SATURDAY, APRIL 20 1013 >>>

1. In case this weekend already seems too hectic, allow us to complicate matters by quietly mentioning The Grand's historic first 24 Hour Movie Marathon, starting at 10 a.m. and wrapping one day and 20 flicks later. The ‘Thon features the cherished (Hitchcock!), the new (Ryan Gosling!), and a movie called Hands On A Hard Body (not what you think!). This exhausting vegging out supports a superb cause: helping The Grand turn its celluloid projectors into shiny (and industry-required) digital ones. Both 12- and 24-Hour Passes are still available at the box office or through grandcinema.com.

2. Drinking at noon? Why yes, Wingman Brewers' 2nd Anniversary Party, we'd be happy to. Imbibe on 10 taps, including some special brews just for the occasion? Of course we will. Settle into one of your many new seats and enjoy good company? Absolutely.

3. For events geared toward children, check out The Earth Day Extravaganza at the Tacoma Nature Center where families can celebrate wiggly worms, creepy crawlies and buzzing bees with fun activities that help teach about the earth and how we can all keep it healthy from noon to 4 p.m.

4. Enlarge your geo-wareness this weekend at the Capitol Theater's Environmental Film Festival (April 19-21). Sure, we must face a few inconvenient truths on the road to eco-lightenment - mankind's relationship with soil (Symphony of the Soil, April 20), our simultaneous buildup of harmful global waste (Trashed, April 21). But we also get to share in the stories of individuals and groups taking steps to reverse these trends in their own communities and lives. EFF may just inspire your metaphorical pants off - purchase tickets through olympiafilmsociety.org.

5. We need to get our hot little hands on the upcoming split 7-inch release by Mos Generator and Ancient Warlocks. If they can put all the power and straight fucking rock they pull at their live performances onto a little piece of vinyl, then we're sold. Both of these badass bands are playing The New Frontier at 9 p.m., along with C.F.A. and Furry Buddies. Yes, it's a record release party, and yes it's going to rule. Read Nikki McCoy's full feature on Ancient Warlocks in the Weekly Volcano's Music section.

LINK: Saturday, April 20 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

PLANTING A SEED >>>

Earth Day occurs at a beautiful time of year in the South Sound: the lushness of greenery is bursting in pockets around the region; daffodils trumpet in bloom, as if announcing the arrival of spring; birds busily ready their nests; the sun makes more and more appearances. It's the perfect time to remember why we recycle, turn off the water while we brush our teeth and don't idle the car longer than the average pee. We don't want to turn Earth into a shithole.

The South Sound offers plenty of activities for community members to take it one step further this year. While Earth Day falls on Monday, April 22, many organizations have events this Saturday, April 20. (What a great day to go green in more ways than one!)

In Pierce County, Parks Appreciation Day will take place from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday.  Eight different sites around Tacoma will be filled with volunteers working to trim limbs, pick up garbage, plant flowers and trees, and much more. To register and/or for a complete list of participating sites click here. 

In Olympia, at Priest Point Park (2298 E. Bay Dr. NE), there will be an Earth Day Stewardship event. A free program open to all ages, the goal of the work party will be to remove invasive plants that threaten our native ecosystem and replant with native vegetation. Tools, gloves and light refreshments will be provided. For more information, call 360.753.8365.

For events geared toward children, check out The Earth Day Extravaganza at the Tacoma Nature Center (1919 S. Tyler St.), where families can celebrate wiggly worms, creepy crawlies and buzzing bees with fun activities that help teach about the earth and how we can all keep it healthy from noon to 4 p.m.

You can bet the Hand's On Children's Museum (414 Jefferson St. NE) in Olympia jumped on the green train Saturday as well, with Earth Day Fun Science Demos, where your kids can catch environmentally- friendly products in action. Free with admission.

Finally, pick up a copy of the Weekly Volcano tomorrow for our annual Green Issue.

