Chairs and Tables in Tollefson, One man's experience

Thank you to Andrew Fry for sharing his Tollefson Plaza experience with us. Please read his Tollefson Ice tea post and share your own new Tollefson experiences here.

Wintergrass Goes to Bellevue

Despite the best efforts of community stakeholders, organizers of the 16 year-old Wintergrass music festival will move the event to the Bellevue Hyatt in 2010. Stakeholders including the City, Convention and Visitors Bureau, Broadway Center, Chamber of Commerce, and the Marriott and Murano hotels offered a fantastic package of funding, discounts, deals and services to entice Wintergrass to stay. A number of factors including hotel rates, facilities, competing events and a need to reinvent the festival lead to this decision.

It’s a sad day for Tacoma to lose yet another festival. Already this year, organizers of the Hot Rod O’Rama car show and Showcase Tacoma have announced that those events are cancelled. The loss of these events is just one more reason (as if you needed another) to support and enjoy the 5th annual Urban Art Festival on August 1st along Jefferson Ave. in front of the Swiss.

Dump the Pump on June 18th

Pierce Transit is joining transit agencies across the country to ask those who’ve never tried public transportation to get on board with saving and take a new ride on Thursday, June 18th. Regular transit users are encouraged to make it a “zero drive” day, and only use transit.

Everyone is concerned about saving money and cutting down on expenses these days. And
as local gas prices again begin to creep up to $3 a gallon, one of the easiest ways to keep more money in your wallet is to park your car at home and hop on public transportation.

Once again this year, Pierce transit and the region’s other transportation agencies are urging residents to ride a bus, train, boat, bike, take a walk, or share the ride on Thursday, June 18, the fourth annual National Dump the Pump Day.

Sponsored by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA), the 2009 National Dump the Pump Day encourages people to ride public transportation to save money, protect the environment, reduce dependence on foreign oil, and improve our quality of life. APTA’s monthly Transit Savings Report consistently ranks the Seattle metropolitan area as one of the top ten regions for potential transit savings.

Here’s some more great info about Pierce Transit and the benefits on commuting by bus. Pierce Transit had nearly five million boardings this year by the end of April 2009, continuing to maintain historic ridership levels that began with record high gas prices during the summer of 2008. Pierce County residents, who continue to utilize Pierce Transit’s fixed route, express, or vanpool services at least three days a week, can save more than $1,000 annually by leaving their cars at home.

There are also the environmental benefits. Nationwide, public transportation saves 900,000 automobile fill-ups each day – 4.2 billion gallons of gasoline per year. And switching to a 100 percent clean, Compressed Natural Gas powered public transportation system like Pierce Transit can reduce individual carbon emissions by 20 pounds per day or 4,800 pounds per year.

Visit http://www.piercetransit.org/ for more information.

Lunchtime Vendors and Entertainment Coming to Tollefson

Take your lunch break in Tollefson Plaza- every Friday starting July 10 to September 25 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Bring your own lunch or buy food from local restaurateurs and enjoy free entertainment from local musicians.

By July 10th, the first of the Summer Lunch Series, you’ll be able to sit comfortably under the shade of one of the plaza’s new umbrellas, and enjoy live music from the Caribbean band Island Jamz. Other performers this summer will include Shakespeare performances by “Shakespeare in the Parking Lot” and live acoustic music from local performers.

Vendors, entertainers and musicians are being scheduled for this summer. For a schedule of events and vending information, please e-mail Vy Dotson at vyd@tacomachamber.org.

Love Tacoma Strikes Again - Join us at Cork!

Don't miss Love Tacoma at CORK! Wine Bar (3012 Sixth Ave) tomorrow, June 9th at 5:30.

CORK! is an intimate, unpretentious wine bar located in the heart of 6th Ave. They offer a variety of deliciously inexpensive wines by the glass or the bottle which compliment a small plate menu of artesian breads, cheeses, meats, and flatbreads.

Just for Tacoma Lovers Cork! will provide drink and food specials and prizes for our every-popular raffel. See you tomorrow at Cork!

Explore. Play. Repeat.

Love Tacoma is an informal monthly gathering of individuals who love Tacoma and enjoy exploring the city’s urban hotspots. It’s a great way to meet new friends and celebrate the places, people and activities that make Tacoma great. From casual happy hours to sophisticated wine tastings to next week's most anticipated show, you'll be able to meet and mingle with amazing people in Tacoma's urban community.

For more information, check out our website at http://lovetacoma.com/