WEDNESDAY, JULY 21, 2010 >>>

1. Treypac, Sierra Rae, Horse Bodies and Pizza T's Z-Kamp play a 7 p.m. all-ages show at Northern in Olympia.

2. Vetri Glass and the Hilltop Artists in Residence have teamed up to provide Hilltop students an experience with the business side of the art world. Dylan Buffler and Chris Downing are the two dedicated artists selected for this season's exhibition. Check out their work from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Vetri Glass on Dock Street in Tacoma.

3. Joey Jewell performs a tribute to Frank & Dean beginning at 6:30 p.m. at Steilacoom's Pioneer Park.

4. Filmmakers Lexy Lovell and Michael Uys trace the stories and evolution of five combat veterans of five different American wars in their film, The Good Soldier, screening at 7 p.m. inside King's Books.

5. Your Girlfriend's Favorite DJ spins during Masa Comida Mexicana's College Night at 10 p.m. while you sip rum and Cokes alone in the corner wishing you paid more attention in Communications 101 class.

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

WEDNESDAY, JULY 7, 2010 >>>

1. Abbey Road LIVE! - a kickass Beatles tribute band with more than 100 songs in their repertoire - will perform at 6:30 p.m. in Pioneer Park at the corner of Commercial and Wilkes in Steilacoom. The nearby Steilacoom Farmers Market will begin at 3 p.m.

2. Tacoma Art Museum presents an exhibition of paintings, prints, and sculpture that explores the impressionist movement and its international influence in The Movement of Impressionism: Europe, America, and the Northwest from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

3. Glass artists Marvin Oliver and Richard Royal are in the Museum of Glass' Hot Shop from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

4. Bird by Snow plays an all-ages show at 7 p.m. inside The Den @ urbanXchange.

5. Blood Of Rome, Oritaks Indrome, and People Die will rock Hell's Kitchen at 9 p.m.

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

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

THE LOWDOWN ON WHAT'S UP THIS WEEKEND >>>

WEATHER REPORT

Saturday: Partly cloudy, hi 67, lo 52
Sunday: Party cloudy, hi 68, lo 52

TRAFFIC ALERT: According to the Washington State Dept. of Transportation, no major roadwork will happen on the major South Sound area highways this weekend.

>>> SATURDAY, JULY 3: TACOMA ROSE SHOW

The perfection of a rose. As any good (or bad) plastic surgeon will tell you, there is always a way to improve on nature. Luckily for the flowers, their improvement doesn't involve extensive surgery or months of painful recovery. It does, however, involve death. Oh well, The Tacoma Rose Society presents its annual rose show with this year's theme is "A Dress Rehearsal." Dress rehearsal for what? A death?

• Jackson Hall, July 3, 9:50 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., free, 314 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Tacoma

>>> SATURDAY, JULY 3-SUNDAY, JULY 4: PUYALLUP FARMERS MARKET

Like cherries, handmade knickknacks, ice sculptures and free parking for your SUV? Then you'll love the Puyallup Farmers Market, a valley institution for nearly as long as cows have been tipped. Engulfing historic downtown P-town every weekend, May through October, and drawing impressive crowds on a regular basis, there's no doubt Ezra Meeker would be proud of what the Puyallup Farmers Market has blossomed into.

• Pioneer Park, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday-Sunday, free, 330 S. Meridian, Puyallup, puyallupmainstreat.com

>>> SUNDAY, JULY 4: STEILACOOM'S GRAND OLD FOURTH OF JULY

Some people like to celebrate the Fourth drinking a case of Pabst Blue Ribbon, munching a bag of pork rinds and getting a tattoo of the American Flag on their nether regions. But if drunken debauchery and in-your-face patriotism seem a little too much for you, check out Grand Old Fourth of July in Steilacoom. 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.  I doubt the town leaders have any strange tattoos but don't take my word for it; go see for yourself at this wholesome, family-oriented Fourth of July celebration.

• Town of Steilacoom, July 4, 9 a.m. to 11 p.m., free, steilacoom.org

>>> SUNDAY, JULY 4: OLD FASHIONED FOURTH OF JULY

Once again it's time to don the red, white and blue and wax patriotic until it hurts. A painless way to revere our nation is with the Meeker Mansion Band Concert and Social – a Puyallup community group hug. A community band will present a late afternoon concert of patriotic and old-fashioned music on the lawn.  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. Bring a lawn chair or blanket.  And let's face it, patriotism is fun. Why? Because we get to sing songs such as "Yankee Doodle Dandy," and if doodle is dandy, we're in a great country. 

