TACOMA REPRESENT >>>

Valentine's Day draws nigh. If you're planning on running out the night before and snagging a box of chocolates from the drug store - don't you dare! We live in a region filled with locally made items - jewelry by talented local artisans, handmade candy without nasty chemicals - even historical items. Below I offer a few locally made products for your sweetheart with the 253Heart.

The gift of local body care

"We have several body care products made in the Pacific Northwest," says Bill Evans, owner of the Pacific Northwest Shop in Proctor District. "Antoinette is a line of soaps with some special Valentine's soaps. Another option is Jenteal Soaps out of Yelm, which are largely floral scented. More unique options are our chocolate-scented soaps and candles by Chocolate Flower Farm from Whidbey Island." Eacg bar of soap costs around $6.50.

The gift of local art

"A couple might want to take one of our Try It pottery classes," says Eileen Hudak of Throwing Mud Gallery in Old Town Tacoma. "It's a two-hour class with basic instruction on the pottery wheel. We also have a lot of gift items in our store. We have several styles of jewelry. I have rock pendants, earrings and bracelets with heart shapes, along with other handcrafted jewelry from about 20 different jewelers." Classes cost $60 per person.

The gift of local history

"The gift shop here at the History Museum is a unique place to find a gift for Valentine's Day," says Kimberly Ketcham, director of marketing and communications at the Washington State History Museum. "We have a variety of items from here in the Northwest, such as Pendleton wool blankets in Native American designs, glass art and jewelry made by local artists, and a collection of great books with historical photographs from our area. All our items really let you share our Washington heritage with your sweetheart."

The gift of gothy goodness

"Le Noir Bazaar offers unique gifts this Valentine's Day," says Amanda Jones, manager of Le Noir Bazaar in Tacoma. "We have lovely fingerless gloves with a Victorian flare of hand embellished crocheted lace." The gloves cost between $9 and $20.

The gift of local sweet treats

For Valentine's, Legendary Doughnuts has a few special selections: raspberry dark chocolate truffle (heart-shaped raised doughnut filled with raspberry and topped with dark chocolate truffle), white chocolate raspberry (chocolate cake doughnut dipped in white chocolate with raspberry filling) and raspberry fritters (heart-shaped raised doughnuts). "Do-nut forget your valentine," says Shannon Patten, owner of Legendary Doughnuts. Doughnuts are around $2 a peice, or $19.99 for a heart-shaped doughnut cake.

And if all else fails ...

"For people having a crappy Valentine's Day, World Market and the Pacific Northwest Shop have our CHOC-AID chocolate Band-Aids to mend a broken heart," says Sara Evans of With Love Chocolates. The Band-Aids cost $4.50 per box.

LINK: Hipster's guide to love on Valentine's Day

THE DANCER, NOT FREAKIN' ROSS >>>

I stalk people. It's part of my job at the Weekly Volcano. I dive deep into websites on a particular topic or person then compile it into a neat little package for you.

This week, I stalked Benji Schwimmer, a 29-year-old California native who began competitive dancing at the age of 5.  His skills landed him the title of World Swing Champ, So You Think You Can Dance winner, guest coach and dancer on Dancing with the Stars, music videos, movies and more. (Thanks Wikipedia.)

Friday, Schwimmer will be at Studio 6 Ballroom in Tacoma. If you register by today, you may dance with him.

My stealthy Schwimmer search leads me to believe the dude not only knows how to dance, he knows how to have fun. His Facebook profile shows him striking a pose in a lily-white armchair next to a lamp as tall as a tree. An interview he did with Out magazine states he did the interview via Skype naked in a bathtub. And, by some sort of mathematical property, Schwimmer is friends with Studio 6 master coach Natasha Thayer - Thayer has partied with Gloria Estefan at a salsa jam - therefore Schwimmer must be an awesome fun salsa dancer. He also has fun on planes. ...

Really sweet flight attendant dropped a napkin on my crotch- and proceed to pick it up- didn't know she had already served peanuts on board.

— Mr. Benji Schwimmer (@BenjiSchwimmer) January 25, 2013

"I have convinced my colleague to take a day out of his busy schedule to visit Tacoma and Studio 6 Ballroom," says Thayer. "He loves working with my students. He's excited to come. I would feel it a disservice to the area if we didn't spread the word and make him available for everyone to get a lesson from!"

