LET'S GATHER AND LOOK >>>

Get ready, Tacoma - there's some new public artwork coming atcha!

The piece, Sempervivum (Latin for ever living), blooms at Metro Parks' STAR Center. The afternoon of Saturday, Nov. 10, it will be officially dedicated at a free public event. Come meet artist Lisa Kinoshita and learn more about the artwork and how it offers tribute to the natural wetlands surrounding it.

Both the STAR Center and the grounds are unique. The grounds are a former swamp, but ironically where the sculptures went in was a mix of hard clay and rock that required jackhammers to break through. STAR Center is a facility that brings together three entities - soon-to-be LEED-certified STAR Center, Boys & Girls Club, and Gray Middle School - that share their facilities for activities in the community.

"Two things really attracted me about it," says Kinoshita, "the little-known history of ‘the South Tacoma Swamp' and the changing identity of the area, exemplified in some ways by the STAR Center. There is a rich historical legacy built on transportation in this neighborhood, but it doesn't have immediacy for younger people."

She hopes that her project's integration of the area's natural history and green design will help change that.

The sculpture features three large metal pieces with plants all around them. The metal sculptures imitate a plant called a sedum, which Kinoshita chose for their extreme hardiness.

Kinoshita previously mostly worked in jewelry. She came to the project via the PA:ID program - a program that educates artists on the world of public art - and says that moving from jewelry design to outdoor sculpture was a surprisingly natural leap.

"Much of my jewelry is architecturally inspired, and the Sempervivum sculptures echo some of my favorite jewelry forms - they are very structural and echo the natural symmetries found in nature," says Kinoshita. "I worked closely with my metal fabricator, Quinn Honan, who is an amazing artist and truly has a gift for bringing two-dimensional drawings to life."

STAR CENTER, SATURDAY, NOV. 10, 2 P.M., 3873 SOUTH 66^TH ST., TACOMA, 253.404.3939

CH-CH-CH-CHANGES >>>

Ed. note: Treos has opened. Read our firet bite report.

There it is. The sign in the window.

Treos is coming to Old Town Tacoma, in the spot once occupied by Tully's.

Apparently, Treos is a gathering spot serving coffee and pastries in the morning and beer, wine and small plates in the evening. It's about life ... cubed.

Let's see what it says on its website:

What is treos? A gathering Place! Apart from the workplace and home – your third place, a place to gather, rekindle relationships and recharge your life. The name treos is additionally representative of our core values for service. We believe faith is first, friends, family and guests are second and we are third. The manner in which we live our lives – treoslife.

The term “treos life” is a commitment to service and passion for our guests, and our suppliers. We will serve only the finest coffees sourced directly from the farms in regions throughout the world where our roaster has a personal sustainable relationship with each of our arabica growers.

You may like them on Facebook.

WEEKEND FEASTING >>>

Here comes the feasting season. With only the slightest effort, most of us can manage to survive from now until New Year's Day on nothing but mini crab cakes, smoked salmon, artichoke dip and hot buttered rum, not to mention the chocolate-peppermint bark, the reindeer-shaped butter cookies, and countless Hershey's Kisses wrapped in red and green foil. In the season that used to be all about a big meal - the roast goose, the pig with the apple in its mouth, the flaming plum pudding - our modern holiday repasts have become all about food that can be eaten standing up.

Enough grazing.

The best way to ease into the season may be to slow down, take a deep breath, and have a real meal - a decadent feast. The kind you should see set in front of the Ghost of Christmas Past, that jolly big fellow with the holly wreath.

Brix 25 in Gig Harbor sold out its WTF (What the Foie) Dinner in July. The fancy restaurant still believes foie gras is an age-old delicacy that when added to a meal, it can truly transform a meal - make it decadent, if you will. Therefore, Brix 25 will add foie gras to its meals this weekend only. The restaurant secured a limited quantity of the delicacy from Pleasant View Farm in Puyallup.

Live and let liver.

