The Weekly Volcano doesn’t believe in spooks. We don’t, we don’t, we don’t believe in spooks. And yet … on a chilly October night, when the leaves rattle against the fire escape and the computer crashes again and again for no apparent reason, we find ourselves drawn to supernatural explanations. Get a grip, we tell ourselves. Those lights going on and off? Nothing more than old wiring. That vase that crashed from the shelf? Vibrations from passing trucks.  That Ted Bundy victim dumped in the foundation of a building being built at the University of Puget Sound who now moans in the halls of the building.  Well?

OK, the Weekly Volcano is a scardey cat.  That’s why we’re sending our intern Friday night to the Lakewood Playhouse sleepover.  The Lakewood Players offer to shack up kids 8-17 after their performance of “Holes” Friday night for $50.  They’ll unlock the doors at 11 a.m. and those alive will be free to go.

Reserve your spot now by calling 253.588.0042.  We dare you.â€" Suzy Stump 

The Sopranos are great, but there's a lot more to Italian culture than track suits and racketeering. Beginning tomorrow 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.  His visit to Seattle in 1979 drew bitter criticism from his fellow Murano glass masters for teaching the Northwest masters his mad skills.

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. â€" Suzy Stump

[Museum of Glass, Oct. 24-28, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., $4-$10, 1801 Dock St., Tacoma, 253.396.1768]

Dropped in on the Spirit Halloween Superstore last night. It was filled with parents and their children, who were gleefully exposed to the most frightening collection of violent, disgusting and generally traumatic fictional imagery ever collected in one place.

Apparently, like visits with Santa, children are dragged literally kicking and screaming into the store, paralyzed with terror, to get dressed up by their insane parents like little dolls. What was more disturbing were the kids who appeared to feel right at home surrounded by polyurethane heads on pikes, giant rubber rats and all sorts of dismembered humanoids.

I'm not a prude or anything, but that sucks. The only saving grace was the bad ass little kid in the sumo outfit. â€" Paul Schrag

THE DAILY WORD
Learn it, use it, spell it

Repletion \rih-PLEE-shun\, noun:
1. The condition of being completely filled or supplied.
2. Excessive fullness, as from overeating.

USAGE EXAMPLE: Somewhere in between the grande nachos and mozzarella cheese sticks Bobble Tiki reached repletion, but that didn’t stop him. A few chicken strips, a couple handfuls of kettle chips, and three beers later, Bobble Tiki wished it would have.

THE MORNING NEWS

LAKEWOOD: Turf war?

LAKEWOOD: Watch out for the pudding!

SCIENCE!: Volcano can destroy your tan.

CARDS: Go Fish leads to murder.

HUSTLER OF CULTURE
You can stand atop the mountain and scream your naked desires to the universe or shed that synapse epilepsy and hug the South Sound today with your fellow man:

MUSIC: While the Olympic Club in Centralia is well outside Bobble Tiki’s typical comfort zone, it is a venue worth mentioning.  It’s a McMenamins’ joint, much like the Spar in Olympia now is, meaning the Olympic Club boasts a number of tasty McMenamins’ microbrews as well as a carefully crafted atmosphere built on keeping the building’s history alive and marketable. Once upon a time the Olympic Club was a prohibition bastion for bootleggers. Much like back then, today the Olympic Club is a pretty cool place to kick it. With the Colin Spring Band playing the club tonight, Centralia may be the place to be.

Probably not, but it’s at least a lot closer than it usually is.

MORE MUSIC: What's on tonight.

EVENTS: Check out area haunted houses.

DRINK: Silent but deadly.

Please be Bobble Tiki’s friend here.

Breakfast with Bobble Tiki runs Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.  Deal with it.

OPEN MIC
Victory Music Open Mic
The Victory Music Open Mic is considered the granddaddy of all open mics in the South Sound.  The charming laid-back atmosphere encourages self-expression during the weekly open mic without the threat of being heckled. All levels of talent, skill and influence are welcome. Each show is also broadcast on Tacoma radio station KVTI 90.5 FM.

The Antique also offers one of the most wholesome “good for you” menus around, too. They specialize in organic healthy ingredients with a huge variety of whole and half sandwiches in addition to their tasty homemade soups and quiches. If you have a sweet tooth, they have some of the best desserts around, too. â€" Jennifer Johnson

[Antique Sandwich Co., every Tuesday, 6 p.m. sign up, 7 p.m. music, all ages, $1-$3, 5102 N. Pearl St., Ruston, up the road from Point Defiance Park, 253.752.4069]

BLUES
Mark Dufresne, Brian Feist

Two Northwest blues men will combine forces and tear up the Red Wing Casino Tuesday. Mark Dufresne and Brian Feist are celebrated blues artists in their own right.

Dufresne is a seasoned harp player and vocalist who has been a part of the Northwest blues scene since the 1980s and shows no signs of slowing down. With a controlled mastery of the harmonica, he has been a welcomed guest on many West Coast artists’ recordings. His own disc, There’s a Song in There, was proof positive he was a true bluesman. And when the legendary Roomful of Blues was looking to return to a traditional blues format, they called upon the bug man to fill the bill.

