VISIT CENTRALIA>>>

McMenamin's Olympic Club in Centralia is perhaps the best-known haunted building in The Pacific Northwest. This past March, PIHA (Paranormal Investigations of Historical America) deemed The Olympic Club indeed haunted. Based on countless testimonials and evidence from EVP machines and infrared cameras, it seems The Olympic Club is the place to go get spooked. Plus, it's in Centralia - only adding to the fright factor.

The historic club offers overnight stays, movie showings in the couch-filled theater and delicious eats. Just be prepared to share any of these activities with the hotels' resident ghost, Louis Galba, the spirit of a man badly burned in a fatal fire on June 26, 1908.

Beautifully preserved with a mahogany bar, period fixtures and antiqued billiard tables, the hotel and restaurant are a history buff's dream. Throw a ghost in the mix and groups such as PIHA are in ghost-hunter's heaven. As seen in a video on king5.com, the findings of PIHA's investigations show chilling voices, mysterious knockings and paranormal presence through tangible evidence, like cold brushes and hair pulling.

Others that have been visited by Louis Galba describe spontaneous opening and closing of oven doors, extinguishing and igniting of candles and brushes of cold against their skin.

Now, I don't know about sound and camera doohickeys or the difference between ghost orbs and light reflections, but I do know that my husband and I stayed at the Olympic Club a few years ago and at one point, as we rounded down the back staircase, we were scared shitless as a door slammed behind us when no one else was around.

Plus, did I mention we were in Centralia?

Boo!

Olympic Club Theater and Hotel

112 N. Tower Ave., Centralia
360.736.5164

SENIOR CITIZENS WORKOUT CLASS & DRUG SCORE

Their flesh slides from the bone, hanging and drooping at every joint and angle. Their hair is bluish-grey, and puffed out, as if they've been electrocuted. Or they have no hair at all, just liver spots or war scars. They moan and groan and creak and cry, their arms held out, their faces twisted into painful expressions. You want to run, but you can't, you've vowed to take your sweetheart on an �ber-scary date. So you stay. There are only 10 minutes left of this freaky as hell senior citizens workout class anyway.

When the elderly torture is over and you can take your date to the next creepy destination: The shadiest block in all of downtown. Here you and your lovely will seek out the seediest-looking, cracked-out dealer there is. One of you will ask for a nickel bag while the other keeps an eye out for cops. Once bag is in hand - don't pay, just RUN! Run like you've never run before, your adrenalin will keep you moving, and a good scare is guaranteed.

If you make it out of downtown alive, head home where you can snuggle and spend the rest of the evening googling images of mechanically separated meat and watching "Why to be Vegan" videos. Now that's scary.

BURIAL GROUNDS, THE BROHO & PUNK ROCK BOB >>>

Start your night with supernatural snacks and sips at Burial Grounds in downtown Olympia. Enjoy coffee drinks like Rigor Mortis or the Grave Robber to keep you on your toes for the long night ahead of you.

Next, walk a few blocks and enter the building on the corner of Capitol Way and Fifth Avenue. It might be dimly lit and covered with wall rugs of JFK, but don't be alarmed, you're just in The Brotherhood Lounge, where scary movies are playing every Sunday in the month of October. (They start at 7 p.m. and are always free.) On Halloween Carrie will be showing. With a couple drinks in you and the residual feeling of horror that only a classic like Carrie can give you, now is the chance to up the scare factor on your ultimate creepy date night.

Dare to enter the home of graffiti, tramps and scurrying rats? Dare to enter a place of homicide and horror? Dare to enter the downtown train tunnel? A damp, dark place, where underneath the layers of graffiti, remain bloody splatters of violence. A place where young "Punk Rock Bob" was viciously murdered in the '90s, his throat slashed and his head bashed in with a concrete pole. Walking along the tracks, unsure if a train might come and knowing that there may be the ghost of an unsettled soul lurking around you, just might be enough to send you screaming toward the light at the end of the tunnel.

WEDNESDAY, OCT. 20, 2010 >>>

1. The Tacoma Dome opens its doors at 11 a.m. so you can buy It's Beginning to Smell a Lot Like Christmas Tree fragrance at the Tacoma Holiday Food & Gift Festival.

