You'll Like Tacoma

I have spent roughly the last four years of my life in Downtown Tacoma. Previous to that, I had only driven by Tacoma on my way to other places and was told that Tacoma is not where I wanted to be. As I have come to find, those sentiments were completely false. Tacoma is exactly where I want to spend the rest of my life. I don’t know about all the other Tacoma transplants but I fell in love immediately and claimed Tacoma as my home. 

As someone who grew up in an unincorporated town, I never really had a city to call my own. Without ever moving, my address changed four times due to re-configuring of city lines - I was in no man’s land.  On top of that, the developing suburbs popping up don’t offer the community that I have come to find in Tacoma. There is not an art community.  There are no museums.  There is no night life or wonderful Barre classes to enjoy on Sunday mornings. Coffee is limited to Starbucks and there is seriously only one grocery store. Rather than limited choices and opportunities, Tacoma is full of life and vibrancy.  

You can feel it in the air that Tacoma is the place to be, this is the time that you want to invest and put roots down in the City of Destiny. Tacoma is about to launch into another golden era. 

As our art community grows, as our population diversifies, and as the housing market explodes, Tacoma is sure to become one of the best cities in the country to live in. Whether you are out on your own, happily married, in the middle of growing your family, or entering retirement, our city has so much to offer. We are reaching new medical hub heights, our transportation system is set to expand greatly, and graduation rates are rising. 

While all of this may sound lofty and like a daydream because of the glacial pace that the city is moving, I believe Tacoma will be the next big thing because they are trying to be very intentional on how Tacoma grows. Tacoma cannot just grow for growth sake, it needs to be well thought out and managed otherwise we will be running into problems of the past. Tacoma is ready to launch and I am so honored that I get to be a part of it. 

Tacoma's First Night Festival

Looking for amazing New Year Eve plans? Tacoma has your answer. For the 20th year, First Night will be hosted in downtown Tacoma. Full of family fun, art, music, fire, ice, and so much more; ringing in the New Year has never been better!

The $10 button required for entrance gives you access to 10 stages, over 50 artists, and all day activities such as, free access to the Museum of Glass, Tacoma Art Museum, Tacoma Children’s Museum, and free skate rentals at Franciscan Polar Plaza. If you don't purchase your button in advance, it will be $14 at the door. 

First night typically draws in anywhere between 10,000 and 20,000 participants so you want to make sure to get there early and grab some parking. They are encouraging attendees to park at the Tacoma Dome and take the Link down to the festival. The Link will be running until 1:00AM and give you plenty of time to get back to your car as hassle free as possible. First Night runs from 6pm-12am on Thursday, December 31st.

There will be food trucks and restaurant deals happening all over town. Be sure to check out their website to get a full list of all the perks and packages available. 

To purchase your button click here and if you want to find out more click here! 

5th Anniversary of the CHI Franciscan Polar Plaza

CHI Franciscan Polar Plaza is here for their fifth year at Tollefson Plaza located at 17th and Pacific. While they are experts in all things fun and ice-skating, this year they have taken entertainment to a whole new level! 

This year CHI Franciscan partnered up with the Tacoma Art Museum, Metro Parks Tacoma and the City of Tacoma to bring you wonderful theme filled adventures. Including a nature skate on December 22nd, a blind date skate on the 23rd, Karaoke Night on the 26th, celebrate a teacher you know and love with Teacher’s Night Out on December 27th, and many more amazing themes! 

There will also be food, music, and art for the whole family to enjoy! Hometown Dogs food truck will be at the rink December 15-17, 19-20 and January 1-3 from 11:30am-9:00pm. 

The Polar Plaza will be open now until January 10th so be sure to skate on down!


For more information and hours click here! 

Dia De Los Muertos: TAM's 11th Annual Day of the Dead Festival

The Tacoma Art Museum will be hosting their 11th Dia De Los Muertos festival this November 1st 10:00am-4:00pm. This year they will be hosting a Calavera Costume Contest where you can enter to win a $100 prize. There will be free face painting, sugar skull making, and you can create chalk memorials under the TAM's grand awning.

Artist Rene Julio will be featured along with community and partner made altars throughout the museum. Traditional foods will be served in the TAM cafe along with mariachi music to dance to.  

While the event does run from 10:00am-4:00pm, special times and events have been scheduled throughout the day. From 11:00-12:00pm there will be a mariachi performance by Mariachi Lucero, at 2:00pm Danza Quetzacoatl de Olympia will be performing. 3:00pm the winner of the Calavera costume contest will be announced and throughout the entire day PBS will be screening their series: Latino Americans. 

This event is free and open to the public. There are more activities yet to be announced so be sure to check out their Facebook and website links below.

 I hope to see you all there! 

Find out more on the TAM's Facebook Page or the the TAM website

Get inspired here for Calavera cosutme ideas! 

Film School Shorts is a production of KQED.

Written and directed by Ashley Graham, Kate Reynolds and Lindsey St. Pierre. The film won Gold Medal at the 2013 Student Academy Award for Best Animated Short.

Music by Corey Wallace 

Sound Department Mauricio d'Orey 

Time to Once Again Brush Up on Tacoma Arts Month

As many Tacoma locals know, the month of October brings many wonderful things to the downtown area. While most cities are hunkering down for the winter and the end of tourist season, Tacoma is still buzzing with so many things to offer. A little cold has never bothered the city with the most grit. Tacoma locals are tough, weather going people with a soft side for art. As you might have guessed it is time for Tacoma Arts Month.

While some exhibits are presented year round in local store fronts and in the plethora of museums that the downtown area has to offer, some of the exhibits are only here for the month of October so be sure to see what our local artists have to offer at this year’s festivities. This year’s 76 exhibits are sure to inspire the artist within us all.

