MONDAY, FEB. 9 2015 >>>

1. The Tacoma Mountaineers, the Sierra Club, University of Puget Sound and Tahoma Audubon present a night of film, reflection and a celebration of veterans who have bravely shared their stories, and documented the struggles of returning home and demonstrated the role wild places have in helping our troops heal from the profound trauma of war. Warriors in Film in the North Cascades and Beyond will feature speakers involved in the Sierra Club's Military Outdoors program who will present the spectacular footage and touching stories of veterans who adventure into the outdoors to heal, experience camaraderie, and to muster the strength to continue their fight to make America a better place. The free event will take place at 7 p.m. in the Tacoma Mountaineers.

2. Walk through the basics of sauerkraut fermentation with Lisa Oldoski at 6:30 p.m. in the Gig Harbor Pierce County Library. You will be inspired to make your own delicious, healthy probiotic sauerkraut at home.

3. Nashville's 10 String Symphony blends aggressive, almost discordant, Celtic and punky string-chording experimentations. Vocally, Rachel Baiman and Christian Sedelmyer lock in seamlessly, and their vocal duets often take center stage despite the fact that they are self-described fiddle players. Check the duo out with Forest Beutel at 7 p.m. in Tacoma's Immanuel Presbyterian Church.

4. As a scarf-wearing Muslim teenager in Chicago, Tahera Ahmad played a mean game of basketball. As a young woman, she wrestled with interpretations of her own faith and went on to study Islamic law at the prestigious Al-Azhar University in Cairo. Today, as a respected scholar, speaker, and youth leader, Ahmad has drawn national attention for social justice views that combine her devout Islamic faith with a feminist worldview. Sister Tahera Ahmad, associate university chaplain and faculty fellow at Northwestern University in Illinois, will share some of those viewpoints in a University of Puget Sound lecture that addresses questions that Muslims and non-Muslims alike may ask as they encounter conflicting pictures of the Islamic religion and culture at 7:30 p.m. in Schneebeck Concert Hall.

5. Guitarist, harpist and singer Brian Lee has led popular Northwest bands Brian Lee Trio, Streamliner, and Brian Lee & the Orbiters for many years. These musician's musicians have mantle full of awards, playing originals and cover. The Brian Lee Trio pops in at 8 p.m. for Blues Night at The Swiss Restaurant and Pub.

SATURDAY, FEB. 7 2015 >>>

1. LeMay - America's Car Museum will unleash beer, booze, blues and classic Buicks at 7 p.m. when their "Drive the Blues Away" celebration consumes their space next to the Tacoma Dome. Chug Red Hook and Narrows Brewing beer, sip booze from 2bar Spirits, Heritage Distilling Co., Sidetrack Distillery, Magnolia Moonshine Cocktails and Glass Distillery, chow down on grub from Pacific Grill as you listen to Little Bill & The Blue Notes, the Kim Archer Band and James King and the Southsiders. Bonus: Gibson Guitars will be in the house, allowing you to test drive acoustic and electric guitars. Oh, then there are the 300-plus classic, collectible and vintage vehicles spanning more than 110 years - but that's a given.

2. Ravenna Woods have grown in ways that enter them into a different realm from those that consider folk revivalism the be-all and end-all of new indie expression. What began as a three-piece that created percussive folk has nor involved more electronic elements that expand their sound. Now, with their newest album, The Jackals, Ravenna Woods will be subjected to a modern dance interpretation of their album, just as Lemolo did last year with the Kaleidoscope Dance. Just as last year's performance involved a band its album in its entirety, accompanied by modern dancers, so will this year's production involve Ravenna Woods' latest album, The Jackals, joined with interpretive dancers. Read Rev. Adam McKinney's full feature on Ravenna Woods in the Music & Culture section, then catch the performance at 7 p.m. in the Urban Grace Church.

