You weren't the only one lit last night in honor of the Seahawk's 27-9 win over the Rams yesterday, thus clinching the NFC West Division title. A huge tree strung with lights in Seahawks' blue and green lit up the Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium plaza entrance at Zoolights. And the tree is topped with a large lighted "12" in honor of the 12th Man, the term representing the team's loyal and exuberant fans - meaning you.

The team colors on the tree are just some of the more than half a million lights decorating the zoo for the holiday season. And the show continues into 2014. Zoolights is open from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. nightly through Jan. 5, except Jan. 1. Tickets are available online at www.pdza.org and at the Customer Service counters in Puget Sound-area Fred Meyer stores for $7.50 per person.

THURSDAY, DEC. 26 2013 >>>

1. Nine fortnights and four days ago the Karpeles Manuscript Library brought forth in this city documents, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men (and women) should come see them. We are now engaged in a great holiday war, testing whether we, or anyone, can endure long enough through this holiday to visit the Karpeles before "The Final Days of the American Civil War" exhibit closes. We have come to dedicate a portion of the Karpeles Manuscript Library as a final resting place (at least until Dec. 30) for these Civil War documents about those who gave their lives that this museum might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this. But, in a larger sense, we cannot duplicate, we cannot regurgitate, we cannot own these documents. They are collected here, far above our poor power to add or detract. Or do any other kind of math to. The world will little note, nor remember what we said here - unless they go to the Internet version, which'll be around forever. But these documents won't. They're gone Saturday. So go forth and view them from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Karpeles Manuscript Library.

2. Tonight marks the 200th running of the Tacoma Runners. The group will depart from the Harmon Tap Room at 6:30 p.m. The routine is the same every Thursday - run 3 easy miles on simple-ish routes with a sprinkling of hills and stairs (sometimes), followed by good times back at the bar after the run. This group has been running and growing like crazy over the last nearly four years. Join them for a run and the celebration.

3. Sated? Maybe it's time to dig out from under the spent wrapping paper, tinsel and ham to spend a few moments in reflection. In the meantime, here's Christian Doyle doing Frank Sinatra and a beat poet. Here's Amy Shephard in a clown suit and roller skates, like ya do. Maggie Lofquist has a lovely alto singing voice, which sounds great with Shephard's. Mark Alford pulls off a fabulous Elvis but overacts manically throughout the show. The music's executed with polish and conviction. It's The Stardust Christmas Blizzard at 8 p.m. at Harlequin Productions. Read Christian Carvajal's full review of The Stardust Christmas Blizzard in the Music & Culture section.

4. Christmas might be over, but good ol' Saint Nick's got one more present for all you country music fans. Steel Creek in downtown Tacoma presents "Saint Nick's Last Gift" featuring free line dance lessons starting at 8 p.m. plus free cover and free bull rides all night long. And to make the party a little merrier, Steel Creek's little country elves will be pouring $3 Fireball Whiskeys starting at 9 p.m. Yeehaw! 

5. Every Thursday night at 9 p.m. in Puget Sound Pizza, the Volcano's music critic Rev. Adam McKinney hosts a karaoke session showcasing a Tarantino-like mix of downtown denizens seriously singing Bill Withers and glasses-wearing gals squawking out punk rawk, plus appearances by local rock stars. 

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

You may have been delayed Friday getting to work due to the snow blanketing the Puget Sound, but that didn't stop dozens of members in the Washington National Guard from staying fit and having fun. The Joint Services Support Directorate held an Ugly Sweater 5K Fun Run at Camp Murray to finish off the year - its seventh fun run/walk for those counting. This past year the runs have helped to raise more than $3,000 for the Minuteman Emergency Assistance Fund.

This last fun run of the year, falling during the holiday season, provided a perfect opportunity and time - with the snow - for Guard members to don their favorite ugly sweaters. 

"The snow may be an excuse for some to stay at home but not for us in the guard," said Master Sgt. Dana Trakel, Joint Services Support Operations chief. "The turnout was great and almost everyone showed up wearing their ugliest sweater, looking excited to run in the snow."

Along with having fun, the run served to build morale and promote a more fit and resilient Washington National Guard.

>>> Sgt. 1st Class Derrick Grasty (81st Brigade, Washington National Guard) runs in a Camp Murray winter wonderland during the Ugly Sweater Fun Run.

