Once again the Top of Tacoma will be the epicenter of local happy hour festivities. Leave it to owner Jaime Kay Newton to give back to the community that has supported her sociable neighborhood bar for so long now.



Top of Tacoma and Project:U, a young and hip offspring of United Way, have banded together constructing the ultimate happy hour for all people interested in nonprofits and networking. OK, wait, “networking” may not be the right word, from what I gathered in my conversation with Project:U members Allyson Borgelt and Sarah Cutting. They may say “networking,” but I think better words would be “non-pretentious fun.”



Borgelt and Cutting described their regular Project:U happy hour crowd as non-formal, welcoming, friendly, and full of good times. Thank goodness. Because the last thing I want to deal with after a long day of the Weekly Volcano office’s testosterone-filled shenanigans is a formal group of snobs. No, really, I mean it. After a day with the yahoos in my office, I’m ready to get my drink on and meet people who don’t think it’s called an “SUV lane” and that only SUVs can drive in it.



What makes this event warm your heart even more than that fifth of whiskey you cradle at night, is that Jaime Kay Newton has agreed to donate a percentage of her Project:U happy hour sales directly back to United Way. Say what? How’s a girl supposed to make any money in this town? Apparently that’s not what it’s all about at Top of Tacoma, for they’ve also forged some sort of discount of food and drinks for her feisty nonprofit-loving crowd.



For those attending who have an addictive personality, I ask you to fear not! For this Project:U troop meets regularly for happy hour at the Top of Tacoma from 5:30-7:30 p.m. every second Wednesday of the month. My internal calendar tells me that not only is that the date of my next laser hair removal appointment (pesky chest hairs), but it’s also Wednesday, March 11, 2009. Update your Palm Pilots and I’ll see you there.

 

[Top of Tacoma Bar & Café, 3529 McKinley Ave., Tacoma, 253.272.1502, www.project-u.org]