MONDAY, MARCH 25 2013 >>>

1. The film Ocean Frontiers: The Dawn of a New Era in Ocean Stewardship takes viewers on an inspiring voyage to seaports and watersheds across the country where an intermingling of unlikely allies, of industrial shippers and whale biologists, pig farmers and wetland ecologists, sport and commercial fishermen, port operators, reef snorkelers and many more embark on a new course of cooperation, to sustain the sea and ocean economies. The will make its Tacoma premiere 6:45 p.m. at UWT's Phillips Hall as part of a symposium at University of Washington Tacoma.

2. George Smith, M.A., a state licensed mental health counselor, will offer a free training workshop on the Columbia University 30-second self-hypnosis method from 1-2 p.m. at the Lacey Timberland Library. This clinically tested and proven self-hypnosis system can be used to stop smoking, lose weight, reduce stress, resist 64 sandwiches, control anxiety, and much more.

3. Seattle-based world music ensemble The Kora Band will combine elements of jazz and West African music at 8 p.m. inside The Royal Lounge in Olympia.

4. Standup comedy hasn't evolved much since the glory days of ventriloquist and puppet. Every so often, there's a Gallagher smashing watermelons or a musical funnyman like Jack Black, but for the most part, comedy is a dude on a stage with a microphone, plodding through a joke-punchline-new-joke routine. You're funny. You need to change the course of comedy forever. Every Monday at 8 p.m. the Grit City Comedy Club opens its stage to the public for a comedy open mic. Explore the space. Head for space.

5. Every Monday at 9 p.m. Jazzbones is packed to the brim with college kids. Party types. The type that wear tight shirts and trucker hats. Throngs of Chad Fratguys and Sarah Sororitysisters swarm the bar, line up for the bathroom and dance to the Rockaraoke - live band karaoke. The Rockaraoke band is skilled, too. Expect $2 PBR drafts, $3 Sinfire shots, $4 Smirnoff flavor vodka bombs.

LINK: Monday, March 25 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

TUESDAY, MARCH 19 2013 >>>

1. Jewish actor/comedian Stephen Fry explores the dubious associations between Richard Wagner, one of his favorite classical composers, and Adolf Hitler, the 20th century dictator who cited Wagner's music as a motivating factor in waging genocide against the Jews during World War II in the film Wagner & Me screening at 2:30 and 6:35 p.m. at The Grand Cinema. Read a full feature on the film in the Weekly Volcano's Arts section.

2. Go Local Tacoma presents the Local Food Network Night to connect local food producers, markets, businesses and consumers. The two-hour evening will be all networking, all the time, in hopes to tighten up community resources and awareness. The event is open to all. If you're interested in local food, you are invited from 6-8 p.m. at the William Factory Incubator.

3. Alice Stuart brings her country blues crowd to the Red Wind Casino for a 6:30 p.m. show. Gamblers will be drawn to her finger picking guitar style and genuine voice that will touch their hearts.

4. The Palestinian-raised, New York City-based violin and oud player Simon Shaheen has played Arabic classical music, blended Middle Eastern, Latin and jazz sounds, and directed a string section at the Grammys for a duet between Sting and Cheb Mami. Tonight, Shaheen plays the Slavonian Hall in Old Town Tacoma at 7 p.m. It's free. Shaheen's kind of a big deal. Afterward, head to The Spar and discuss the melancholy, orchestral grace as well as frenzied high-pitched excitement you experienced during the show.

5. Seattle band Enemy Combatants is heading down to Tacoma at 8 p.m. to bring an onslaught of hardcore punk to The Red Room. Double knot your shoelaces and put on your moshing pants, for they will exercise no mercy in putting on a high-energy performance.

LINK: Tuesday, March 19 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

THURSDAY, MARCH 7 2013 >>>

1. As you chomped on your big ass turkey leg during your Thanksgiving dinner, The Grand Cinema flicked the switch Steven Spielberg's Lincoln. And sure it's more a long-winded history lecture than a movie, but you can't deny the skill that went into it, and well worth the price of admission just to watch Daniel-Day Lewis do his thing. Today, the Grand will screen Lincoln for the last time at 1:30, 4:55 and 8:05 p.m. The film will finish as the seventh highest grossing film in the history of The Grand, right behind last year's Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and just in front of Juno.