BRIX 25, FRIDAY, NOV. 9 AND SATURDAY, NOV. 10, 7707 PIONEER WAY, GIG HARBOR, 253.858.6626

WHEN LATE NEWS IS STILL GOOD NEWS >>>

Jolie Holland's progressive takes on traditional forms of music defies genre stereotypes, blending folk, country, rock, jazz and blues elements. Her music is mysterious and fluid, which has garnered high praise from fellow Anti- labelmates Tom Waits and Sage Francis, and a wide range of collaborators including Booker T. Jones, Bad Religion's Greg Graffin, David Gray and Chuck Ragan.

Holland has played to pack houses in Olympia, including the Capitol Theater in 2008.

She's back at the Capitol, Thursday, Nov. 8, with her band, the Chandeliers and Old Light. Holland's performance is the unofficial kickoff to this year's Olympia Film Festival, which begins Friday night.

CAPITOL THEATER, THURSDAY, NOV. 8, 7:30 P.M., $15-$20, 206 E. FIFTH AVE., OLYMPIA, 360.754.6670

YAY LONGEVITY ... AND BUBBLY! >>>

Champagne is most widely considered a libation for celebratory purposes. The sound of the cork popping renders excitement and reminiscing of New Year shindigs.

Saturday, the Black Door Wine Company will give you an excuse to indulge in the bubbly with an annual Champagne tasting of French Premier Cru. They will be offering an opportunity to sip on few Champagnes as well as a couple of Proseccos and a Cava. Its press release states eloquently, "A representative from France will be at Black Door Wine Company to answer your questions about this beautiful French bubbly & to speak about texture, complexity, savoriness, and acidity."

As it happens this is also a celebration as it falls on the one-year anniversary for this little North End wine shop. Owners David Lower and Victoria Johnson are newly adopted Tacomans. Hailing from Seattle -  Lower once in the business of our favorite roasted bean and Johnson an artist - the two came to Tacoma because they liked the movement they witnessed and wanted to join in as "pioneers of an evolution of the city."

Johnson found the wine shop's current location just across the Proctor Bridge. She knew it was just right, though it needed some TLC. "The building was derelict, the two of us came in and did a lot of work," says Johnson. A complete renovation of the property included them utilizing a jackhammer.

You'd never know if you visit the lovely wine shop with its classy ambiance and decor. The facade of the shop is a small room, walls lined with bottles low lights like spotlights on the labels. As you venture further into Black Door Wine Company you see its event space, with Johnsons paintings adorning the walls, lovely pops of color with Johnsons studio just beyond.

The owner's mission is about education - for both the wine aficionado and novice. They sample and select only the finest wines, which does not always equate to the most expensive. Both play excellent hosts and are brimming with information of the process of creating wine, the history of featured wineries and can suggest some varietals that you may not have otherwise fallen in love with, let alone tried.

Johnson says that since the shop's inception, "We have met the most intriguing people, some who live here and have grown up here. People travel from Seattle and everywhere to visit."

It's pretty clear this duo enjoys their work.

Join them in celebrating and sipping with some bubbly 3-7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 10. The cost is $15.

BLACK DOOR WINE COMPANY, 3906 N. 34TH ST., TACOMA, WWW.BLACKDOORWINECOMPANY.COM

OUT OF THE BLACK BOX THINKING >>>

See dance as you've never seen it before - trouncing through a bookstore, a wine bar and a Thai restaurant! Tonight at King's Books, the BareFoot Collective will take to the shelves and deliver a unique performance in a unique venue that is just about the opposite of a formal theatre in every way.  

Tonight's performance will be tBFC's first of several modern dance performances out of the black box. The group aims to take dance into public spaces around Tacoma. So if you think you're safe from fancy footwork at the library or when you're dining upon a tasty curry at Indochine - think again!

The road shows will be 30 to 40 minutes long and will incorporate modern dance techniques from improv, contemporary styles, dance theater, butoh-inspired and body percussion.

