Arts & Entertainment
- MOSAIC – Tacoma’s Arts and Culture Festival July 26 – 27 at Wright Park
- Wright Park transforms into a celebration of international delights July 26-27 from 12 to 7pm for the MOSAIC Arts and Culture Festival. The free community event highlighting traditional dance, music, art and food marks its 36th year under the park’s beautiful canopy of trees.
- Performances of A Midsummer Nights Dream at Shakespeare in the Park
- Grab a picnic, bring your family and watch Shakespeare in the Park! This year, there will be four performances of A Midsummer Nights Dream in August. It’s a much beloved Tacoma tradition occurring in parks throughout the city. Be sure to bring your own blanket, as seating is on the lawn. More details:
- August 9, 7pm – Wright Park
- August 10, 6pm – STAR Center
- August 16, 6pm – Titlow Park
- August 17, 6pm – Norpoint Park
- Grab a picnic, bring your family and watch Shakespeare in the Park! This year, there will be four performances of A Midsummer Nights Dream in August. It’s a much beloved Tacoma tradition occurring in parks throughout the city. Be sure to bring your own blanket, as seating is on the lawn. More details:
- Hilltop Block Party Brings Neighbors Together July 18
- The Hilltop Action Coalition invites the community to its annual Hilltop Block Party on Monday July 28 at 6pm at the Bryant Neighborhood Center. This is a free, family-friendly event is designed to celebrate connection, community, and summer fun with barbecue, games and hands-on activities.
- This year’s gathering will feature a special welcome to Rebuilding Hope, which will share information about its services and its new location in the neighborhood. Attendees are also encouraged to participate in a clothing exchange by bringing clean, gently used items to swap or donate. In addition, guests can help assemble cooling bags to support unhoused neighbors during the hottest weeks of the season. The Hilltop Action Coalition will also share important announcements about upcoming projects. Everyone is welcome to attend and enjoy an evening of celebration in the heart of Hilltop.
- Gossip: Between Us – An Exhibition at the Tacoma Art Museum
- Gossip: Between Us, curated by Rebecca and Jack Benaroya Curator Victoria Miles and organized by Tacoma Art Museum, draws from the museum’s permanent collection to spotlight women and queer artists – particularly those whose work embodies this tradition. Featuring artists such as Barbara Kruger, Joyce J. Scott and Carrie Mae Weems, the exhibition explores gossip not only as subject matter but as methodology, embedding within the work the textures of lived experience, cultural memory, and communal care.
- The exhibition is split into four subthemes: Precious Jewelry, The Home and Its Psyche, Intimacy, Sexuality and Spirituality, and Playing with Tradition. Opening Event: Celebrate with Tacoma Art Museum members and guests on Friday, August 8 at 6pm. Public Opening: Saturday August 9.
Neighborhood News
- Pierce County is Top Recipient of Park and Trail Grants
- The Washington State Recreation and Conservation Funding Board has awarded over $148 million in grants to support 242 outdoor and conservation projects statewide, from parks and trails to farmland and forest preservation. Pierce County received the most funding totalling $14.25 million. The grants enhance public access to outdoor spaces, promote recreation, conserve natural habitats, and support rural economies. Of 411 applications, 59% were funded. Highlights include:
- Fife: $500K for an inclusive playground at Colburn Park
- Lakewood: $2.73M for Edgewater Park and $1M for Lake Steilacoom upgrades
- Tacoma Parks: $1M to expand Swan Creek Park
- Mount Rainier Futbol Club: $1.5M for pickleball courts in Bonney Lake
- Mount Rainier National Park: $200K to maintain Wonderland Trail
- Orting: $204.7K for pump track at Charter Park
- Peninsula Metropolitan Park District: Three grants totaling $1.511M
- Pierce County: $3.5M for Pipeline Trail and Sprinker Center upgrades
- University Place: $494K for Curran Orchard Park
- WA Dept of Fish & Wildlife: $890K for Ohop Lake
- WA Dept of Natural Resources: over $448K for Elbe Hills and Lakebay Marina restoration
- The Washington State Recreation and Conservation Funding Board has awarded over $148 million in grants to support 242 outdoor and conservation projects statewide, from parks and trails to farmland and forest preservation. Pierce County received the most funding totalling $14.25 million. The grants enhance public access to outdoor spaces, promote recreation, conserve natural habitats, and support rural economies. Of 411 applications, 59% were funded. Highlights include:
Local Governance
- Don’t Forget to Vote
- Ballots for Pierce County Primary Election were mailed to all registered voters beginning July 18, 2025 as part of the voting period leading up to Election Day on August 5. Voters will cast ballots in state and local primary races-including legislative seats, mayor and city council contests, school board elections, county council positions and various local measures such as levies and bond proposals. Completed ballots must be postmarked or dropped off by 8om on Tuesday, August 5, 2025, the official close of the primary election.