>>> Sgt. Catherine Sinclair - wearing pajamas and her ugliest sweater - of the 122nd Public Affairs Operations Center stands in front of her fellow Washington National Guard members after finishing a 5K Ugly Sweater Fun Run at Camp Murray.

>>> A shot of Washington National Guard members before they went over the hills and through the woods.

The 2nd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division's early morning Holiday Run ended with the presentation of what one individual called the perfect Christmas gift.

More than 4,000 soldiers plus a number of city of Puyallup fire fighters and police officers participated in a 4-mile Holiday Run at a 9-minute pace on Joint Base Lewis-McChord - North this morning.

"This is perfect, the perfect Christmas gift," said Connie Dotson moments after receiving two checks worth more than $12,000 from the Puyallup chapter of the Association of the United States Army (AUSA) and 2nd Brigade.

Dotson oversees the Lancer Soldier & Family Fund.

>>> Col. Louis Ziesman, commander, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, talks about the Hearts Behind the Shield cookbook, part of the brigade's initiative to raise funds for a memorial. Photo credit: J.M. Simpson

"We promise to raise more money; there will be more," pledged Eric Kantor, a leader in the Captain Meriwether Lewis Puyallup-Sumner Subchapter of the AUSA.

The organization turned over a check worth $2,240.

As to the brigade's $10,000 contribution toward establishing a memorial, Zeisman touted the unit's Hearts Behind the Shield cookbook.

"This is a wonderful collection of recipes from the soldiers who come from all parts of the country," he said.

"I have to tell you - the hot crab cake dip is great!"

He said that more than 1,700 copies of the book had been sold. 

>>> Col. Louis Zeisman, commander, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, and Maj. Gen. Stephen Lanza, commander, 7th Infantry Division, led 4,000 soldiers on a 4-mile Holiday Run this morning at JBLM. Photo credit: J.M. Simpson

Maj. Gen. Stephen Lanza, commander, 7th Infantry Division, ran alongside Zeisman.

"The Army is the most trusted institution in the nation, and I am most proud of this unit."

The money marks the brigade's first step toward the raising of $40,000 needed to construct a memorial honoring its fallen soldiers.

"This gift means a great deal; it is very important that this brigade - which is the only brigade that does not have a memorial - establish one," Dotson pointed out.

THURSDAY, DEC. 12 2013 >>>

1. Ho, ho, hold up  -  where's your ugly holiday sweater? Don't show up to Tacoma Runners Ugly Sweater Run tonight without one, because some sort of ugliness  -  be it a deck-the-halls display or a simple Santa face - is mandatory. The event will kick off with a 6:30 p.m. check-in at Slappy's Garage - North End Tavern. The Christmasy 3-mile run will wind through Tacoma's northend, with the runners returning to Slappy's to toss back a bunch of drinkies. You've finally got a use for that reindeer sweater grandma knitted you, so Febreeze off the mothball odor and come run around the Proctor District to spread some Christmas cheer.

Read more...

Spc. Josh Saye smiled broadly as World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) Superstar John Cena autographed a target for him.

"Josh, thank you for teaching me how to make this target very dead!!" Cena wrote in blue ink on the target after he had fired a M4 rifle and perforated it with more than 50 bullet holes.

"Thank you!" said a very enthused Saye as Cena handed over the target.

"You are the man!"

Indeed.

Read more...

TURKEY DAY, NOV. 28 2013 >>>

1. With the family Ultimate Frisbee season behind us, you may have thought your opportunity to bond with your family on the basis of poor athleticism and a bad team name was over. Not so. The annual Norpoint Turkey Trot takes flight Thursday morning. Jog, trot - hell, even go on stilts - to the Center at Norpoint and run your tail feathers off. The event is stuffed with holiday activities and features a 5k chip-timed run, a 2-mile non-timed run/walk and a Kids' Trot for ages 3 to 10. The sponsoring body, Metro Parks Tacoma, asks you bring your entire family, turkey costumes and $45 on the day of race. Better run, turkeys.