2. Former child star, reality TV vet and now 102.5 KZOK morning shift DJ Danny Bonaduce will hang at the Ale House Sports Pub & Grille's happy hour from 4-6 p.m. shaking hands and handing out Joe Walsh/Bob Seger tickets.

3. Why drink alone when you can get your drink on with cool cats who care about environmental issues? On the first Thursday of each month, Green Drinks invites Tacoma and Pierce County residents to do just that - hang out and chat with other green-minded individuals over drinks and snacks. The next session of Green Drinks - which will be held at 6 p.m. inside the Top of Tacoma Bar and Cafe - will focus on community gardens ... and drinks, of course.

4. The 11th annual Sister Cities Film Festival is more than a film festival. It's a cultural exploration of Tacoma's sister cities, of which there are 11 located all around the world. Each Thursday, a film from a sister city lights up the screen of Blue Mouse Theatre - complemented by bonus activities and entertainment. Each week also has its own committee responsible for said entertainment and film selection. Gunsan, South Korea has been Tacoma's sister since 1978 and had a curiously parallel course of development to Tacoma - Gunsan is a port city that boomed in the 1890s due to a rail link, and there is even an American Air Force Base in the vicinity. We're still checking to see if Gunsan has a weekly chalk competition in a park or if Guy Fieri has his Camaro towed down its streets. Anyway, in honor of Gunsan, the film Secret Sunshine will screen at 7 p.m. with a culutral program beginning at 6 p.m.

5. Billy Stoop's open jam consumes Stonegate's Pizza & Rum Bar beginning at 9 p.m. Be sure to sip some La Favorite Ambre Rhum Agricole.

LINK: Thursday, March 7 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

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

WEATHER REPORT

Friday: Mostly cloudy with a couple of showers, hi 57, lo 44

Saturday: Periods of annoying rain, hi 55, lo 38

Sunday: Some rain here and there, hi 48, lo 35

>>> FRIDAY, MARCH 1: DANCE OLY DANCE

It's been awhile since we've shined some light on Dance Oly Dance, where the dance revolution is televised. Well, at least on local television with local dancers and local DJs. The March 1 episode features an online vote for a favorite DJ, so dancers get to choose the poison. Will it be DJ SPF666? Will it be DJ Riot? Tune into Facebook for voting and results, and if you are not down there shaking your boo-tay, tune into TCTV to watch Dance Oly Dance live. — Nikki McCoy

• TCTV, 8-9 p.m., 440 Yauger Way, Olympia

>>> FRIDAY, MARCH 1: DISTINGUISHED WRITER SERIES

You know what rotating equipment engineers can do? They can: evaluate new equipment and enable employees training on proper repair and operational techniques; function as technical resource to maintenance groups to direct and recommend problems solutions; prepare equipment RFQ packages and technical bid evaluations and make vendor suggestions; review vendor design documents and coordinate with vendors during equipment design and fabrication process; publish two chapbooks; specify and review drawings and data for large pumps and rotating equipment for offshore applications and conduct routine and complex engineering, design, analysis and technical tasks. Well, at least that's what poet John Milkereit has done. Ask him about his chapbooks and RFQ packages tonight when he leads the Distinguished Writer Series event and open mic.

• King's Books, 7 p.m., free, 218 St. Helens Ave., Tacoma, 253.272.8801, kingsbookstore.com

>>> FRIDAY, MARCH 1: AKA AND THE HEART HURT GOODS

AKA and the Heart Hurt Goods is driven. The band is talented. And it plans to blow up The Royal Friday night in Oly. The group is always lively - with AKA laying his rhyme and reason to an authentic blend of talented musicians and lovely lady vocals. And I'm not ashamed to hype these guys by dropping names. They've opened for Sublime LBC and Macklemore. 'Nuff said. - NM

• The Royal Lounge, w/Elbow Coulee, 9 p.m., $3/adv, $5/door, 311 Capitol Way N.,  Olympia, 360. 705.0760