3. The South Sound MC battle scene began in the early '90s, but flourished on an astronomical trajectory with the emergence of Heretic The Heathen's For MCs By MCs Presents organization a few years back. The local battle scene is composed of upstart and veteran writers, lyricists and vocalists who compete with clever combos of wordplay and verbs. At 8 p.m. in McCoy's Tavern, the battle continues when For MCs By MCs Presents "Capitol Punishment" featuring multiple bouts with highly touted MCs. Get it innnn!

4. Mig Artugue is the defining voice behind Too Long Sparks, which takes spare drum machines and layers looped guitar and ukulele on top to create a moody atmosphere that builds with increasing anxiety. His vocals drift from laconic to panicked, lending an urgency to his minimalistic compositions that sounds like nothing more than one man having a nervous breakdown in the recording studio. Catch the one-man band with Red Planet Rebels, No Crown and Little Star at 8 p.m. in Bob's Java Jive.

5. It seems only natural to combine the worlds of bluegrass and punk, and The Rusty Cleavers do so magnificently, with all manner of mandolin, banjo and backyard clatter coming together in a cacophony of spirited group-singing and hoops and hollers. Catch the band at 8 p.m. in The Spar in Old Town Tacoma.

THURSDAY, FEB. 5 2015 >>>

1. If you need another excuse to drink a good beer (and who doesn't?), Puyallup River Brewing Alehouse is celebrating its 2nd anniversary beginning at 6 p.m. Puyallup River Brewing owner-brewer Eric Akeson opened the downtown Puyallup taproom less than a year after launching his South Hill garage brewery. The long, dark 2,000-square-foot alehouse showcases Akeson's talent - including Valley Farmhouse IPA, Fryingpan Cascadian Red Ale, Paradise Blonde Saison, as well as 2014 Washington Brewers Festival Silver medalist Cream Ale, Silver medalist Black Pumpkin Saison and Bronze medalist Oak Aged Point Success Porter - plus guest taps and some of the best brewer's nights and beer events in the South Sound. Puyallup loves beer and parties, at least according to those who attend Akeson's hosted events. We expect tonight's party will follow suit, with a special anniversary beer and giveaways.

2. Speaking of beer, Engine House No. 9 will host a Trinity Brewing Night with five on tap and three different brews in bottles at 6 p.m. Trinity head brewer and owner Jason Yester will be in the firehouse.

3. Tacoma Green Drinks provides a social and networking opportunity for Tacoma-Pierce County residents interested in sustainability, conservation, environmental issues and booze! Join them at 5:30 p.m. in front of The Swiss Restaurant and Pub for City of Tacoma Environmental Services' Merita Pollard's tour of the Low Impact Development aspects of the Prairie Line Trail. The Vision2Action Symposium is coming to town March 5, and this pre-event will be geared toward answering questions on the Symposium, how you can get involved and what the heck is Low Impact Development. After the tour, it's all about drinking.

4.  A night on the town turns unexpectedly poignant when four best friends convene to reminisce about the past and provide insight into relationships. Just kidding. They sing Gloria Gaynor tunes, toss back shots, and yell things like "That one made my hoohah tickle!" That doesn't stop Louise Roche's otherwise flighty karaoke-standard revue from attempting to delve into substantial topics, and things get a little awkward once the Shake Weight jokes take a hard right to marital regret and miscarriage. Catch Centerstage's version of Girls Night: The Musical at 8 p.m. in the Knutzen Theater.

5. Brian James is an accomplished singer/songwriter and instrumentalist who was hired in 2008 as the head staff writer at Sure-Fire Music Publishing in Nashville where he wrote hit songs for four years, before starting his own publishing/management company, Brick Hit House Music. He wrote the theme song for the Discovery Channel's American Farmer, as well as songs for Taylor Hicks, Donny Anderson and Tonya Kennedy. Catch him at 8 p.m. in The Swiss.

TUESDAY, FEB. 3 2015 >>>

1.  With all the discussion about food these days, there has been is very little interest in the hands that pick it. The documentary Food Chains draws much needed attention to the oppressive conditions faced by many farm workers in the nation's tomato industry. Food Chains exposes the human cost in our food supply and the complicity of the supermarket industry. Catch the film at 1:45 and 6:30 p.m. in The Grand Cinema.