2. Homelessness, hunger and despair are a daily and painful reality for thousands of men, women and children in Pierce County. The Rescue Mission, in operation now for more than 100 years, has been serving the Tacoma-area homeless community by providing meals, shelter, drug and alcohol rehabilitation programs, education and job-training skills and other programs. Help this long-standing organization give folks in need a hand up at Thanksgiving. Check rescue-mission.org and The Rescue Mission's Facebook page for the latest updates on what's needed for the holiday meal. As of this mid-November, kitchen staffers are looking for turkeys, hams and roast beef as well as these extras: flats of mushrooms, any fresh produce, canned fruits and vegetables, potatoes, cream of mushroom soup, cream of chicken soup, fruit pies and stuffing mix. Looking to lend a hand? Check out the volunteer information on the site. Help is needed year round.

3. Matthew McConaughey plays Ron Woodroof, a grimy, shady, homophobic, substance-abusing horndog in 1985 Texas who learns he's HIV-positive and procures unapproved means of treatment in the film Dallas Buyers Club, which screens at 11:30 a.m., 2, 4:30 and 7 p.m. at The Grand Cinema. McConaughey's masterful job of portraying one of the more deeply flawed anti-heroes in recent screen history reminds us why he became a movie star in the first place. We start out loathing this guy and learn to love him. Jared Leto disappears into the role of a transgender drug addict and Jennifer Garner is Ron's empathetic doctor.

4. Holiday lights from the comfort and warmth of your own car? Need to keep the kiddos in awe of holiday wonder while not lugging out the stroller? Put away the umbrellas and rain boots, because here's an easy-peasy way to see some stunning light and holiday wonderland displays right in our own backyard. Take a driving tour of Fantasy Lights in Spanaway Park, where carloads of travelers can see more than 300 stunning displays of lights and whimsical and imaginative animation over a two-mile stretch of Spanaway Lake. The light turn on from 5:30-9 p.m. Tune in to a special holiday radio station for a little holiday music to add to the mood.

5. It's not Thanksgiving without a trip to a casino. Wally & The Beaves will rock the Muckleshoot Casino at 5:30 p.m., and the Emerald Queen Casino hosts Asia Fest featuring Ho Le Thu, Don Ho, Huong Thuy, Trinh Lam, Nguyen Ngoc Ngan, Mai Tien Dung, Bao Thy at 7 p.m.

PLUS: Holiday Events Calendar

PLUS: South Sound Holiday Command Center

LINK: Thursday, Nov. 28 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

SUNDAY, NOV. 17 2013 >>>

1. The Tacoma Symphony has decided to skip Craigslist and choose its next music director by throwing them to the dogs first chairs. The fourth and final candidate  - best-selling author, conductor, polylinguist, Rhodes scholar and public speaker Scott Speck - will lead the Tacoma Symphony Orchestra with Oksana Ezhokina on piano through Beethoven Piano Concerto no. 1, Philip Glass' "Funeral for Aknaten" and Tchaikovsky's Symphony no. 5 at 2:30 p.m. in the Pantages Theater. Talk about a group interview. ...

2. Beer and food have always co-mingled, especially in European cultures such as Belgium, Germany and England. At points, beer was food. According to lore, European monks brewed ales and bock beers to provide sustenance during their Lenten fasts. Beer and grilled sausage: the two are a natural fit. The Red Hot has added three sausage hot dogs to its menu: The Cowboy ($4.75), Berliner ($4.25) and The Dakota ($4.50). TRH bartender Mitchell gave nod to The Cowboy, a locally made beef/cheddar sausage link on a steamed poppyseed bun, topped with barbecue sauce, chopped onions, slice of bacon, nacho cheese sauce and jalapeños. Giddy up! The Cowboy pairs well with Belgian style ales, which are $1 off on Sundays.

3. As you might guess, converting a stadium from baseball to football is more than just pulling down some outfield walls and laying down new line markers. The outfield fence pads and fence posts are removed and stored ... somewhere. The pitching mound must be removed from what will be midfield on the sideline. Two bullpen mounds - one in each end zone - also are removed. Sod is laid down. Screw it. Let's just watch a football game on a baseball stadium's big screen. The Seattle Seahawks play the Viking at 1:25 p.m. Cheney Stadium will open its doors to fans 21 and older to watch the game on the 50 foot video board from the Sterling Bank Summit Club. Get in on the party at 253.752.7707.

4. What could be better than one thought-provoking piece of theater? Seven, of course. Saint Martin's University Theater Department presents An Evening of One-Act Plays, a taste of crazy-quilt comedy theater of actors taking to the stage to perform student-directed, one-act plays exploring topics as diverse as discordant marriages, life and death, and an initial meeting between Adam and Eve in a bar. Catch them at 2 p.m. in the Kreielsheimer Arts Building. Click here for the list of schedule plays.