>>> SATURDAY, MARCH 2: DANCE PARTY

The New Frontier Lounge will play host to one of THE premiere dance parties of the year Saturday. Tacoma's own Death By Stars has rounded up an all-star cast of its amazing friends to provide the 253 with a night of something new, something different, something ... weird! Bands includeEver So Android, Werebearcat! and DJ Melodica. "We wanted to bring in bands that don't get a chance to play in Tacoma enough," says DBS member Patrick Galactic.  It's also Galactic and Juan El Revelator's birthday.  "I've never thrown myself a bash before," Galactic continues, "so we're gonna do this RIGHT!  It's going to be a celebration of the friends, family and city we love. If you like to shake it, this is your night. If you don't like to shake it but like to watch sexy girls shake it ... this is your night!" - NM

• The New Frontier Lounge, 8 p.m., $5, 301 E. 25th St., Tacoma, 253.572.4020

>>> SATURDAY, MARCH 2: SOUTH SOUND SUSTAINABILITY EXPO

Fun fact: Before there were expos, people had no idea how to disseminate information about sustainability. It was a bleak time. Luckily, events like Saturday's South Sound Sustainability Expo at the Tacoma Convention and Trade Center have solved this problem, bringing "green" to the masses. According to hype, the South Sound Sustainability Expo is "intended to provide residents and business owners in the greater Tacoma metropolitan area a place to discover services, products, companies, and agencies in our region that address sustainability needs in our community." As part of that goal, instruction and information on everything from urban chicken cooping to waste minimization and recycling will be discussed. 

• Tacoma Convention and Trade Center, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., free, 1500 Broadway, Tacoma, southsoundsustainabilityexpo.org

>>> SUNDAY, MARCH 3: ARABIAN NIGHTS

The Tacoma Youth Symphony Association brings its 2012-2013 season to the Rialto Theater Sunday for a performance by the much-loved Tacoma Youth Symphony Orchestra. Titled Arabian Nights, and thematically including Mahler's "Adagietto" from Symphony No. 5, Weber's Second Concerto for Clarinet and Romsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade, Sunday's afternoon concert should deliver in all facets of awesomeness. Coolest of all: 100 free main-floor tickets for students of high school age or younger will be available at the door on the day of the performance.

• Rialto Theater, 3 p.m., $6-$17, 310 S. Ninth, Tacoma, 253.591.5890

>>> SUNDAY, MARCH 3: OLYMPIA DANCE FESTIVAL

Jazz hands, everyone! Sunday brings the fourth annual Olympia Dance Festival to the Washington Center for the Performing Arts. Combing the dance talents of several regional dance troupes - listed on the press release as Ballet Northwest, Centralia Ballet Academy, Comerford School of Irish Dance, Debbi's Dance, Johansen Olympia Dance Center, Mas Uda Middle Eastern Dancers, Random Acts of Dance Collective, Slieveloughane Irish Dancers, Southwest Washington Dance Ensemble and Studio West Dance Academy - this yearly event typically inspires smiles and rounds of applause. Southwest Washington is full of dance talent, and the Olympia Dance Festival routinely puts that fact on full display.

• Washington Center for the Performing Arts, 2 p.m., $10, 512 Washington St. SE, Olympia, 360.753.8585

WHAT SOME OF OUR STAFF MEMBERS ARE UP TO

CHRISTIAN CARVAJAL Theater Critic
Our schedule is unusually vacant this weekend, so the better half and I plan to give our condo a thorough pre-spring cleaning. Also, I'd very much like to catch Shakespeare Abridged at TLT, given its enthusiastic thumbs-up from Joann Varnell.

REV. ADAM MCKINNEY Music Writer
This weekend, I'll be hitting up Patrick Galactic's birthday show at the New Frontier. Death By Stars, Ever-So-Android, Elbow Coulee and Werebearcat! I'd be a fool not to go.