2. The Peninsula Art League's eighth annual open juried art show opens today. Drop by the Gig Harbor Civic Center and check out the more than 85 paintings by local and regional artists from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

3. A reception for Keely Willoughby's whimsical parasite paintings will be held from 5-8 p.m. inside the Metropolitan Veterinary Hospital in Tacoma.

4. Author Cherie Priest will discuss her new zombie-ridden alternate history book, Dreadnought, at 7 p.m. inside the Garfield Book Company. This third book of hers follows a Virginia nurse who travels to Seattle when she receives a telegram bringing bad news, and it promises to expand the thrilling Clockwork Century universe into entirely new territory.

5. Your Girlfriend's Favorite DJ spins at Masa's College Night beginning at 10 p.m.

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

FRIGHT-HOUSE SQUARE >>>

When editor Matt Driscoll asked me to walk through and report on a haunted house in Freighthouse Square last weekend, I nodded enthusiastically and maybe even saluted (gung-ho intern on the job!). What I didn't have the nerve to tell my editor was that I shut down the last haunted house I visited. After I lost my buddy inside the house I launched into a full-blown panic attack (don't judge, they're a lot scarier in Canada). The operators flipped on the lights and carried me out sobbing like a toddler. So, haunted houses are kind of on my "don't ever do this again" list.

I considered backing out at the last minute (the diarrhea excuse works every time) but realized I should woman-up and confront my fears. And where better to seek therapy for my inner demons than the Black Lake Haunted Asylum?

The haunt, located on a dank corner in Tacoma's Freighthouse Square, is in its third year. The 12,000-square-foot asylum is the brainchild of Benjamin Isitt - co-producer and designer of most of the haunt's props. Isitt has been a master designer and creator of all forms of works for more than 20 years. His artistic talents have horrified viewers in the Army of Darkness and Jurassic Park movies. You can view his works here.

Isett's art is what distinguishes this haunt from any other around. As I toured the 22-room asylum, clutching the arm of manager Jay Bennett, I screamed at every corner as maniacal clowns cranked torture devices and patients turbulently convulsed. Amidst my terror, however, I was able to enjoy the intricate details of each prop. The open cavity intestinal tracts, jellied carcasses, and the congealed entrails of demon babies crawling in bloody bathtubs left me with the urge to simultaneously vomit and applaud.

From the handcrafted props to the authentic antique medical equipment, the details are spectacular. And details this intricate take time and money. This year's crew spent nearly two months setting up and owners have collectively dropped nearly 32 grand on props.

"We have an expensive hobby, but we're here to have fun, and we like to share what we have," said Bennett.

Although, the whole concept of a haunted house is about having fun, there is a serious side to the operation. Every year the Black Lake Haunted Asylum donates its profits to a different charity. "This year all the proceeds will go to Mary Bridge Children's Hospital," said Bennett.

And while the mission to raise money comes first and foremost, another very important challenge remains: to beat last year's record: five people defecated, 48 people peed their pants.

So buy your incontinent grandpa a Big Gulp and bring him to the Black Lake Haunted Asylum; help them achieve the noble goal of raising money for sick children and frightening people into making sick messes in their pants.

Manager/partner Jay Bennett, scary intern Julie Holt and photographer/partner Lugh Watermann

Black Lake Haunted Asylum

Through Oct. 31, 6-10 p.m., Friday-Sunday
$12-$18, not appropriate from children younger than 13
Freighthouse Square's basement
602 E. 25th, Tacoma

HAPPY BASTILLE DAY! >>>

On Bastille Day, local Frenchmen party like it’s 1789.

Yup, Francophiles of the South Sound unite on this day to celebrate the most important historical events for the French: the liberation of the Bastille prison and the end of the French monarchy.

The Weekly Volcano has never had anything against the French (even during those dark “Freedom Fries” days), so we will celebrate the day by showing you pictures of French toast (natch!).

Egg bread French toast at The Hub in the Stadium District

French toast stuffed with peanut butter at The Old House Café in Proctor

Late night French toast at Happy Days Casino in Lakewood

Orange infused egg battered Galway toast at Paddy Coyne's Irish Pub in downtown Tacoma.

For the morning sweet toothed-diner, the Hotel Murano serves gourmet gingerbread French toast.