As I mentioned, today is the last day to register for Schwimmer dance lessons. For more info or to register, click here.

I lifted his lesson plan from the Studio 6 Ballroom website and posted it below.

A REASON TO DRINK >>>

Why drink alone when you can get your drink on with cool cats who care about environmental issues? On the first Thursday of each month, Green Drinks invites Tacoma and Pierce County residents to do just that - hang out and chat with other green-minded individuals over drinks and snacks. The next session of Green Drinks - which will be held Thursday, Feb. 7 at The Office Bar and Grill - will focus on downtown Tacoma's Pacific Avenue Streetscape Project ... and drinks, of course.

Doreen Gavin, project manager for AHBL - the consulting firm hired by the city of Tacoma in 2011 to design the Pacific Avenue Streetscape Project - will be main entertainment at the Feb. 7 Green Drinks session. And by entertainment I mean giving an overview of Pacific Avenue's makeover and answering questions. 

In a nutshell, the Pacific Avenue Streetscape Project will deck out downtown's main drag with new sidewalks, lighting and bike lanes, as well as innovative green touches from stormwater infrastructure and rain gardens to more than 3,000 new plants. When all is said and done, downtown Tacoma intends to be a leader in urban greenness - as well as a lot prettier.

I tossed a few questions at Gavin before she got her Green Drinks on at The Office.

WEEKLY VOLCANO: Why is the Pacific Avenue Streetscape Project important to Tacoma?

DOREEN GAVIN: The Pacific Avenue Streetscape project has three main goals. First, economics. The project is designed to create an active, attractive and economically viable "main street" that encourages people and businesses to be downtown. Second, multimodal accessibility. The new sidewalks, intersection bulb-outs, crosswalks, bike sharrows, landscaping, street furnishings, artwork, catenary lighting and transit stops will improve walkability, accessibility, bicyclist and pedestrian safety. And third, but not least, stormwater improvements. The project incorporates stormwater treatment for this busy downtown corridor, which drains into the Thea Foss waterway. The waterway was designated a superfund site in 1983 and the cleanup was completed in 2006 at a cost of over $100 million to the city and its partners. The stormwater treatment facilities to be constructed as part of this project will improve the quality of stormwater generated within this corridor before it's discharged to the Thea Foss Waterway. This work adds to our efforts to protect the newly remediated waterway through source control, sweeping, maintenance and treatment projects. In addition, the Pac Ave corridor is a wonderful opportunity to showcase this treatment to the public in an innovative and interesting way. The goal is that these stormwater improvements will not only be functional but beautiful as well.

VOLCANO: It's a huge project. How are you going to structure your talk at Green Drinks?

GAVIN: My talk will focus primarily on green stormwater infrastructure and how the Pacific Avenue Streetscape Project incorporates the goals of stormwater quality treatment in Tacoma's "Main Street" through the use of rain gardens and silva cells. I will show some sketches and images illustrating what the proposed project will look like when completed. I will also talk about the goals of the project and the construction schedule.

VOLCANO: What pairs with a Pacific Avenue Streetscape Projects lecture?

GAVIN: Green beer, if available.

THE OFFICE BAR AND GRILL, GREEN DRINKS, THRUSDAY, FEB. 7, 6 P.M., FREE ADMISSION, 813 PACIFIC AVE., TACOMA, 253.572.3222

FUTURE THINGS ARE COMING >>>

The concept is brilliant: Immediately following the much-loved Daffodil Grand Floral Parade, give parade watchers the various hues of blues sounds that will delight the whole family and, at the same time, all merchants — particularly the restaurants in downtown Tacoma.

Launched in 2008 by the Tacoma Events Commission, the Gray Sky Blues Music Festival will, once again, follow the Daffodil Parade, which will be held Saturday, April 13.