• Meeker Mansion, 3-5 p.m., free admission, 312 Spring St., Puyallup, 253.848.1770

>>> WHERE OUR STAFF IS GOING

MATT DRISCOLL Editor and member of the Official John Elway Fan Club
The Driscolls will be making their monthly Costco run this Saturday. What! What! Nothing says Saturday like pallets of toilet paper, samples of bean dip and Kirkland brand athletic socks. It's gonna be dope. Later that night I'll pretend like I'm not the type of person that shops at Costco when Chain and the Gang plays The New Frontier with Basemint and DJ Dub Narcotic (Calvin Johnson) - which should be an utterly amazing show.

PAUL SCHRAG Senior Contributor
I'm wrapping up final edits on a book that will publish in spring, working on a couple of music projects, and re-designing the Web site for Environmental Aesthetics. It's more exciting than it sounds. 

NIKKI TALOTTA Feature Writer
I will be working at the bar and dreaming of King Solomon's Reef food, per usual. But then! Furloughs (mandatory day lay-offs) have kicked in and my guy has Monday off, which means an actual Fourth of July par-tay at the neighbors. Finally, state-workers and weekend service industry workers unite! Drink up, we're gonna need empty bottles to shoot rockets from!

STEPH DEROSA Columnist
I will be in Westport indulging in pyromania with my plethora of DeRosa cousins. This weekend will include (but not be limited to) terrorizing my next-door neighbor with childish antics with the hopes of his grouchy ass finally having a heart attack.

THE REV. ADAM MCKINNEY Feature Writer
Another Saturday night, and I ain't got nobody. I got some money, 'cause I just got paid. And I will use that money to get trashed and watch Chain and the Gang and Basemint tear apart the New Frontier. Rock.

KRIS BLONDIN Food/Wine Writer
If the weather holds, we are going boating with Jack and Vicky Winters. Heading to the southern part of Anderson Island to lounge and catch some crab! Then a party or two on Sunday! Happy Fourth!

JENNIFER JOHNSON: Lifestyle/Leisure Writer
Friday at Hell's Kitchen for Tool tribute band 46 & 2 to try and win tickets to the sold-out Tool concert. Saturday at Tempest for IndepenDANCE with DJ dAb, Bilori and Chris Savenetti. Ride bikes down to Freedom Fair for the Fourth on Sunday.

CHRISTIAN CARVAJAL: Theater Critic
That Othello: He's a complicated man, and no one understands him but his woman. I'm stoked for TAO's funkified production, set in New York City, 1968.

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

DINING NEWS, NIBBLES AND BITS >>>

Opening Day: The Intel Farmers Market opens today from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the City of DuPont featuring local vendors (organic produce, bakery items, cut flowers, arts and crafts), musicians, artisans, lunch options and a tour of the Intel DuPont Community Garden. The market is at the Intel campus on Center Drive. Intel will host farmers markets every other Wednesday.

Also Opening Today: The Steilacoom Farmers Market featuring farm fresh vegetables, flowers, honey, herbs, plants, crafts, gifts, food vendors, a concert series and more opens today from 3-7 p.m. at the multi-purpose tennis courts next to Steilacoom Town Hall, corner of Lafayette and Wilkes streets.

Guided Olympia Food Walk: Brooke Guthrie still has a couple spots left for her leisurely, 1-mile guide tour through downtown Olympia learning about food and the best spots to get a bite to eat - which happens today from 4-7 p.m.

Get It While It Lasts: Tacoma's Harmon Brewery Company releases 60 cases of their new 253 ESB brew today. They have 60 cases, as well as 60 cases of his IPA, available to be picked up at his their Harmon Tap Room today after 2 p.m. The price is $40 a case. Order yours at 253.267.5057. They'll be hitting the store shelves sometime in July.

Superfruit: Jamba Juice is inviting fans to super charge their summer today with the antioxidant loaded, free radical fighting powers of superfruit - for just $1. 

Future Things Are Coming: Dockside Bistro and Wine Bar in Olympia hosts a Walter Dacon winemaker dinner Thursday, June 17 at 7 p.m.