- Public Hearing on Tacoma’s Historic Preservation Code Update
- The City of Tacoma Planning Commission will hold a public hearing Wednesday August 6, at 5:30pm regarding the Historic Preservation Code Update and associated amendments to Tacoma Municipal Code Title 13. Informational Session: Saturday July 26, 11am -1pm, Tacoma Public Library Mottet Branch, 3523 E G St.
Business & Opportunities
- Help Shape Tacoma Parks Memberships – Take the Survey
- Parks Tacoma is modifying the cost structure of All Center Memberships and wants your feedback. The survey is open to both members and non-members. Take the survey: https://tinyurl.com/2udrt8cj
- Auditions: The Da Vinci Code at Tacoma Little Theater
- Auditions for the Northwest premiere of The Da Vinci Code (adapted by Rachel Wagstaff and Duncan Abel) will be held August 3 and 4 at the People’s Community Center (1602 MLK Jr Way, Tacoma). Directed by Trina Williamson. Audition appointments begin at 6pm. Callbacks: Wednesday August 6. Open to all regardless fo identity or experience. Monologue required (under two minutes). Staff members receive up to $150 travel reimbursement. Rehearsals begin in September. Performances run October 24 – November 9. Reserve audition slot here: https://tinyurl.com/yc7s2yuy
- You’re Invited: Small Business Technical Assistance Workshop
- The City of Tacoma’s Equity in Contracting Program is hosting a Small Business Workshop on Thursday July 31 from 3 to 4:30pm at the Tacoma Public Utilities Auditorium (3628 S 35th St). The event will connect small business owners with resources from local agencies. Register here: https://tinyurl.com/hhr9mjhk
- New Tacoma Neighborhood Council Seeks Website Volunteer
- The New Tacoma Neighborhood Council (NTNC) is seeking a volunteer website assistant to help update and maintain its community site, newtacoma.org. Interested individuals can email timnewtacoma@yahoo.com to get involved. The council is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit made up entirely of volunteers committed to strengthening the community. Membership is free and automatic for anyone who lives, works, owns a business or studies within the New Tacoma district – which includes the Port of Tacoma, Dome District, Stadium District, Downtown Tacoma, parts of Hilltop and more.
Recreation & Wellness
- Earth Gay Tacoma – July 26 at Swan Creek Park
- Earth Gay is the LGBTQ community’s most visible form of environmental activism. This event will include sustainability-themed booths, swag, trail restoration, lawn games, and food trucks. Volunteer or learn more: https://tinyurl.com/5c9uvs2n
- Owl Together Now Fun Run and 1K Walk – Point Defiance Park
- Enjoy a family friendly run through Point Defiance Park and finish inside the zoo! Strollers welcome. Note that parts of the Five Mile Drive are currently closed. Register and details: https://tinyurl.com/458u2dud
- Biking Trails Around Pierce County
- Enjoy the cummer sun with bike-friendly routes for all skill levels:
- Foothills Trail: A flat, scenic ride through Orting to South Prairie with views of Mt. Rainier and the Carbon River.
