Veterans
It's safe to say that if not for the influence of Lawrence Mackey, lacrosse in the local area would not be nearly as popular as it is. Not only did he found the Tacoma Men's Lacrosse (Huron) team in 1991, but also brought the sport to local underprivileged youth with his
Archives
An obvious stop for three delicious drinks will always be The Red Hot, and I avoided visiting owner Chris Trashcan’s cool frothy concoctions for this column longer than I reckoned I would. In ways, I’ve grown into a better person for withstanding severe cold-beer temptation. Yet, in other ways, I’ve
Focus
For Operation Homefront Washington's president John McDonagh, the question of what they're doing for military families over the upcoming holidays has a quick answer. "For starters, we have our annual toy drive going on nationwide with the Dollar Tree stores," said McDonagh. The drive, which collects toys, baby items and toiletries, is
Focus
Most Servicemembers are transient, but that doesn't mean they can't be active, productive members of their communities. For the city of Puyallup, the relationship with Soldiers goes two ways. The connection stems from JBLM's community connector program, which allows cities to "adopt" units from the base. Since about 2007, Puyallup has been
Veterans
There are several fitness "boot camps" across the Puget Sound area, each vowing to make participants sweat, push them to their physical limits and whip them into great shape. But there is only one boot camp taught by someone who has actually been to the real thing. "You don't have the right
Archives
First and foremost — and especially as a father of a wide-eyed little girl — I want to deliberately note that this story is NOT about the REAL Santa Claus. The REAL Santa lives in the North Pole and spends his time taking stock of which little girls and boys
Stage
I had a nice chat with Tim Kapler at The Swiss Thursday afternoon and took a long look at his drawings, which will be on display throughout the month. Kapler is a young man who is pretty much self-taught and just starting out as an artist. He said he doodles
Stage
I wish I could have enjoyed more of Theatre Northwest’s The Salvation of Iggy Scrooge. It would have been nice. But every time something funny happened, and even after most lines that weren’t that funny, the three people sitting behind me — all three of them, in unison — let
Arts
Nearly 50 hungry artists are packing into the Mad Hat Tea Company in hopes of making a little cash. It’s called the Cash Flow Show, and everything is on sale for $25 or less. Like everyone else involved in the business of selling stuff, these folks are hoping
Focus
Ed Shadle never sleeps too soundly. Ideas are always popping into his head, rousing him from bed at all hours of the night and forcing him to jot them down and hammer out a plan for the day. "My mind is always running," said Shadle, who lives in Spanaway. "I'm always thinking
Food Matters
Vanilla Bean CaféA cheery red wall draws the eye while a bank of stools offers a peaceful sun-warmed perch, perfect for people-watching from the front window of newly arrived Vanilla Bean Café on St. Helens Avenue. Owners Rick and Tobe Collier are not new to the roasted bean game, having
Reviews
Three Sisters Tacoma Szechuan Where: 9601 S. Tacoma Way, Lakewood, 253.581.0102 Hours: 11 a.m.-9:30 p.m. daily, lunch special, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Monday-Friday Cuisine: Szechuan and Chinese Scene: Casual family-friendly dining Drinkies: Standard nonalcoholic drinks Prices: $3.99-$17.95 ANNOUNCER: After the most gluttonous of feasts in the name of thankfulness
Music
There’s being different — just because you are. Then there’s being different for the sake of being different — which, to me at least, seems like a far less admirable thing. In many ways, it’s almost playing it safe. Tacoma’s Spectacular Optical — new on the scene, and with
Music
It’s a new week, which means it’s time for a new installment of Bobble Tiki’s South Sound music news and notes column. Without further ado, let’s get rolling. Lakewood Police officers benefit Though Bobble Tiki is still stuck in traffic, even as he writes this, he can’t help but relay how touched,
Music
Christopher Francis & Son already sounds like a band that’s too big to talk to me. The first song of theirs that I heard (“Coinlocker Baby”) had that kind of breathtaking quality that seemed to announce the arrival of a new year-end best-of candidate. The moody vocals and acoustic guitar
Music
<h2>VANILLA ICE</h2>Thursday, Dec. 10As I write about this upcoming show, I worry that it may be something I conjured up in some kind of a fever dream. But, barring the prospect that the words “Vanilla Ice at Station 56” were a mirage, it looks like this thing’s really happening. Of
Focus
A group of Joint Base Lewis-McChord Soldiers who gained YouTube and Facebook fame for videos of themselves making trick basketball shots on base has done it again. This time, the Soldiers are using ping-pong balls. "T Wo Trick Shots" filmed its basketball video at hoops around the base in June. The latest