LINK: Wine and beer tastings

LINK: Restaurant coupons

LINK: Join the Nosh League

BAIR DRUG HAS REOPENED AS BAIR BISTRO >>>

The hamburger is simple. The hamburger is the girl next door, the one I grew up with in the Lakewood neighborhood of Oakbrook. Between us there is no drama, no distance, no complexity. We're good together because we know each other inside and out. The hamburger is my heart and soul.

Standing outside The Bair Drug & Hardware Store in Steilacoom today - now called Bair Bistro - I was thinking about hamburgers: about great ones and poor ones, and the places I've had them. Lost in my own internal reverie, I didn't notice I was in the middle of a pack of - for lack of a better word - old ladies. They were chatting reverishly about why they love The Bair Drug & Hardware Store that Sarah Cannon of Fircrest reopened last month, after it had been dark more than two years. Clutching their purses tight, they agreed that no matter how many loft developments get thrown up, no matter how many wine bars or architectural studios are crammed into the old blocks, that Bair is Pierce County's historical tenderloin. If alive, pharmacist W.L. Bair and his wife, Hattie, no doubt would be proud to hear such a statement 115 years after they opened it.

I, too, have found memories of Bair - having sipped many a milkshake there since the '70s.

I also have a new Bair memory - The Bair Burger ($9.99). It's good. It's not the best burger in the world by any stretch of the imagination, but the Bair itself is a great spot to eat one - a perfect wedding of food and place. When I asked for my burger bloody rare, the Bair kitchen did it right. My waitress didn't even cluck her tongue at me, and I didn't receive a food-safety lecture on the hazards of eating under-cooked beef. More important, no one told me I couldn't have it rare - as has been happening more often lately in restaurants. It seems many owners are terrified of a customer suing them because they picked up spongiform encephalopathy or some kind of carnivorous intestinal fluke from eating a hamburger done less than Branch Davidians-well-done. It's sad.

Lettuce, tomato, red onion, pickles and mayo joined the rare treat, all nestled inside a Kaiser roll.

Tasty, indeed.

Bair Bistro swings open the antique doors 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday, 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday from breakfast, lunch, espresso and soda fountain fare.

Breakfast consists of scrambles, omelets, fancy egg dishes such a Benedict and Florentine, as well as smoked salmon potato pancakes, French toast dipped in orange-zested batter, and malted Belgian waffles. Oatmeal, fruit and granola are available for those watching something. They also boast serving real maple syrup.

Besides the awesome burger, lunch includes salads, sandwiches and soups. The Papa Bair sandwich ($8.49) - caramelized onions, mushrooms, bell peppers, pepperoncini, and havarti, with choice of ham, turkey or roast beef - sounds tasty. If the peppers throw you for a loop, choose the Mama Bair.

And if summer ever arrives, grab a stool at Bair's soda fountain for a "Root Bair Float," malted milkshake, sundae or banana split.

After my lunch of burger and crispy onion rings, I couldn't imagine hitting the Fountain. Maybe next time, because I'll be back.

It's early, but I still remember the Bair Burger fondly.

Bair Bistro

1617 Lafayette St., Steilacoom
253.588.9668

NIBBLETS OF INFORMATION >>>

Back Open: The Suburban Times reported that the Bair Drug in Steilacoom reopened Saturday. A sign on Bair's door says they'll reopen again tomorrow. TNT Diner has the scoop on its latest transformation.

Tea Class: Explore the world of tea with Tobin Ropes, co-owner of Mad Hat Tea Company, from 7-9 p.m. inside the Mandolin Cafe. Learn how different foods complement a variety of teas. Tea tasting, light snacks and informational materials provided. RSVP for space at 253.761.3482.

Cheap Pints: Engine House No. 9 offers $2.50 pints of any beer every Tuesday.

Today In Elbe: The Mt. Rainier Railroad Dining Co. hosts Old Farts Darts every Tuesday at 2 p.m. inside its Side Track Room.

Half-price Wine: Maxwell's Speakeasy knocks off 50 percent on wine tonight.

Future Things Are Coming: Thea's Market and Deli will host a Seattle Beer Tasting including beers from Pike, Hales, Elysian and Scuttlebutt Thursday, May 13 at 8 p.m. The cost is $5, which includes light appetizers. Thea's Market is at 1705 Dock St. by the Museum of Glass.

Food Matters: Contrary to popular belief, natural, pesticide-free food won't make you skinny.

LINK: Restaurant coupons

LINK: Wine and beer tastings, dinners and events

LINK: South Sound Restaurant Guide

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