as a hub of musical experimentation. It should come as no surprise that they hold the premier South Sound festival for exploring the farther reaches of musical expression. Today marks the 20th anniversary of the Olympia Experimental Music Festival and, as much as the music remains an intangible wonder, the festival itself remains comfortably in the same niche that it established for itself two decades ago. Read Rev. Adam McKinney's full feature on the Olympia Experimental Music Festival in the Music & Culture section, then catch Elliott Sharp, Peter Randlette, Dead Air Fresheners, KnotPineBox, J.D. Helwig and Big Tom the Lithuanian at Northern.

5. Sometimes, with this arms race of who can nail the heaviest stoner rock to the wall, things can get muddy in a way that interferes with the visceral thrill promised by these tectonic riffs. Gladiators Eat Fire bring it with the massive sound, but they have smarts enough to parcel things out in more digestible bites. At their heaviest, they even approach some demonic heavy metal, but they always back off before they totally blow their wad. Catch the band with Death By Stars and the Lion in Winter at 9 p.m. in The New Frontier Lounge.

LINK: Friday, June 27 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

THURSDAY, JUNE 26 2014 >>>

1. Like the residents of Yelm, Washington, United States of America, we're super-psyched for the big and annual "Yelm Prairie Days Parade" which strolls down Yelm Avenue at 7 p.m. and has all the great parade stuff, marching bands, drill teams, fire trucks, old cars, various community organizations, girls wearing white gloves, Joint Base Lewis-McChord represent, farm animals, open-topped cars with like "Miss Yelm" and "Jr. Miss Yelm" and stuff like that, marching-band people carrying bigass drums and horns and whatever, and, of course, nutty guys with the tiny cars The parade kicks off Yelm Prairie Days, which runs through the weekend at Yelm City Park.

2. When the weather starts to turn warm, there's nothing we love more than to spend a night with a great book and spicy stir-fried fiddleheads with chile paste, sesame oil and walnuts. OK, maybe we also enjoy a little company, but where to find someone with the same weaknesses? Consider heading to The Commons at Fertile Ground at 6 p.m. for the Olympia Food Co-op's new Read and Eat book and potluck club. This week, the book they will discuss is Farm City: The Education of an Urban Farmer, Novella Carpenter's story of her move to an Oakland, Calif., neighborhood plagued by gang violence and her decision, despite the circumstances, to dive headfirst into urban farming.

3. The Copper Door in Tacoma's Stadium District hosts Double Mountain Brewer's Night featuring the release of the Hood River brewery's Cluster Single-Hop IPA with pineapple and orange flavors, dewy herbal character and a lovely floral note at the top. Also expect the Homestead, Rusty Zipper and free swag beginning at 6 p.m.

4. Tacoma poet Luke Smiraldo presents another Live at the Auricle performance, this time experimenting with word and sound and a loop machine at 7 p.m. in the B Sharp Coffee House. Smiraldo will create an instant collaboration of accapella voice, song and rhythm. Drunken Telegraph winner and Moth second place finisher Jim Kopriva will anchor the second set with a story linked to the loop theme.

5. Hailing from The Rose City, Landon Wordswell combines enthusiasm with sharp craft and delivery on the microphone. Billed as Wordswell's "Return To Olympia," and joined by his homie Mo Stafa, they picked Jezebels Bar and Grill for their return, with a flock of local openers including Dr. Roks, Syncopated Knock, Mistervits, MC Swamptiger, Soulless Kings and Krucial Bars at 8:30 p.m.

LINK: Thursday, June 26 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area