5. Brian Lee & The Orbiters will fill The Spar in Old Town Tacoma with blues at 8 p.m.

LINK: Sunday, Nov. 17 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

SCARY DAY, OCT. 31 2013 >>>

1. The frights are upon us once again, and there are, as always, plenty of ways to spend the Devil's holiday. The Weekly Volcano has gathered a list of parties, theater performances, haunted houses, kids fare and live music - it's up to you to decide where you'll go, and, of course, what you'll wear. Boo, South Sound.

2. The Tacoma Runners will summon their inner ghoul for tonight's Halloween running Spook-tacular. That's right, the Runners will don costumes for their weekly run, which begins at 6:30 p.m. at Puget Sound Pizza in downtown Tacoma. We're talking running zombies people.

3. Comedians Daniel Clarkson and Jeff Turner send up all seven Harry Potter novels and stage a live match of Quidditch in only 70 hysterical minutes in Potted Potter: The Unauthorized Harry experience in the Rialto Theater. We're talking 300 characters, many female, with a variety of accents from Beauxbatons in France to the highlands of Scotland. Oh, and what the hell, let's throw in a fire-breathing dragon - live on stage. The zaniness begins at 7:30 p.m.

4. No one expresses that raw blend of punk and country like Joe Buck Yourself, the Kentucky-blooded boozehound who has collaborated with the likes of Hank III. Buck will bring his one-man show - with kick drum, aggressive guitar playing and honey-toned voice - to the Acme Grub Cage at 8 p.m. with Viva Le Vox and C.F.A. opening.

5. DJ Freshwell will spin beats while Bacardi hands out swag beginning at 9 p.m. at The Swiss.

LINK: Thursday, Oct. 31 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

FRIDAY, OCT. 25 2013 >>>

1. This Halloween, Pimp 'n' Ho parties just aren't cuttin' it anymore, are they? Neither are the toga parties, the erotic costume contests or the naughty nurse costumes. So much bare flesh, so much cold weather. If Halloween is really to turn into The Day of Getting As Close to Naked As Possible, it should be moved to July. This is not the point. The Weekly Volcano apologizes. The point is, for you, today no longer holds the magic it once did. You seek alternative par-tays. May we suggest Bonfires, Beaver Pelts and Bogeymen from 7-9 p.m. at Point Defiance Park? Celebrate Halloween in the style of past centuries with ghost stories told around a roaring bonfire set to fiddle music.

2. At 7 p.m. the Tacoma Soccer Center will host the second annual Northwest Soccer Legends Night. Two teams of past professionals will compete in a grand indoor night match including local and international legends Alan Hinton and Jimmy Gabriel serve as captains and coaches of the match. Read Kim Thompson's full story here.

3. You have one chance to see The Acting Company's production of Hamlet so err not. The national touring company presents the tale of a young man who finds his father has been murdered and must avenge the horrid deed. Power politics, a haunting, a love story, murder, revenge and great fight scenes converge in one production. The show runs three consecutive nights at the Theatre on the Square beginning tonight at 7:30 p.m.

4. Tacoma Opera's season opener is the Gilbert & Sullivan comedy Pirates of Penzance, at 7:30 p.m. in the Rialto Theater. This will mark the first Gilbert & Sullivan show produced by Tacoma Opera. Bernard Kwiram, musical director and conductor of the Seattle Gilbert & Sullivan Society, will conduct a cast that includes several Pacific Northwest Natives or residents. Read Joann Varnell's full story here.

5. Lakewood Playhouse presents a live, radio-style revival of Orson Welles's War of the Worlds at 8 p.m. Not only will we be performing the 1938 radio drama live before your ears to commemorate its - and the Playhouse's - 75th anniversary, but you'll also get sound effects created to order. That's not even the best part! No, they'll also be paying tribute to a certain expat Kryptonian Boy Scout for his silver birthday, plus a horror short called "The Giggler." It will be a fun night out, but beware: you only have tonight and Saturday to catch it. And stay away from that crater in Grovers Mill! There's something not at all right about that place. Read Joann Varnell's full preview of the production here.

BONUS: Giant Halloween events calendar for the South Sound

LINK: Friday, Oct. 25 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area