THE SEASON

Great Pumpkin

“Each year the Great Pumpkin rises out of the pumpkin patch that he thinks is the most sincere,” Linus explains to Sally as they wait together on Halloween night in “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.” In the end, the Great Pumpkin chooses not to grace the Peanuts’ pumpkin patch, and a disappointed Linus is forced to wait another year while an irate Sally laments her lost “tricks or treats.” Alas, the stench of Lucy’s hypocrisy must have been too strong.



Let that be a lesson to any of you hipsters out there thinking of dropping by the W.W. Seymour Conservatory to partake in Pumpkin Patch Photos: Come correct or don’t come at all. We don’t need any snickering from pumpkin haters ruining our chances of seeing the Great Pumpkin. True believers are invited to bring the family and greet the fall with a search for the perfect jack-o’-lantern in the park’s fecund pumpkin patch. — Suzy Stump



[W.W. Seymour Conservatory, Oct. 23-Nov. 4, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday, donation are righteous, Wright Park, 316 South G St., Tacoma, 253.591.5330]

THE GLASS

Lovin’ Lino Tagliapietra

The Sopranos are great, but there’s a lot more to Italian culture than track suits and racketeering. The Museum of Glass welcomes Italian glass master Lino Tagliapietra to its Visiting Artist residency showcasing the legitimate side of Boot culture.

Legitimate, I’ll say.



Tagliapietra, 72, has been kicking glass since the age of 11 in Murano, Italy. At age 21, he earned the title of maestro.  I’m thrilled he’s back to teach us (well, not me) more.  In fact, his visit this week heralds his show at the Museum of Glass in February. 23. — SS



[Museum of Glass, through Oct. 28, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., $4-$10, 1801 Dock St., Tacoma, 253.396.1768]

THE SONG

Dress-a-raoke

You’ve sung drunkenly at your girlfriend’s roommate’s surprise karaoke birthday party. Maybe you’ve even belted out one or two at a random wedding (yes, some people include karaoke at their nuptials). But the Weekly Volcano promise you’ve never grabbed the mike or stood in the spotlight like you will Oct. 25 at the Tempest Lounge.



Dress-a-raoke!



Karaoke master Colin will orchestrate laugh-riotous, costume-enhanced live karaoke performances. Starting at 8 p.m., participants can choose from an attic’s worth of wigs, boas, and assorted props before selecting their tune — with any luck, you’ve already picked your poison. Of course, there’s never a cover. — SS



[Tempest Lounge, every Thursday beginning Oct. 25, 8-11 p.m., no cover, 913 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Hilltop Tacoma, 253.272. 4904]

THE MUSICAL

A striking performance

We’re at the end of October, and already the stores are buzzing with holiday cheer — which too often takes the form of agonizing and repetitive Christmas tunes played on a seemingly endless loop. If you’re digging the season but not the fa-la-las, alternative rock group GrooveLily has an antidote. The band has created the concert-play “Striking 12” — against the backdrop of live vocals, keyboard, electric violin, and drums — about a grumpy, overworked New Yorker who tries to kick it alone on New Year’s Eve but an unexpected visitor brings him cheer. The hip soundscape combines classical, rock, folk, jazz, and pop. — SS



[Theatre on the Square, Friday, Oct. 26 7:30 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 27-Sunday, Oct. 28 3 and 7:30 p.m., $36, 915 Broadway, Tacoma, 253.591.5890]

THE FILM

(Silent cheering)

For me, silent films usually conjure images of mustache-twirling evil-doers, D.W. Griffith’s chillingly groundbreaking yet racist opus, “The Birth of a Nation” or the definitive flapper flick, “It” (1927), which screens tonight at the Washington Center. (Silent cheering)



“It” stars Clara Bow as a lowly salesgirl at Waltham’s Department store who swoons over Cyrus Waltham Jr., handsome playboy son of the owner. She fails at first; then her smoldering glances begin to take effect. (Silent cheering)



Misunderstandings intervene. Then the fun begins. (Silent cheering)



The flick will be accompanied by Dennis James jamming on the Andy Crow Wurlitzer Theater pipe organ. (Pretend organ playing on my keyboard) — SS



[Washington Center, Thursday, Oct. 25, 7 p.m., $6.75-$17.50, 512 Washington St., Olympia, 360. 753. 8586]

THE TOUR

I hear dead people

Sure, a loser who throws on an old sheet and calls it a ghost costume is scary (it could be worse if he yelled “Toga!”), but wouldn’t you rather be creeped out by the real thing? Test your belief in the afterlife with a good-natured stroll through the Washington State History Museum.



As visitors make their way through the Great Hall, they’ll encounter living-history actors portraying characters who have died mysteriously in this state.



Even if you don’t see a ghost yourself, the power of suggestion is sure to keep you looking over your shoulder. — SS



[Washington State History Museum, Saturday, Oct. 27, 1-3:30 p.m., $6-$8, 1911 Pacific Ave., Tacoma, 888.238.4373]

THE CONTEST

Define-a-Thon

Funny, I was just in Goodwill the other day and saw a (used) For Dummies product that made me wince openly. It was, I think, Cookies for Dummies. Not a book. Some sort of kit. Some sort of toxic powdered mix in a large porcelain Dummies-logoed container, with dumbed-down instructions on how to bake. Amazing.



Next up: Ice Cubes for Dummies. Comes with bag of water and small tray and instructions. Sad.



In Opposite World, King’s Books presents Define-a-Thon, the next level beyond their annual Adult Spelling Bee.  Define-a-Thon contestants are given a definition (get it?) with four possible words.  They must pick the word that best matches the definition.  King’s Books claims the winner will be “the smartest person in Tacoma.”



The event is a fund-raiser for the Scholars and Champions Association. — SS



[King’s Books, Thursday, Nov. 1, 6:30 p.m., $5 entry free, pre-registration not required, 218 St. Helens Ave., Tacoma, 253.272.8801]