ALEC CLAYTON Arts Critic
We're going to Seattle Saturday to see Photograph 51 at the Seattle Repertory Theatre. Not exactly a title that makes people run out and buy tickets, but I hear it's a great play.

NIKKI MCCOY Feature Writer
How about a bubble bath while the servants, I mean children, clean the cat box and fold the laundry? How about a full body massage with lavender and jojoba oil while my husband serenades me on the guitar? How about a luxury shopping trip with girlfriends and martinis while a team of top-rate gardeners prepare my yard for spring? Oh, sorry, what was that? My weekend plans? Nursing a cold and scrubbing toilets while the tyrants, I mean children, fight over Legos and complain about dinner.

JOSH RIZEBERG Music Columnist
I'm not doing too much this weekend. Friday, I'll be at Jazzbones for Clemm Rishad's album-release party. Saturday, I'll be teaching my spoken word/poetry class at D.A.S.H Center for the Arts. Sunday, I'll try to get my slow-moving ass to the Graffiti Garages for the Sunday Cyphers.

JOANN VARNELL Theater Critic
Saturday, I'll hit up the Super Mall with one of my best friends (with my toddler in tow) to spend a gift certificate from Christmas. Sunday, I'll start the day with a birthday breakfast in bed and say hello to 38. I have no other plans than to relax, maybe take a nap (you know, like old people do) and enjoy a birthday dinner prepared by my rad husband. (Do people even say "rad" anymore?)

STEVE DUNKELBERGER Nightlife Correspondent
Well, I will be working on my next book about the history of Lakewood and going to the training session to learn about researching life in Washington during the Civil War years for an upcoming exhibit at WSHM, beating the ukulele strings like they owe me money for a birthday gig I got roped into playing and then maybe hit Louie G's for the Ben Union show or the Blanco Bronco show at the New Frontier. Decisions, decisions. Oh yeah, and walk the dog.

NIC LEONARD Music Writer
Saturday night I will be attending the Portland Trailblazers vs. Minnesota Timberwolves game down at the Rose Garden followed by a night if partying in Portland. Look for me on TV!  I'll be decked out in vintage Sonics gear sitting two rows behind one of the hoops.

ROCKFORD ROWLEY All-Ages Music Columnist
This weekend, I'm headed up to The Experience Music Project to see The Sound Off! finals. I'll be pulling for Tacoma's own electro-pop glimmer-twins THE FAME RIOT. A winning outcome will guarantee them a spot on the Bumbershoot bill.

LINK: Even more local events that we recommend

LINK: Comprehensive South Sound Arts & Entertainment Calendar

GREENER PASTURES >>>

The doctor is in. If you've been grappling with making your lifestyle choices greener, the presenters and exhibitors at the fifth annual South Sound Sustainability Expo have the answers you've been seeking. Around 70 vendors and resources are included in the cost of admission, which is FREE written in big, green letters.

According to hype, the South Sound Sustainability Expo is "intended to provide residents and business owners in the greater Tacoma metropolitan area a place to discover services, products, companies, and agencies in our region that address sustainability needs in our community." As part of that goal, instruction and information on everything from urban chicken cooping to waste minimization and recycling will be discussed.

New this year is a mini farmer's market with about eight vendors selling everything from dried beans to organic ice cream; an art exhibit by local elementary schoolers in the Arts EnviroChallenger program made from refuse; and an interpretive dance by SOTA students titled What the Frack? The piece is a social commentary on fracking and has original music composed by Tacoma jazz saxophonist Kareem Kandi.

The sections of the dance interpret the environment moving from healthy to a state of digging madly for oil and then back to nature.

"Movement is abstracted from societies' multiple perspectives regarding this topic, from the oil companies to the landowners to the environmentalists. The final section of What the Frack? takes us back to nature. It is intimate and personal, yet it is also now broken. This piece leaves the audience to wonder."

You can also use this event to up the ante on your green know-how. The Expo runs (cleanly) from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. During this time, there will be five free workshops spread throughout the day, including how to design a sustainable landscape, solar power, and spring gardening wisdom.