2. Missionaries to the inland Northwest created the earliest and most substantial archives of Plateau Indian culture. Trevor J. Bond, head of Manuscripts, Archives and Special Collections at Washington State University, will examine how collectors with varied motivations amassed American Indian cultural materials at 4 p.m. on the second floor of Collins Library on the University of Puget Sound campus.

3. Pierce County residents can learn how to grow their own food during the 2015 Edible Gardens Workshop series, which runs from February through November. The free series of monthly workshops, which are sponsored by Pierce County and the Pierce Conservation District, teach beginning gardeners how to plan a garden, prepare the soil, plant seeds, and harvest the food they've grown. Each workshop is designed to help students throughout the growing season by addressing what needs to be done in the garden that month. The classes combine presentations with hands-on activities. At 6 p.m., it's all about fruit trees in the Washington State University Extension Puyallup building.

4. If hearing the sound of your own cackling voice echoing off the walls of your shower stall has you craving the sound of something a bit more harmonious, check out the local songbirds at Victory Music Open Mic in the Antique Sandwich Co. from 7-10 p.m. It's guaranteed to be jam-packed with gorgeous sounds and humbling verses, as the South Sound's greatest up-and-coming acoustic musicians bare their souls impromptu-style.

5. Moby Grape was one of the most versatile San Francisco rock bands to emerge out of the summer of love. Sadly, through a combination of inner turmoil and bad management decisions, the mighty Moby Grape broke up in 1969. However, their debut album is still considered one of the best of all time by many critics, in part because of the nimble fingers of guitarist Jerry Miller. Miller was named one of the top 100 guitarists of all time by Rolling Stone above Eddie Van Halen, Johnny Winter and Randy Rhoads. The Tacoma native has enjoyed a rich career sharing the stage with countless musicians including members of the Doobie Brothers and Carlos Santana. Miller hosts an open jam at 7 p.m. in Dave's of Milton.

Don't drink and drive, buckle up and have a plan. These are just some of the things said to soldiers during a safety brief.

For the most part it works. However, there have been incidents where a soldier does not listen to their leadership or friends and accidents occur.

In an effort to help prevent soldiers from driving under the influence, the Better Opportunity for Single Service Members run the Designated Driver Program within a 15-mile radius of Joint Base Lewis-McChord. This is a volunteer-based service, which servicemembers give up their time to help other soldiers. It provides service members a safe ride home when drinking, instead of getting behind the wheel and causing harm to themselves or others.

Soldiers needing a ride first need to contact them at 253.208.9169 for a ride. The BOSS volunteer will then pick up the servicemember. Finally the soldier is returned safely to the barracks at no expense.

Since the program is run by servicemembers, it is only available Friday, Saturday and on training holidays from 9 p.m. to 3 a.m.

"However, we make special exceptions for New Years, Brewfest, St. Patrick's Day, Oktober Fest and other popular holidays which typically promote alcohol consumption," said Spc. Jennifer R. Helm, BOSS president with the U.S. Army JBLM Garrison.

The volunteers take their responsibilities as designated drivers very seriously in order to ensure all the soldiers are picked up and taken care.

"Many of our volunteers stay past the 3 a.m. cutoff just to ensure everyone gets home safe," added Helm.

"We love the BOSS van program," said Maj. Jay I. Cash, provost marshal, JBLM. "It's good when servicemembers on JBLM contact the BOSS for a ride because that just means the likelihood of JBLM or civilian police coming into contact with an impaired servicemember behind the wheel of a motor vehicle is significantly reduced."

"So, when it's working at its best we don't even know they're there except when they pass thru the gates." He added, "This is classic battle buddy program for which the military is known for."

Servicemembers caught on or off post drinking and driving may face legal actions, fines, have on post driving privileges suspended or possibly ruin their military career.