Being the 14^th anniversary for the Tacoma Arts Month, it promises to be a spectacular showcase of art, culture, dance and local businesses. One of the highlights to Tacoma Arts Month is that participants get the opportunity to take a studio tour October 17-18 at 35 locations featuring over 57 artists and a unique look into how their art comes to life. The tours run on both days from 11am-5pm. The tour is a free, self-guided tour and offers the opportunity to purchase art pieces from the artists directly. Be sure to get your Tacoma Studio Tour Passport to earn stamps and win prize packages. Tacoma Arts Month online website offers you a customized map with all tour locations to ensure you don’t miss out and have the opportunity to create your own art experience. Information regarding the passport, maps, and all that the month of October has to offer can be found on their website http://tacomaartmonth.wpengine.com/

Tacoma Arts Month kicks off this Thursday, October 1^st at 6pm at the Historic Tacoma Armory. This is a free public event with no RSVP required. The kickoff will be featuring pop-up exhibits, aerial and cirque performances, dance, poetry, and food. This event is being sponsored by Tacoma Arts Commission, SpaceworksTacoma, Historic Tacoma Armory.

Walk Tacoma - Museum Walk & Kid Walk - Wednesday July 15

Mark your calendars for July 15^th. There are two great events brought to you by Downtown On the Go and their various partners – Walk Tacoma Museums and Family Walk. Detailed information below about both events from a press release put out by Downtown on the Go.

Tacoma, Wash. – Come downtown to experience the Museum District on Wednesday, July 15 at noon for the Walk Tacoma Museum/Family Walk.  These two concurrent walks have something for every age.  The 1.8 mile Museum Walk, led by Council Member Robert Thoms, will showcase our downtown museums with stops at the Children’s Museum of Tacoma, Tacoma Art Museum, WA State History Museum, Museum of Glass, and LeMay America’s Car Museum. 

The 1 mile Family Walk, geared toward children elementary school age and younger, will include fun activities for kids, a visit by Rhubarb, goodie bags, and a ride on the Tacoma Link.  It will be led by Dianna Kielian, Sr. Vice President for Mission with Walk Tacoma series sponsor CHI Franciscan Health.  The Museum/Family Walk, sponsored by the Tacoma Rainiers, will start outside the Children’s Museum at S. 15^th & Pacific Avenue.  There is no need to pre-register for the event, simply join Downtown On the Go at the meeting spot. 

Downtown On the Go will be collaborating with the United Way of Pierce County and the Children’s Museum of Tacoma to offer the Family Walk.  “The museum is so excited to be a partner in the Museum/Family Walk again this year.  We love to see young families exploring downtown Tacoma and enjoying all of the great parks, museums, and sites that our city has to offer,” said Brenda Morrison, Tacoma Children’s Museum Deputy Director.

Walk Tacoma 2015, sponsored by CHI Franciscan Health, is a nine-event walking series held on first and third Wednesdays, from April through August. The fun, themed walks, now in their sixth year, encourage people to enjoy downtown on foot by introducing new walking routes and sharing information about the community and its history through the guided tours. The walks are scheduled at the lunch hour and just after work to encourage downtown employees to walk during their workday, whether it is to and from work or at a lunch break.

Log your walks on the Trip Calendar at PierceTrips.com to earn prizes and be a part of the 24,859 mile community challenge to Walk Around the World.

For more information on the full Walk Tacoma Series or the Walk Around the World campaign, visit www.downtownonthego.org or find us on Facebook orTwitter.

Pop-Up Art Putt! in Downtown Tacoma

It’s finally here – the U.S. Open Golf Championship has come to the 253. For many, the anticipation has been building for years.

There has been word of Tiger Woods sightings as he played some practice rounds in the weeks leading up to the tournament. Some are hoping that practice might lead to a Tiger return to glory. It seems doubtful.

Others dream of a local boy like Michael Putnam or Ryan Moore coming out of nowhere to win their first major. That also seems unlikely, but would be really cool.

Whatever happens with the actual golf, we are all hoping for a nice economic boost for the city, county, and region. We can anticipate the world will fall in love with the pure aesthetic beauty of the course and its surroundings, as they watch the tournament unfold later this week.

I will not be heading out to Chamber’s Bay for the tournament. I’ve never played the golf course because, well, I’m terrible at and easily frustrated by the game of golf. Why pay all that money to be pissed off and when I can enjoy the course and the view for free by walking the trail? I’ll track the tournament and the coverage on T.V. this week.

If I actually grab a golf club this week, it will be to play something a little more my speed – like the Pop-Up Art Put mini golf course being brought to downtown Tacoma by the Tacoma Art Museum (TAM) and the Tacoma Arts Commission.

Ten local artists have been commissioned to create ten sculptural miniature golf holes for a course that will span TAM’s Paul G. Allen Family Foundation Plaza, Tollefson Plaza, and the Prairie Line Trail.

You can get your club, golf balls, and score cards at the TAM and when you are finished playing the course you can vote for your favorite artist-designed hole. Unlike Chamber’s Bay – this course is FREE to play.

As the first day of play is winding up at Chambers Bay, the party will just be getting started at the Pop-Up Art Putt course in downtown Tacoma.

The Opening Party for the exhibit will be this Thursday June 18 from 5-8 pm. You can dance along the course to tracks spun by a live DJ. There will be food trucks along the course and of course a beer garden, because this is Tacoma.

Come on – go ahead and check this out! This is one hell of a cool idea. Bravo TAM and Tacoma Arts Commission!

Pop-Up Art Putt! Hours will be…

Thursday, June 18, 5 pm – 8 pm
Friday, June 19, 10 am – 8 pm
Saturday, June 20, 10 am – 8 pm
Sunday, June 21, 10 am – 4 pm