"The BareFoot Collective has been creating opportunities for dance in Tacoma since 2008. We are thrilled to partner with local businesses this fall and bring dance to the people where they are. Tacomans will not have to go to the theater and buy a ticket to see dance this November - the BareFoot Collective is steppin' out!" says co-director Katie Stricker via the event's press release.

Other performances include: 7 p.m. Nov. 8 and 15 at Indochine, 7 p.m. Nov. 14 at The Mix, 9:30 p.m. Nov. 16 at Cork Wine Bar and 3 p.m. Nov. 17 at Tacoma Public Library's Main Branch downtown.

Indochine will be visited twice because it's delicious.

All performances are free.

Oh, King's Books will not be held responsible for any airborne books and beverages high-kicked ceremoniously from your hand.

KING'S BOOK, BAREFOOT COLLECTIVE, WEDNESDAY, NOV. 7, 6 P.M., FREE, 218 SAINT HELENS AVE., TACOMA, 253.272.8801

CHECKING IN WITH GO LOCAL TACOMA >>>

What do they want?

Answer: A strong economy.

When do they want it?

Answer: Now.

That was the message Go Local Tacoma posted on its Facebook Oct. 25 to shout out its annual membership meeting happening the same night at Stonegate Pizza.  

Gathered on the top floor of the South Tacoma Way house of rum, the membership cheered inspirational speeches, passed out business cards, learned about future projects and chowed on free pizza. Go Local President Derrick Rhayn and Vice-President Patricia Lecy-Davis could have sold the Weekly Volcano a car that night. Inspirational, to say the least.

Afterward, the Volcano hurled a few questions at Rhayn.

WEEKLY VOLCANO: Explain your vision for bringing all business organizations together quarterly.

DERRICK RHAYN: One of the overarching goals of Go Local is to create a growing, region wide living network that is comprised of locally owned, independent businesses. This network will source from itself - supply chain will be local - will be used to mine information that can be used for policy and advocacy efforts, such as cultivate network intelligence, and will help create a more resilient local economy - more money stays in the local economy when money is spent at locally owned businesses, and hence more jobs are created and sustained. Go Local's quarterly network nights will assist us in facilitating business to business connections throughout the network by giving locally owned independent businesses the opportunity to come together, share their needs and explain what they have to offer the network. As we build a culture of seeking local first, we envision these network nights as ways of drawing more businesses into our network, connecting these businesses to other businesses, and incorporating the work of other small business support efforts that exist in the region to the network. The result will be a living network that spurs innovation, fosters entrepreneurship, and is resilient.

VOLCANO: What will be Go Local's number one goal be for 2013?

RHAYN: Our number one goal is to incorporate volunteers and members into our network structure so we can grow. This means getting people connected to our various committees that are focused on community banking, local food, entrepreneurial training, and independent media. It also means empowering our network with the vision to enfold others with an interest in a strong local economy into what we are doing.

VOLCANO: At the meeting, Patricia Lecy-Davis said the following: "Going from who you know to what you know about who you know." What exactly does she mean?

RHAYN: Go Local uses a strategy called network weaving to facilitate connections between the various nodes - members - in our network. Network weaving is the practice of increasing connectivity among nodes in such a way that the network becomes more intelligent, is able to innovate, sees increased collaboration, and can be used to identify gaps and unique niches that drive entrepreneurship. One of the primary ways to do this is to increase the amount of information that various members of the network know about each other so that connections are facilitated independently. In other words, this is decentralized leadership and focuses on nurturing a culture of reciprocity and collaboration, as opposed to competition. The underlying premise of the local living economy movement is that strong, connected local economies work more effectively because they are community centric, interdependent, and are based on relationships.  The more we know about others in the network, the stronger the possibility of fostering increased connections. In other words, instead of having a dog-eat-dog economic climate, we say, "How can we all be successful together?" Therefore, the more we know about each other, the better the chance we have to all be successful.