Gary Grape, entertainment manager of the festival and president of the South Sound Blues Association, has released the band lineup. This year's festival will include 15 bands in four venues. The Harmon Brewery & Eatery and Cutters Pointe Coffee will see the early action, followed by the headliners at The Swiss around 4 p.m., then a night show at Stonegate Pizza. Portland's Franco Paletta and the Stingers and local wonderkid Nolan Garrett will anchor the festival. Blues harpest Paletta and his band recently won the Cascade Blues Association's "Journey To Memphis" challenge at the 2012 Waterfront Blue Festival, and the honor comes with the opportunity to represent the association in February at the International Blues Challenge in Memphis, Tenn. Guitarist Garrett won the South Sound Blues Association's Back To Beale Street contest to represent our area at the IBC in Memphis next month. Maybe the two will hook up in Memphis to work on a collaboration for April's festival.

In addition to Paletta and Garrett, other blues musicians scheduled to perform at the Gray Sky Blues Music Festival in April include Paul Green and Straight Shot, Maia Santell and House Blend, Alice Stuart and the Formerlys, The Crazy Texas Gypsies, The Mary McPage Band, Alyx Phippen and others.

Stay tuned for more updates.

LINK: A chat with Nolan Garrett

BOOK PARTY >>>

Marissa Meyer is a YA author from Tacoma and a Pacific Lutheran University graduate. She's a fan of Firefly. She wrote Sailor Moon fan fiction for 10 years. Cinder, the first book in her Lunar Chronicles, is about an android Cinderella in futuristic China was on the New York Times Best Seller list.

In short, she is one of the lucky few whose love of sci-fi and all things nerdy has paid off.

Tuesday, Feb. 5, Scarlet, the second book in the Lunar Chronicles, will debut with a book signing at Garfield Book Company in Tacoma. Meyer's hope for the event is that it goes beyond a simple book signing and ventures into the realm of a party. Her Cinder launch was filled with red shoes. She hopes people will get into the Scarlet spirit and wear a red scarf.

"We're going to have a swag table," Meyer says. "I'll have lots of Lunar Chronicles goodies - some pens, some temporary tattoos, bookmarks, stickers and everything. I've invited other local authors to bring swag, too. A swag buffet!"

Meyer will read or speak before the signing frenzy. Also expect tasty refreshments, a raffle and prizes and giveaways.

"There's a place down in Olympia called Wolf Haven, where I did some of my research," she says. "They're a nonprofit that focuses on breeding and education about wolves. I'm hoping to have the raffle proceeds go to supporting Wolf Haven. We're going to have three gift baskets for prizes - each one will have a copy of Cinder and Scarlet. One will have a space theme, and one will have a Paris theme since Scarlet is set in France, and one will have an Asian theme since Cinder is in China."

If you can't make the Garfield Book Company event, there will be a second Scarlet launch and party Feb. 21 at King's Books.

GARFIELD BOOK COMPANY, TUESDAY, FEB. 5 7-10 P.M., 208 GARFIELD ST., TACOMA,253.535.7665

LEARNING IN THE DARK >>>

In the most remote regions of world, where ice caps the size of large cities are rapidly changing, sloughing off chunks, creating rippling avalanches of snow and ice, and ultimately changing life as we know it, National Geographic's James Balog was in the thick of it, risking his life to document the breathtaking landscape shifting before his eyes - and his 25 camera lenses - creating a time-lapse of three year's worth of devastation.

Wish you were there to see it?

A close runner-up to actually being there would to see the spectacle surrounded by warmth with a bag of kick ass popcorn. Balog's Chasing Ice, the film that Huffington Post declares "hauntingly beautiful," will screen at 5 p.m. Saturday during the 9th Annual Olympia Documentary Film Festival at the Capitol Theater.

The weekend long festival screens seven other documentaries including Reel Injun, a look at the evolution of the depiction of First Nations people; Crazy Wisdom, about the bad boy of Buddhism; Detropia, about the woes of Detroit; Bones Brigade, documenting the lives of six skateboarders in the '80s followed by special musical guests Big Business; The Invisible War, about the rape of soldiers within the U.S. military; The Waiting Room, that goes behind the doors of American hospitals and Samsara, a non-verbal guided meditation that will transform viewers.

True to Olympia and the nature of the festival, each handpicked film is compelling, controversial, eye opening and adventurous.

For more information and a complete list of show times, click here.