- Scott Pierson & Cushman Trails: Popular commuter trails running from Allenmore Golf Course through Gig Harbor (6.2 miles)
- Chambers Bay Loop: A 3.25-mile loop with stunning views including a steep inclune for more experienced riders
- Trek at Tehaleh: Over 6 miles of mountain biking with Carbon River views and a 2.5 mile family loop
- Enjoy the cummer sun with bike-friendly routes for all skill levels:
Reviews
- Film Review: Eddington, by Elizabeth Mulloy
- Ari Aster remains one of the most peculiar filmmakers to emerge over the past decade. He came charging out of the gate with 2018’s Hereditary, a grief-soaked horror drama that took the world by storm and helped solidify the so-called “elevated horror” wave that A24 would come to define. In 2019, he deepened his preoccupation with loss and emotional devastation through the bright, sun-drenched nightmare that was Midsommar. But in 2023, Aster threw a curveball with Beau Is Afraid, a darkly surreal, horror-laced satire that tunneled into maternal enmeshment and the paranoia that festered in its wake. It was a polarizing film, and I had mixed feelings myself, but I respected the audacity of the swing. Now, in 2025, Aster is taking yet another massive creative risk with Eddington, a neo-western set in a small New Mexico town during the thick of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. Given the setting and subject matter, it’s safe to say this one is going to be divisive. In fact, I’m willing to bet Eddington ends up being the most polarizing film of the year.
- In May of 2020, a standoff brews in the small, dying town of Eddington, New Mexico, between the town’s sheriff, Joe Cross (Joaquin Phoenix, who always delivers) and the mayor, Ted Garcia (Pedro Pascal). Cross is a traditional conservative, who is very individualist as he believes people should be allowed to live their lives however they want to. Garcia on the other hand, is a classical progressive who believes in the collective good. Neither are particularly bad people. However, the Covid-19 pandemic sparked a powder keg of brewing resentment and hatred that pits neighbor against neighbor that eventually turns violent.
- What will undoubtedly frustrate a lot of viewers about Eddington is that the film isn’t particularly interested in picking a side. Instead, it plunges headfirst into the madness and paranoia of a moment in time that, like it or not, has permanently altered the fabric of society. Some might dismiss this as cowardly centrism, but to me, that neutrality feels like a stroke of brilliance. It allows for a raw, unfiltered look at a chaotic period without the moral high ground looming over it. Had the film taken a side, it would’ve risked slipping into a condescending posture, preaching rather than observing. But by refusing to do that, Aster creates space to say something much more honest.
- For the first ninety minutes, the film sets the table as it plunges into the sheer lunacy of the pandemic. May 2020 marked the peak of lockdowns and the sobering realization that Covid wasn’t going to disappear anytime soon. So, the chaos begins and Aster pulls no punches. On the conservative side, he dives headfirst into the swirling conspiracy theories that swept through that camp, exposing the ironic selfishness of it all through the character of Cross. Cross refuses to wear a mask because it makes him uncomfortable and believes the government is overreaching. His heart might be in the right place, sure, but he’s selfish, entitled, and entirely blind as to why masks were necessary at that point in time. Even more ironic? He downplays the severity of Covid, despite having asthma, which puts him at higher risk.
- His wife, Louise (Emma Stone), and his mother-in-law, Dawn (Deirdre O’Connell), are holed up at home, spiraling deeper and deeper into a rabbit hole of conspiracy theories. Everything from anti-vax nonsense to QAnon-style child sex trafficking hysteria. Louise, a rape survivor, eventually latches onto Vernon Jefferson Peak (Austin Butler), a cult-like figure who spews fire and brimstone about elite-run trafficking rings. It’s a pointed look at how right-wing media preys on the vulnerable and traumatized. Unfortunately, this storyline, while initially compelling, is mostly abandoned as the film progresses, which is a shame.