Cash said that on post penalties for DUIs mirror that of the state of Washington as well as a couple of mandatory DoD requirements.

In order to highlight the program Cash shared the BOSS number with local departments in the event they have impaired service members needing a ride.

"The police community thinks that this is an excellent program which saves service members lives and career ... if used," said Cash. "The decision to drive drunk is generally made while impaired. If servicemembers were to make a plan to use the program before they even leave for the night I believe it would be even more successful."

For more information on the Designated Driver Program call BOSS at 253.967.5636.

Sgt. Sinthia Rosario is with the 5th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment.

SUNDAY, FEB. 1 2015 >>>

1. We could have loaded today's 5 Things To Do with double entendres based on the concept of Super Bowl snacks and deflated balls. Instead, click here for several Super Bowl parties in the South Sound.

2. Pearl Django performs at 11 a.m. in the Museum of Glass. Pulling inspiration from the legendary jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt, Pearl Django has a signature Hot Club style marked by the band's expert string work, steady pulse of rhythm guitar and unmistakable swing that reaches out to audiences of all musical sensibilities.

3. These days, South Sound pubs offer more activities than a cruise ship. Tides Tavern wants to make it crystal clear its 12th Annual Tapmaster program isn't about chugging yards of beer then taking a flying leap off the dock into the harbor. Instead, the popular watering hole in Gig Harbor wants you to enjoy its 16 taps through the month of February. Get to know each beer. Ask the beers questions. Ask the bartenders questions. If by happenstance you drink all 16 beers in the 28 days, the Tides will give you a nifty T-shirt and add your name to the wall of fame.

4. We all know what it feels like to be stuck in a job we hate, where managers lead by harassment and double down on strategies that didn't work the first hundred times. Imagine you're trapped in a low-rent Chicago sales office with five alpha males, each struggling to sell Florida swampland before apathetic corporate overlords drop the axe. If you're looking to feel better about your working life, David Mamet's 1983 drama Glengarry Glen Ross is a great place to start. The Lakewood Playhouse stages the play at noon due to some big game on the tube. Read Christian Carvajal's full review of Glengarry Glen Ross in the Music & Culture section.

5. Tacoma's humorous zombie art show returns but at a new location - Destiny City Comics. "Tacomapocalype 4: Back to the Future" focuses on "Zombies Vs. 80's Time Travel Movies." Check out the local zombie art from noon to 6 p.m.

LINK: Sunday, Feb. 1 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

SATURDAY, JAN. 31 2015 >>>

1. On May 18, 1980, at 8:32 a.m., where were you? Memories of the 1980 Mount Saint Helens eruption informs our knowledge of clear and present danger in the shadows of our dragons next door. That fact is made unnervingly clear by a new exhibit in Tacoma's Washington State History Museum opening at 10 a.m. today. Kudos to whoever had the dramatic idea of funneling audience members past a mockup of a 1980 living room, complete with vintage color TV. The television is running an episode of KOMO 4 News from that spring afternoon. The broadcast transports middle-aged viewers back in time while acclimatizing younger museum visitors. From there it's on to a display of mind-boggling physical destruction, in which a tree has been warped into a claw and the pyroclastic impact of tons of blazing mud crumpled a metal truck door like an aluminum soda can. Read Christian Carvajal's full feature on "Living In The Shadows: Volcanoes of Washington" in the Northwest section.

2. Eugene native and brewmaster Trevor Howard opened Hop Valley Brewing Friday, Feb. 13, 2009. Indeed, he and his father, Ron Howard, Jonas Kungys and Chuck Hare chose Friday the 13th. Good luck has only come their way, as Hop Valley has undergone incredible growth. Drop by the Pig Bar inside South Bay Dickerson's BBQ and get an early start on the brewery's six-year anniversary by sipping a healthy Hop Valley line-up, win prizes and get in on some tasty ribs from 6-9 p.m.