CAPITOL THEATER, FRIDAY, JAN 25-SUNDAY, JAN 27, TIMES VARY, $8.50, $5.50 OLYMPIA FILM SOCIETY MEMBER, $25-$35 FILM PASSES, 206 FIFTH AVE. SE, OLYMPIA, 360.754.6670

WE TALK ABOUT NUTS >>>

AmeRAWcan Bistro does things with their nuts you wouldn't believe. Who knew you could make really really thin pancakes out of cashews? Or take one look at an enchilada filled with seasoned walnut meat and not run screaming to the nearest Azteca?

But there's more to them than magical nuts. They're also really into juicing - and, no, I'm not suggesting they're hiding hypodermic needles behind their stock of local, organic products. They juice fruits and vegetables, and so does Dave the Raw Food Trucker.

Dave Conrardy, also known as Dave the Raw Food Trucker, isn't actually a trucker anymore - which is good news for you because now he's free Saturday, Jan. 26 to hang out at AmeRAWcan Bistro and tell you his story. And lemme tell you, it's a pretty amazing story.

I'm about to get serious on you.

Three years ago, Conrardy was dying. Yes, technically we're all dying, but Conrardy was facing obesity, diabetes, cancer, heart disease and kidney disease. As a last-ditch effort to turn things around before insulin and the end of his truck-driving career, he convinced his doctor to let him try this weird raw food juicing thing he read about. Turns out it isn't so weird. OK, it may be weird, but only in the best most miraculous way possible.

Conrardy, 55, who lives in the Pacific Northwest, is a new man, and he travels the world sharing the miracles of a raw, organic and vegan diet.

"I never would have believed this was possible, but it is the happiest time of my life," Conrardy says in an article by Beth Davis in Natural Awakenings. "I'm so grateful to be alive that I want to show others the possibilities of the best healing diet on the planet."

Convinced you should check it out? Did I mention there will also be smoothie and juice samples? Fifteen dollars gets you in the door for the samples and two hours of Conrardy, who seems like a pretty cool dude. Afterward, I challenge you to stay for lunch and see for yourself how they handle their nuts.

AMERAWCAN BISTRO, SATURDAY, JAN. 26, 9-11 A.M., $15, 745 ST. HELENS AVE., TACOMA, 253.327.1962

FUTURE THINGS ARE COMING >>>

Spencer Abersold, a.k.a. The Walrus, sat before the KGHP radio station console for 200 hours - nine days - attempting to beat the Guinness Book of World Record's previous continuous broadcasting record of 187 hours. 

"I didn't lose my voice," he Abersold, "but I did go crazy."

What Abersold also did was raise $16,000 for the radio station, which is inside Peninsula High School in Gig Harbor. KGHB's funds were on the chopping block after being supported by the school district for 23 years. 

"After the buzz got going and people realized their radio station was at stake, the community got together and made sure it persevered," he adds.

Another $2,000 was raised from Abersold's "Sound to Summit" walk, where he attempted to walk from Owen Beach to Mount Rainier.

The efforts of Abersold and other community supporters brought in much needed money for new equipment and operating costs for the radio station.

Abersold explained the old setup was like building a car and using Volkswagen, Mercedes and Ford parts all rolled into one - all the equipment was either donated or salvaged.

"Now," he says, "it's like a Chevy Camaro with a Hemi."

KGHP 89.3/93.7FM invites the public to tour the studio, check out equipment, and maybe even get your voice on the air Saturday afternoon. 

KGHP STUDIO, SATURDAY, JAN 26, 11 A.M. TO 4 P.M., 14105 PURDY DR., NW, GIG HARBOR, 253.857.3589

TACOMA SANDWICHED WEEKEND >>>

Although it is cold out, there is no snow yet (as of writing this). So, there really isn't an excuse to stay in during the weekend. Now bundle up! Here are yo marching orders! This weekend will have ya a little here and a little there, seeing a little of this and a little of that. ...

Saturday, at 8 p.m., for $15, The Nectar in Seattle is hosting Layzie Bone and the High Off Life Tour. Motamouth Jones and Sikk Stylez are on the bill as openers. Motamouth Jones is currently building his K.O.E. (Klowns Over Everything) movement. I will have more on them in a future as part of my What's the Word? column. Motamouth will be sure to bring you that sharp lyricism and those theatrical-performances that have earned the group a top spot in the Tacoma hip-hop scene. There are a whopping nine artists on the Nectar bill, so hopefully it will not turn into a cluster mess of poorly run hip-hop sets.