- On the progressive side, Aster zeroes in on the out-of-touch hypocrisy and moral superiority complex that often plagues the left, seen through the character of Garcia and the idealistic youth of Eddington. Garcia believes in the dangers of Covid, even the ridiculous ones like Covid staying on an amazon package for weeks, and preaches, loudly to the public and to his son, in the power of masking and social distancing to level the curve. That is until nobody is looking, where he has his own parties and meetings unmasked. Furthermore, when questioned about the stresses and strains that a new data center will have on Eddington’s scarce resources, he responds with “can we shut this bitch up”. Despite all his posturing, he clearly doesn’t care, he just wants to look like he does.
- While the youth of Eddington get so caught up in the George Floyd and BLM protests and riots, that they forgot how to protest and how to have reasonable conversations. If anyone tries to engage them in a calm discussion, they shout, cry, and scream over them until the dissenting voice is drowned out. They block traffic, vandalize public property, and at the slightest disagreement, slap on labels like “racist,” “bigot,” or “Nazi,” then blast it all over social media in the name of activism. It’s activism as performance, loud, hostile, and dripping with that same condescending moral superiority that ultimately does more harm than good to the progressive causes they claim to support.
- These first 90 minutes are bound to infuriate a lot of viewers. Not only does the film drag us back to a time most of us would rather forget, but it also satirizes that period and the people who lived through it in ways that might hit a little too close to home. And once the shouting starts, the film turns into a pressure cooker, ready to explode. Oddly enough, the shouting didn’t bother me. What did was how much the story started to drag. I kept glancing at my watch, waiting for that inevitable burst. Thirty minutes passed. Then forty-five. Then sixty. At an hour and fifteen, we were halfway through, and still nothing. It wasn’t until the 90-minute mark that the film finally exploded and transformed into something completely different. Honestly, those first 90 minutes could’ve easily been trimmed to a tighter 60 to help with the slow burn. But once the film finally snapped and shifted into the next gear, the entire theater went dead silent, locked in.
- Eddington takes a sharp left turn from a biting satire of society’s collective meltdown during the Covid-19 pandemic into a calculated, yet completely unhinged crime thriller. The shift is jarring, abrupt and that’s the point. The bubble bursts, and from that moment on, there’s no going back. Logic, empathy, even basic human decency is tossed out the window. What’s left is chaos, dread, and a full-on spiral into madness. And it’s in this descent that Aster takes his craft to staggering new heights, fully shedding any remaining label of “indie horror guy” and cementing himself as one of the boldest, most ambitious directors working today.
- He plunges us headfirst into a world where the characters, already frayed by paranoia and political tension, are now fighting to survive a new kind of nightmare. It’s tense, unrelenting, and often absurd, capturing the suffocating anxiety of pandemic life and then stretching it into something even more nightmarish. From the claustrophobic prison of home quarantine to explosive, large-scale shootouts in the shadowy, dust-blown outskirts of New Mexico, Aster gives us a vision of America pushed past its breaking point. And somehow, in all the madness, it still feels eerily familiar.
- Some might call Aster a coward for not planting a political flag in Eddington, for refusing to take a hard stance on the Covid-19 pandemic. I disagree. Sure, not all of his messaging lands, and the script could have been tighter in places. But what does come through is subtle and, honestly, pretty profound. At its core, Eddington is less about politics and more about how humanity, despite being more digitally connected than ever, has completely lost the ability to communicate. We’ve reached a point where having a simple political conversation without someone shouting “woke,” “Nazi,” “snowflake,” or “racist” feels almost impossible. We don’t talk anymore. We yell, label, cancel, and move on. We’re more polarized than ever, and the people in power are quietly benefiting from that division. That’s the undercurrent running through Eddington. And while Aster never spells it out, you feel it. It’s a message most of us secretly recognize but don’t want to admit, because we’re still too busy fighting the person next door. And for Aster to say all of this, without preaching, just five years out from the pandemic, takes guts. You don’t have to like Eddington. It’s messy, chaotic, and it will definitely rub some people the wrong way. But you do have to admire its ambition. We need more filmmakers willing to take big swings like this.
- My Rating: B+
Screenshots: We Scrolled So You Don’t Have To