3. The Soul Revue at 6:30 p.m. in Jazzbones will encompass the breadth and variety of soul over the generations. Featuring the songs of everyone from Aretha Franklin and Etta James to Frank Ocean and Janelle Monae, the Soul Revue will be covering selected bits of evolution from the world of soul music and all its various permutations. Read Rev. Adam McKinney's full feature on the Soul Revue in the Music & Culture section.

4. If you can say one thing about Rogues Gallery (formerly Jipsea Party), it's that they're clearly devoted to the mad energy of their spectacle. Their gypsy punk is a familiar enough style, but they infuse it with a fervency and a momentum that raises them above some of their other drunken Eastern European devotees. Catch the band with Wages of Sin, the Bog Hoppers and Micah Subar at 8 p.m. in Bob's Java Jive.

5. Jimmi Davies is a coppersmith, motor head, artist and friendly face around Olympia. But perhaps he is best known for his music - with Oly legends The Dirty Birds and his latest project, straight up rock and rollers Resident Kings. Davies and the new line-up for the Resident Kings play Olympia's Rhythm & Rye with C Average and Marching Suns at 9 p.m. Rock and roll is here to stay.

LINK: Saturday, Jan. 31 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

This just in from the Joint Base Lewis-McChord Public Affairs Office ...

JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash. - JBLM's Directorate of Family Morale, Welfare and Recreation along with the Army and Air Force Exchange Service is providing three free opportunities for football fans to watch the biggest game of the year.

- Warrior Zone, on JBLM Lewis North, will be open at 10 a.m. and hold a Madden NFL ‘15 tournament beginning at noon. Former Seahawks player and pro football hall of famer, Walter Jones, will be there signing autographs and watching the game with Service members. There are more than 50 high-definition TV's to catch all of the action. (Admittance to the Warrior Zone is restricted to those 18 years and older.)

- Nelson Recreation Center, on JBLM Lewis Main, will also host a Madden NFL '15 tournament and provides a 20-foot projection screen. Doors open at noon.

- Carey Theater, on JBLM Lewis Main, is the family friendly viewing location for those football fans with family members younger than 18 years old. The audio system combined with the digital 15- by 24-foot digital screen will provide a live in-the-stadium atmosphere for the family football fans. Doors open at 12:30 p.m.

TUESDAY, JAN. 27 2015 >>>

1. She's Beautiful When She's Angry tells the story of the brilliant, often outrageous women who founded the feminist movement from 1966 to 1971. They said, "the personal is political" and made a revolution: in the bedroom, in the workplace, in all spheres of life. Called "threatening" by the FBI, yet ignored in many histories, these women changed the world. Since the '60s, when a generation of activists and critics dared to argue that women should be allowed to make decisions and hold jobs of note and be paid worth a damn and not get raped, feminism has fundamentally changed most aspects of our lives today. The Grand Cinema will screen Mary Dore's documentary as part of its Tuesday Film Series at 1:45 and 6:30 p.m.

2. Bates Technical College's Culinary Arts crew threw their hat into the ring during November's 2014 World Food Championships in Las Vegas and came out on top with their Snooty Chef Burger. This behemoth earned them fourth out of 50 of those competing, advancing them to the final round where they placed in the top 10. From 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., the citizens of the South Sound may dig into this championship burger at Bates Technical College's café for a cool $9.95 (price includes tax and fries).

3. Join King's Books as they celebrate the release of Fairest, the latest inThe Lunar Chronicles, by Tacoma's own Marissa Meyer. Fairest is a prequel to the other books in the series and tells the backstory of the dreaded Queen Levana. At the event you can hear Marissa read an excerpt, ask her questions, participate in fun activities, and, of course, buy books. Expect a large crowd. At 4 p.m., book signing tickets will be available and at 5 the doors will open. 