Feist is just a babe on the blues block but is already causing quite a stir. The Olympia-based guitar player is one of the few axe men who have an open invitation to play with Little Bill and the Blue Notes. Yes, he’s that good. Whether playing jazz, funk or blues, Feist can cut the mustard with style. It is no wonder trombone extraordinaire Randy Oxford just put Feist on his payroll. â€" Tony Engelhart

[Red Wing Casino, 7 p.m., no cover, 12819 Yelm Highway S.E., Olympia, 360.412.5000]

MORE MUSIC: In the clubs tonight.

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.” “He’s got to pick this one â€" he’s got to! I don’t see how a pumpkin patch could be more sincere than this one,” Linus continues. In the end, though, 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. Snap photos of your young and old ghouls and goblins â€" a little pumpkin patch complete with oversize metalwork crows will be set up for a festive backdrop. â€" Suzy Stump

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

MORE EVENTS: Get your Halloween on.

The Sanford & Son sponosred Haunted House is closed for the season.  Here is the word from Sanford & Son co-owner Cheryl Gorsuch:

        Haunted House closed for good......soooo wrong......  I am sorry to say that the Haunted v             house will not be reopening..........

        We are soooo sad. The City of Tacoma and The state of Washington have a new permit law             this year for any amusement building. You have to have a permit at least 6 months in                     advance..........

        So much for the artist in you or any type of spontaneity to create an installation for all to             enjoy......

        Oh well....

        We're are going down to Meconi's Pub right now and you are all free to join us.

        Thank you all for all of your support and kind words of encouragement.

        We still love Tacoma!

        Cheryl G.

The Broadway Center for the Performing Arts is our bestest friend ever.  They are extending a 10 percent discount to Weekly Volcano readers for “Striking 12.”

Just mention you are a Weekly Volcano reader when purchasing your tickets and they will knock 10 percent of your purchase and think you are the smartest person in the whole world, maybe the universe. â€" Suzy Stump

Tacoma’s Art at Work Month has become a Godzilla’s feast of literary, visual and performing arts. Is there any other town of comparable size in the Western Hemisphere that has anything to match it? I don’t think so.

November is Art at Work Month. Festivities begin with an opening celebration at the Museum of Glass Friday, Nov. 2, from 6 to 9 p.m. with hors d’oeuvres, a no-host bar, music by the Tacoma Youth Symphony, and a performance by Carla Barragan & BQdance. It’s free.

Oh, but that’s the day after Art at Work Month begins. The real start is Thursday, Nov. 1, when the University Jazz Ensemble plays at Pacific Lutheran University, University of Puget Sound puts on a play called “The Cripple of Inishmaan,” the “Define-a-Thon” takes place at King’s Books, and singer/songwriter Joshua Scott entertains at Mandolin Café.

Plan your November cultural calendar here. â€" Alec Clayton

FILM
Rendition
Gavin Hood’s terrifying, intelligent thriller tells the story of an Egyptian-born American who is "disappeared" from a flight by the CIA and held without good cause for torture and interrogation. Reese Witherspoon plays his pregnant wife, who turns to an old boyfriend (Peter Saarsgard) to intervene with his boss, a senator (Alan Arkin). Meryl Streep chillingly plays the U.S. head of intelligence, and Jake Gyllenhaal is the troubled CIA bureau chief in the country that is hired to torture the man. A big, confident, effective film with its politics seamlessly a part of its story. Hood won an Oscar in 2005 for his "Tsotsi." Rated R for torture/violence and language. Four stars â€" Roger Ebert

[AMC Narrows Plaza 8: 2:40, 5:20, 8; Century Olympia 16: 1:25, 4:20, 7:10, 10:10; Lakewood Cinema 15: 1:20, 4:20, 7:20, 10:20; Lakewood Towne Center 12: 2, 4:35, 7:10, 9:45; Longston Place 14: 12:30, 3:30, 7:30, 10:30; Regal Martin Village 16: 11:35 a.m., 2:30, 6:50, 9:45; Yelm Cinemas @ Prairie Park: 12:20, 2:55, 6:20, 9]

MOVIE CLOCK: What’s playing on local screens.

Despite ominous skies, we thought a trip to a corn maze and pumpkin farm we hadn’t yet visited would be fun.  So the wee one, significant one, and significant mom and I all piled into the SUV and went over the river (but not through the woods) to Rutledge Farms.

Possibly the first piece of evidence to my directional abilities was my misreading of the map we had; we found ourselves nearer our standard Christmas tree farm than any corn maze.

Back on track, we arrived at Rutledge Farm.  I chose to attempt the maze despite my directional impairment, though the significant side of the family â€" all three of them â€" opted out of the fun, instead choosing to hunt the perfect pumpkin.

I should have brought pebbles, or breadcrumbs, or a guide: I found myself bewildered in the first four minutes, and deciding to get back to the entrance and concede defeat.

But to get to the entrance, I’d have to find it.  I found, instead, a bridge, which showed me I was closer to the back of the maze than the front.  A map I found confirmed that I was, indeed, the furthest distance between the entries.

I heard voices, I saw no bodies.  The skies grew more ominous, and I started freaking out.
Running, not heeding logic (because, after all, “logic” was what got me to the point of no return to begin) I finally got to the exit, and decided that â€"reallyâ€"I am not a maze person.

Finally meeting up with the fam at the pumpkin patch, I found more fun slogging through deep puddles with the kid (which was, it turned out, her favorite activity of the day) just as the skies finally opened up.

Still, a fun, autumnal day. â€" Jessica Corey-Butler