To cap it all off, there is also a raffle - the raffle to end all environmentally centered raffles! Prizes are from a long list of local companies and businesses, from Northwest Natural Lighting to University of Puget Sound to Rain Dog Designs.

TACOMA CONVENTION AND TRADE CENTER, 10 A.M. TO 3 P.M., FREE, 1500 BROADWAY, TACOMA, SOUTHSOUNDSUSTAINABILITYEXPO.ORG

THURSDAY, FEB. 21 2013 >>>

1. Marissa Meyer is a YA author from Tacoma and a Pacific Lutheran University graduate. She's a fan of Firefly. She wrote Sailor Moon fan fiction for 10 years. Cinder, the first book in her Lunar Chronicles, is about an android Cinderella in futuristic China was on the New York Times Best Seller list. In short, she is one of the lucky few whose love of sci-fi and all things nerdy has paid off. At 6 p.m., Scarlet, the second book in her Lunar Chronicles, will be celebrated at King's Books in Tacoma. Meyer will read or speak before the signing frenzy. Also expect robots from SOTABots, swag and a costume contest for the best Cinder and the best Scarlet.

2. The Pierce Conservation District and Stream Team host the annual Meeting & Awards Banquet at 5 p.m. at The Evergreen State College Tacoma campus. The accomplishments of last year's efforts will be celebrated as well as honor volunteers and community partners working to conserve natural resources and support sustainable farming throughout Pierce County. Presentation of District and Stream Team awards begins at 6:15 p.m., followed by guest speaker David Montgomery.

3. It's the third Thursday of the month. In Tacoma, that's means an extra emphasis on the arts. Tonight's quest for art will lead you directly to the steps of science. That's right, the University of Puget Sound and Tacoma Art Museum have teamed up to present an Art+Science Salon - an evening of 10 artists and scientists delivering 10-minute presentations - Pecha Kucha style - at 6 p.m. inside the Tacoma Art Museum.

4. Speaking of third Thursday, tonight is the Tacoma Art Mingle, which was formerly called the Third Thursday Artwalk. Whatever the name of the special night, it's still very hard to walk the damn thing. For the last two-plus years Tacoma has had the Art Bus to rely on - the creation of T-Town's own Angela Jossy, and pretty much the bestest idea there ever was. Each third Thursday the Art Bus shuttles riders from gallery to gallery, venue to venue accomplishing more than any one person could ever dream of on foot, and at the same time building a communal vibe that's worth its weight in gold. Tonight's Art Bus celebrity host Darrell Fortune of NWCZradio.com will help guide you through such stops as FabLab, 253 Collective, Embellish Multispace Salon, Urban Alchemy, Brick House Gallery, B2 Gallery and Catwalk. Tickets are $10 regular admission and $20 for VIPs. VIPs get gift bags with items from lots of local businesses. The Bus pushes off from the Tacoma Art Museum at 6 p.m.

5. Anyone who believes that Tacoma is still a blue-collar backwater town with few ties to the outside world had better stay away from the 11th annual Sister Cities International Film Festival, which launched two weeks ago. The experience might just shatter everything that poor soul holds to so misguidedly. Tacoma is an international city in every sense of the world. At 6:15 p.m., the Cuba Sister City Committee will present a cultural program celebrating Tacoma sister city Cienfuegos, Cuba. After the hoopla, the film The Beauty From Alhambra will screen. The story is set in 1920s Cuba. Rachel is an ambitious chorus girl set on becoming a cabaret star at the famous Alhambra Theater. Her artistic talent and help from the theater owner are enough to make Rachel's dream a reality. But along the way, she loses the love of her life and instead finds a passion that puts her career at stake.

LINK: Thursday, Feb. 21 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

DISPOSABLE HEROES >>>

When you think of fighting pollution and harmful waste, the images that come to mind are often of oil spills; nuclear meltdowns and bottlenose dolphins caught in tuna nets. Typically, you don't think of bowling pins, magnets, beanbags and tops.

The Andersons do.

