On the other hand, tired of seeing the kids cooped in the house all day? Ready to do anything to tear the X-Box controllers from their sweaty little hands? Pile those kids in the car and head to Point Defiance Zoo for an evening of Zoolights.  Featuring half a million lights, this annual night-time event is just like a walk through a video game. At least, it’s like a video game, circa 1983.

–James

A good place to start, if you have little ones, is the Children’s Museum of Tacoma.  The Story Time sessions and Learning Lounge are intriguing enough, but parents might especially enjoy the “New Digs” feature. According to the website, it’s “a neighborhood brimming with container gardens and interactive window boxes. A produce stand and delivery truck offer abundant opportunities to sort, count, weigh, buy and sell a vibrant bounty of fruits and vegetables. Garden to table connections are made as children role-play in the sidewalk cafe, whipping up tasty treats or ordering a fresh lunch.”  Sounds like a tasty idea to me.

–Dale

Tacoma has a wonderful history – one worth preserving. And, to recognize special achievements in that area, the Tacoma Landmarks Preservation Commission has released its list of 2008 Outstanding Achievement in Historic Preservation Award winners. They are:

– David & Josephine Root (502 N. I St.) – Their house stood vacant for a number of years, calling upon extraordinary determination and commitment by the owners to finish the renovation project.

– Todd & Paula Bond (407 N. E St.): The residence, constructed in 1893 and remodeled in 1903, is located in the Stadium-Seminary National Register Historic District.

– Dr. Caroline T. Swope & David Waring (2902 N. Cedar): The Lord Residence, which was designed and constructed in 1906 by notable builder Sherman L. Blair, has been extensively rehabilitated. In 2007, it was designated a landmark on the Tacoma, Washington and National Registers of Historic Places.

– Metro Parks This award is for the stewardship of two important public historic assets: Point Defiance Park and Wright Park; both which are accessible and enjoyable to all of Tacoma’s citizens.

– Chinese Reconciliation Park The Chinese Reconciliation Park supporters are recognized for their dedicated persistence in initiating and building a Chinese Commemorative park and international pavilion to educate the community and memorialize this part of Tacoma history.

– Historic Tacoma & Save Our Bridge organizations The Murray Morgan Bridge is listed on the Tacoma and National Registers of Historic Places, as well as the Washington State Heritage Register. It was listed as one of 2008’s Most Endangered Historic Properties in the state.

(Information gleaned from Tacoma Daily Index.)

–Dale

Gallery Madera is putting on an exhibition that should cause visitors to rethink the notion of waste and recycling. Dubbed re-ART, the show features artwork made entirely of, well, trash. These “rethinking” waste is almost a given. Still, there’s a lot of work to do. And if you’re not up to it yourself, why not leave some of your castoffs with an artist friend and see whether he or she can spin gold from garbage. As an added benny, 30% of gross sales will be donated to the Tacoma Food Co-op and the Sierra Club Zero Waste Committee. Re-ART runs from October 18 – November 29.  Details at www.gallerymadera.com.

–James

The Brazilians have a word for it. Saudade. It describes the feeling of longing or sadness for something lost, like one’s homeland in times of war or natural disaster. It’s no wonder that, as a culture that doesn’t naturally cozy up to such dark feelings, we don’t have an English-language equivalent. Saudade is found in Portuguese Fado music, Native American chants, the Brazilian samba along with its jazzed-up nephew bossa nova and, of course, African-American blues. Tacoma artist Lorraine Toler has tapped into that sense of longing. During the Japanese occupation of Korea in the 1940’s, her mother was forced, at age 12, to flee and soon found herself alone in Seoul. She never saw her family again. Some time later, she gave birth to Lorraine, who grew up never knowing the large family her mother had come from. All she had were a handful of memories that her mother retained from her childhood. Lorraine’s series of paintings on show at Tacoma Art Place aims to scrabble together a coherent story from those meager recollections. These works’ poignant drama stems from what is left out as much from what is actually portrayed.

–Dale

The fashionisti at Nordstrom know a lot about retail. Reports are rolling in that they also know a thing or two about how to party. Just a few days ago, Nordstrom reopened at the Tacoma Mall, adding 4,000 square feet to its already-huge retail space. And to celebrate, they threw a gala benefit for the Tacoma Art Museum and the Museum of Glass. Worthy causes, both. And now those two institutions have $85,000 that they didn’t have before. If you weren’t there, you can see how the festivities went by checking out the Weekly Volcano’s Flickr page.

–James

Live theater has had a bit of a struggle in Tacoma these last few years. It was a sad day last year when the lights went out for good on the Tacoma Actors Guild troupe. As usual, money was the issue. But now, the new Theatre Northwest has taken the stage – this time, with the help of Broadway Center for the Performing Arts.  According to the News Tribune’s blog, sees itself as a production partner, providing incubating services for the fledgling theater company in the form of “administration costs, stage labor, and rent of performance venue, Theatre on the Square,” until it can stand on its own. Let’s hope they can make it. Better yet, let’s support live theater in this town by including it in our entertainment choices. We’ll be glad we did – and we’ll be doing our part to ensure its success.

-James

Mindy Barker just opened a new show called “Slice,” at Fulcrum Gallery.  The show, which ranges from a large painted glass installation to other, smaller, works has been described as having a uniquely archaeological feel, while, in the Weekly Volcano, Alec Clayton suggested something more geological, that the photographic transfers and collage images are sandwiched into “rocklike forms” and “cave like openings.” I like that. The glass paintings remind me, though, of giant microscope slides, bearing images that are like brief (i.e. microscopic) moments in the artist’s life – at once concrete and abstract, revealing a part of the story, but never, ever, the full plot. Fulcrum gallery is at 1308 Martin Luther King Jr. Way and “Slice” runs through September 14.

–Dale

Tacoma is, of course, an old railroad town. No wonder the movers and shakers at City Hall are doing their part to keep the dream alive that our fair city will remain a railroad town. Some ideas stick, while others don’t quite make it out of the gate. So it goes with visionary plans. The latest incarnation of that dream is Train to Trek.  The idea is simple. Hop the train at Freighthouse Square and ride to Eatonville. From there you’ll make a transfer to Northwest Trek, the Metro Parks animal sanctuary, where you can ride a tram that will take you within arms’ reach of caribou, bison, mountain goats, bighorn sheep and other animals. Take a video tour here.  And then mark your calendar for the next Train to Trek excursion on September 27.

–James

If you’re the type of person who tends to beat the contestants to the buzzer on “Wheel of Fortune” or who, while watching “Jeopardy!”, says, “Pshhh, I could do that,” well here’s your chance. Three pubs around town offer Trivia Night on Wednesdays, with a chance to win cash and prizes. No word, though, on whether they offer a home version of their games.

Ale House Pub @ University Place. Trivia Night with a “Wheel of Goodness” + cash prizes 7 pm.

Doyle’s Public House Tacoma. Knowledge Night Team Trivia 7 pm.

Engine House No. 9 Tacoma. Win “Doggie Dollars,” starting at 7 pm.

–James