And on special one day at The Spar in Old Town Tacoma: Banana cream stuffed French toast

HE ACTUALLY WROTE "FREEDOMPALOOZA" >>>

Bill Kaufman, CEO of Kaufman Kreative E-Commerce & Marketing, and board member of the Tacoma Events Commission - the organization that produces Tacoma's annual Fourth of July bonanza Freedom Fair - wrote an editorial in today's News Tribune listing 10 ways to save Freedom Fair. Last week, Doug Miller, executive director of Tacoma Events Commission, said Tacoma Freedom Fair is a million dollar event that is run on about a $250,000 cash budget.

Of the 10 ideas listed, one of Kaufman's ideas is to charge admission:

Ten times more admission revenue next year. I watched the admission gates for a couple hours and was amazed by how many people walked around them to avoid being asked to donate. There was barely one donation for every 100 people.

We could increase admission revenue 10 times by simply requiring an entry fee for everyone, and reducing admission to just $1. Everyone can afford that, and if they want to donate more, great. (For those who didn't donate, you can still do it online at www.FreedomFair.com.)

Another one of his ideas is a FreedomPalooza:

Ten really good music groups of all different types, all donating their performances.

A floating music stage with on-shore bleachers and a $10 admission fee could easily sell out and help generate much-needed revenue. Maybe call it the "FreedomPalooza"?

Of all his ideas, the admission charge seems the most likely to save the huge Fourth of July celebration. What do you think?

SUNDAY, JULY 4, 2010 >>>

1. If you heard Parenthetical Girls' most recent LP, Entanglements, you might be tempted to call them orchestral pop. Listen to the band's previous album, and you'll not be so quick with your designation. Despite how loaded the word "experimental" is, this is the basic definition of experimentation: Lead singer and brainchild Zac Pennington desired to make orchestral pop, and Entanglements was his experiment. "We generally just consider the music that we make to be pop music, because it's a pretty wide umbrella, and it allows us not to have to feel like we have to do any one sort of thing," says Pennington. "As a rule, we are generally pop music fans, so it's easier to classify it that way and not put ourselves into a corner." Check out Parenthetical Girls with Deerhoof and AU at 7:30 p.m. inside the Capitol Theater.

2. If drunken debauchery and in-your-face patriotism seem a little too much for you, check out Grand Old Fourth of July in Steilacoom from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. Here you'll take in free historical walking tours, ice cream socials, an old-fashioned parade at 1 p.m., street dance at 7 p.m. and fireworks around 10:30 p.m. 

3. A community band will present a late afternoon concert of patriotic and old-fashioned music on the lawn of Meeker Mansion in Puyallup from 3-5 p.m.  The Meeker Society, the private nonprofit organization that maintains the 1890-era Victoria Home erected by Puyallup founder Ezra Meeker, will sell hot dogs, soft drinks, ice cream sundaes, and more.

4. Country band Broken Trail will perform from 3:30-6:30 p.m. at Red Wind Casino's outdoor Fourth of July party, which also features a booze garden, inflatable jumphouse and fireworks after dark.

5. The South Sound Blues Association hosts a Blues Stage during the Tacoma Freedom Fair and Air Show on Tacoma's Ruston Way Waterfront.  The Blues Stage is at Duke's Chowder House with Blues Redemption opening the stage at noon. The Back to Beale Street Blues finals begin at 3:30 p.m.

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

NEW BREW FOR YOU ... AND YOUR DAD >>>

When someone tells you that theirs is the coolest Father's Day gift, you tend to scoff and say thanks but no thanks, that on June 20, you and your father plan to take turns punching each other in the shoulders as hard as you can, and then you'll go eat wings at Hooters, like you do every year.

Hey Lug Head, Pat Nagle, managing partner of Tacoma's Harmon Brewery Company Empire, has a better gift your father. He's release 60 cases of his new 253 ESB brew just in time for Dad's Day. Beginning Wednesday, he'll bottle the 60 cases, as well as 60 cases of his IPA, available to be picked up at his new Harmon Tap Room after 2 p.m. The price is $40 a case.

Order yours today at 253.267.5057. They'll be hitting the store shelves sometime in July.

Coolest Father's Day gift, indeed.

RUNNING PROUD >>>

I snapped this photo just outside Steilacoom High School in Lakewood this morning.

On behalf of the Weekly Volcano and Swarner Communications, I'd like to extend special prayers and thanks for those who died serving our country, and those brave soldiers, and their families, who still serve.