Ms. Darcy and RR Anderson, wife and husband, want to help the planet, but they also wanted to encourage art. The couple found a way to do both. With their new venture Tinkertopia, they want to repurpose junk for potential art projects.

Tinkertopia will be a destination unlike any other in the South Sound. Once it finds and sets up a storefront, it will be a hub for cheap and locally sourced repurposed items, ideal for use in artwork, home renovations or whatever floats your boat.

"Our mission is to divert as much reusable artsy/crafty materials from the waste stream as possible and the response so far has been very positive," says R.R. Anderson. "They have these stores in Vancouver B.C., Portlandia and Lynnwood, but not in Tacoma."

Tinkertopia is searching for a storefront, both in partnership with Spaceworks and on its own. Anderson is banking on the word of a live psychic phone network that the store will be open in the next month or so.

On the flip side, if you have old stuff that you really feel could have a future in someone else's project, the Tinkermobile is there for you. Call 253.778.6539, email rerun@tinkertopia.com or tweet @RerunTinkerCrab to schedule a pick up. The Tinkermobile will arrive, decked out in what Anderson likes to call "unbridled cartooning skills."

A full list of types of materials accepted is on Tinkertopia's website.

THURSDAY, FEB. 7 2013 >>>

1. The 11th annual Sister Cities Film Festival is more than a film festival. It's a cultural exploration of Tacoma's sister cities, of which there are 11 located all around the world. Each Thursday, a film from a sister city lights up the screen of Blue Mouse Theatre - complemented by bonus activities and entertainment. Each week also has its own committee responsible for said entertainment and film selection. The festival kicks off with Tacoma's oldest sister - Kitakyushu, Japan - at 6:15 p.m. featuring the Stadium High School Taiko Drumming group, a Japanese Garden at Point Defiance update and the Japanese film, What the Snow Brings.

2. Why drink alone when you can get your drink on with cool cats who care about environmental issues? On the first Thursday of each month, Green Drinks invites Tacoma and Pierce County residents to do just that - hang out and chat with other green-minded individuals over drinks and snacks. The next session of Green Drinks - which will be held at 6 p.m. inside The Office Bar at Grill - will focus on downtown Tacoma's pacific Avenue Streetscape Project ... and drinks, of course. Read Kristin Kendle's interview with the project's consulting firm here.

3. Urban homesteading, backyard farming — call it what you will, the movement for self sufficiency and sustainable living is booming. In South Sound neighborhoods it seems more and more houses sport a chicken coop or custom greenhouse. Soon, the most dedicated local homesteaders may be able to join ranks of urban farming trailblazers elsewhere who are exploring a new way of bringing the farm to the city: raising goats. Seattle author Jennie Grant will discuss urban farming trends, as well as her book, City Goats: The Goat Justice League’s Guide to Backyard Goat Keeping, at 7 p.m. inside King's Books.

4. Every 15 years or so, the American musical veers in a new and unpredictable direction. When it works, it inspires a wave of imitators. Phantom and Les Miz spawned a decade of bombast. Rent added urban flava and moved gay life and issues to the forefront. Weekly Volcano theater critic Christian Carvajal believes Next to Normal, which debuted on Broadway less than four years ago, is the model for the next wave. Catch the show at 7:30 p.m. inside the Capital Playhouse. Read Carvajal's full review of Next to Normal in the Weekly Volcano's Arts section.

5. There's a certain familiar moment when you're hanging out with very close friends, being giddy and silly, and there's a way that you make each other laugh that's so specific and so unique that it's hard to recreate anywhere else. For sure, it's hard to recreate in the setting of a comedy club. A professional comedian is designed to make you laugh, but that certain type of laugh is so particular that it's almost banned from comedy clubs. Todd Glass can make you laugh like an audience member might but he can also touch you in the way that a close childhood friend can hit your buttons. In a way, um, he's magical. Glass begins a three-night run at the Tacoma Comedy Club at 8 p.m. tonight. Read Rev. Adam McKinney's interview with Todd Glass in the Weekly Volcano's Bars & Clubs section.

LINK: Thursday, Feb. 7 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area