Sunday will have you out all day and night. At 1 p.m. you have to head over and hit the Graffiti Garages Sunday Ciphers put on by the Northwest M.C. League. Whether you are a freestyler, a battler or a producer shopping beats, this is the place to build. The last couple Graffiti Garage Ciphers were canceled due to the Seahawks game.

Later Sunday night, head up to Seattle to 88 Keys (9 p.m. for $10) for Shut the Stage Down 3. These are huge hip-hop nights that E-Dawg has been throwing. Sixteen artists are scheduled to perform, two DJs and the night is hosted by Shawn Kemp. Tacoma underground and highly respected legend Tall Cann will be rocking. Speaking of cluster messes, this night can turn into one. Hopefully E-Dawg and the artists that are booked can pull this historical night off. I am hoping so!

LINK: Hip-Hop 4 Homeless event

IT'S HAPPENING THIS WEEK >>>

I would like to take this opportunity to personally invite my readers to see if I can walk the walk. You already know I talk the talk.

Seven of my paintings will be included in a show called Azul at B2 Fine Art Gallery, which opens Thursday night. Also in the show are Judy Hintz Cox, Leonardo Lanzolo, William Quinn, Susana Rodriguez and Franciso Salgado.

Cox and Quinn are the only other artists in the show whose work I am familiar with. I reviewed Cox's work in the companion shows Hot Fusion (July 2011) and Cold Fusion (December 2011). In those reviews I praised her use of "pure painterly energy" and wrote: "The tenuous balance of open and closed spaces and the excitement of a variety of transparencies, drawing, dense layering and texture within closed shapes is very exciting."

I reviewed Quinn's work in a couple of shows at the now defunct Mavi Contemporary back in 2010. Not well known to Tacomans at the time, Quinn was well respected in Europe, where he had lived and worked for a number of years. In my review of his August 2010 show at Mavi I wrote: "His paintings are abstract with vaguely figurative organic shapes in starkly contrasting colors floating on or seen through open space (backgrounds mostly white or black with other color tents). His balance of shapes in space is dramatic, and his gestural surface markings range from the most delicate to the most bombastic, with intermingling of flat, opaque shapes, lovely transparencies and lines made by drawing into the wet paint to reveal other colors that have been painted over. I see a lot of Robert Motherwell influence in these paintings, especially the ones that use strong black and white contrasts, and hints of Juan Miro."

"HALF MOON”: Oil and encaustic by Judy Hintz Cox

Although I don't know what to expect from the other artists, previously seen works by Cox and Quinn indicate that it will probably be a show of mostly abstract art. But certainly not all abstract. The B2 website pictures a three-dimensional piece by Salgado that looks intriguing. It is a very sensual figure all in blue. I look forward to seeing more or his work and more works by Cox and Quinn, and to see for the first time the art of Lanzolo, Rodriguez and Salgado.

The word "Azul" means "blue" in Spanish and Portugese, and blue is the theme of the show - whether the color blue or blues music or blue as a mood, or however the individual artists may choose to interpret it.

I will review the show for the Jan. 24 issue of the Weekly Volcano, with a disclaimer acknowledging my participation.

Personally, I am honored to be included. I retired from painting a few years ago, got rid of all my painting supplies and quit showing my work publically. The last show I had was at the Washington State Convention Center in Seattle in the summer of 2009.

I not only gave away all my painting supplies and quit showing in galleries, I replaced the paint-splattered walls and floors in my studio. To get rid of some of the 150 or so paintings that were stacked all over my house, I held a two-day studio sale this fall. B2 owners Gary and Deborah Boone, came to the sale, bought a few paintings and invited me to be in this show. Thank you, Gary and Deborah.

The opening and artist reception is Thursday, Jan. 17 from 5-9 p.m. The show runs through March 2.

B2 FINE ART GALLERY, 711 SAINT HELENS AVE., TACOMA

LINK: Alec Clayton reviewed "Greek & Roman Mythology" exhibition at Tacoma Community College