VOLCANO: What is the best way for the community to start "going local"?

RHAYN: The easiest thing to do is to ask yourself a simple question before every purchase: "Can I get this from a local independent business?" If the answer is yes, you have an opportunity to shift your spending habits and strengthen the local economy. Making the mental shift is the best thing anyone can do.

Go Local Tacoma will kick off its annual Shift Your Shopping holiday campaign Friday, Nov. 16, which runs up to Christmas Eve. The campaign, of course, urges the South Sound to shop local during the holiday season. Keep an eye on TacomaShiftHappens.com for launch parties and shopping events.

To join Go Local Tacoma, visit golocaltacoma.com.

IN THEIR WORDS >>>

This past winter a spambot out of China infiltrated the Weekly Volcano's calendar system filling it with love gone wrong, genuine college degrees, the Hon. Sid Dooku III and odd verb placement.

It was a nightmare.

Webmaster Zack, hopped up on beef noodle soup and shaojiu in some sort of method coding zone, killed the Chinese threat and restore the public's ability to enter its own events into our calendar system.

Shrieks of joy could be heard from Calendar Kate's office in Wing C at Weekly Volcano World Headquarters.

The public responded, clicking our calendar button and adding its South Sound events, which load into our online calendars as well as exporting to our print product.

Last night, as the people of China walk the streets in daylight, Olympia musician Pythias Braswell logged into our system and posted two shows he'll be partaking in over the next week: a house show tomorrow night and a gig at Northern Nov. 8. Braswell took full advantage of the opportunity, adding a flavor to his posts only those who love alien lasers could.

Come see the Amazing Thing at the Guest House this Sunday!

Joe Fletcher will magically exorcise graveyard blues using only a railroad spike and a handful of brick dust! Pythias will operate Alien Language to Channel the Memories of a Vagabond! Jonah will lightning-afy your face with his Guitar Hands! Caitlin will hypnotize woodland creatures with her voice! Let's build a fire folks, with you there staring into it, and you there and you there and that person!

Sounds like something to see.

GUEST HOUSE, SUNDAY, NOV. 4, 8 P.M., $3-$5, THE GUEST HOUSE, 1121 FOURTH AVE. W., OLYMPIA           

ART AT WORK MONTH 2012 >>>

Tacoma Art at Work month fills the month of November with just that - art in progress, art out in the world, art doing more than simply sitting on a shelf and looking pretty.

Thursday, Nov. 1 from 6-8:30 p.m., the Art at Work kick-off party welcomes all into the hallowed halls of Tacoma Art Museum to start the month off right - with appetizers, desserts and a no-host bar. The art galleries will be open for your strolling pleasure and the air will be filled with the sweet sounds of the Tacoma Youth Symphony.

"It's a free event and it's open to the public," says Naomi Strom-Avila, cultural arts specialist at the Tacoma Arts Commission, which is responsible for putting on the event. "It really kicks off the month, and it's a great way to meet new people, see exhibits, have some appetizers - it's a lot of fun."

The evening is also dedicated to honoring 2012 funding recipients and AMOCAT Award winners. This year's AMOCAT Awards will go to three local pillars of the arts community. The Arts Patron Award will go to KeyBank, recognizing their donations to the Children's Museum of Tacoma, Broadway Center, Tacoma Art Museum and more, often allowing these venues to expand services. An award for Community Outreach by an Organization goes to The Grand Cinema, while Community Outreach by an Individual will go to local writer and fundraiser, Katy Evans.

[Tacoma Art Museum, Thursday, Nov. 1, 6-8:30 p.m., free admission, 1701 Pacific Ave., Tacoma, 253.591.5191]

LINK: Art at Work Month 2012 schedule of events

Sources at the City of Lakewood tell us that the old Sears Building at Steilacoom Blvd and S Tacoma Way will be a new location for H Mart, the modern Asian supermarket.  We don't have tons of details, but here is what we wrote about the H Mart in Federal Way.