4. Some 20 years ago, Manny Chao was the first employee at Mac and Jack's Brewery. With Chao's help, Mac and Jack's amber ale became the third best selling craft brew in the state. Five years later, Chao left Mac and Jack's and by 2002, he and his housemate, Roger Bialous, homebrewed their first beer - Manny's Pale Ale. In 2003, Chao was the number one employee at his Georgetown Brewing Company located in Seattle's Georgetown district. In 2013, Chao and Bialous produced 52,300 barrels of beer - the second highest in the state behind Red Hook. Meet Chao at the Georgetown Brewing Brewer's Night from 5-7 p.m. at Pint Defiance, drink his Manny's Pale, Lovely Rieda Imperial IPA, Lucille IPA and Barrel-aged Chopper's Red Ale, learn the stories behind the beer names and maybe win a raffle prize. Over at Puget Sound Pizza, Hop Valley Brewing will unleash their Operation Vacation Extra Pale Ale and IPAs from 6-9 p.m.

4. The University of Puget Sound welcomes travel guru Rick Steves to its Schneebeck Concert Hall for a "Israelis and Palenstinians Today" chat at 7 p.m. Steves - book author, travel expert, pot smoker, global wanderer, TV host - has spent four months each year overseas for the last 30 years — including Israel and Palestine. According to pre-event hype, "Steves will share his impressions of the beauty of the Holy Land and explore legacies of the region's long history of conflicts, including the disputed settlements in the West Bank, the security wall built by the Israelis, and the long-lingering Palestinian refugee camps."

LINK: Tuesday, Jan. 27 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

SUNDAY, JAN. 25 2015 >>>

1. Actor Danny Glover hosts an evening tribute to the famed Buffalo Soldiers - African Heritage soldiers who served with unimpeachable distinction for a country that rarely appreciated their valor and sacrifice, presented by the Buffalo Soldiers Museum in Tacoma. Glover starred in the 1997 film Buffalo Soldiers, chronicling the regiment's battles with Native Americans in 19^th century New Mexico and the complicated racial tensions and realities that existed between the sides. Glover has been an actor for more than 25 years, earning numerous awards and accolades for roles in films such as Lethal Weapon and The Color Purple. He is also a renowned activist, currently serving as a UNICEF ambassador. Glover takes the Pantages Theater stage at 7:30 p.m.

2. Erivan and Helga Haub donated 295 Western American works of art from their private collection to the Tacoma Art Museum, along with endowment funds for the future care and educational opportunities related to the collection. The collection spans 200 years, from famed early artists/explorers to notable present day masters. Read Alec Clayton's full story on the Haub Family Collection wing at the Tacoma Art Museum in the Music & Culture Section, then see the exhibit from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

3. In 1983, unemployed Mike McMenamin bought the former Fat Little Rooster tavern in Portland and renamed it the Barley Mill. Brian McMenamin soon joined in and today they own threescore pubs, taverns, clubs, hotels, dance halls and a village called Edgefield. The McMenamins have the golden touch - to convert desuetude into quirky, funky, artful joints to gather and drink. One of the early McMenamins beers, the Hammerhead Ale, celebrates its 29th birthday. It's a classic Northwest pale ale and McMenamins top selling beer. The beer's signature Cascade hop nose and intense hopped flavor blend nicely with the caramel tones from the crystal malt. McMenamins Spar Café (114 Fourth Ave. E., Olympia) toasts the Hammerhead's old age by offering $3 pints of the 5.93 percent ABV ale all day.

4. The Tacoma Symphony Orchestra opens its Mini Maestros family series at 2:30 p.m. with a performance of Peter and the Wolf at the Rialto Theater in downtown Tacoma. Conducted by Music Director Sarah Ioannides, the performance will feature the famous piece by Sergei Prokofiev that has introduced generations of children to symphonic music.

5. The Nearsighted Narwhal book store hosts its Tacoma Creatives Showcase featuring novelist/playwright Nick Stokes, children's book author/poet/illustrator Jennifer Chushcoff, artist Angela Jossy and modern day troubadours Band of Lovers. Hosted by Michael Haeflinger, the talent hit the stage at 6 p.m. 

LINK: Sunday, Jan. 25 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area