Happy Friday Newsletter 9.5.25

Arts & Entertainment

• TAM Offering Community Art Classes Led by Professional Artists
  • Are you looking to grow your artistic skills and meet fellow creatives? Starting in September, Tacoma Art Museum is launching a lineup of community art classes led by seasoned and professional artists. Whether you’re curious about new techniques or looking to refine your persona style, there’s something for everyone. From one-day workshops to multi-session series, our offerings include hands-on experiences like Sashiko for Beginners and skill-building sessions such as Personalize Your Palette. These classes are more than just learning—they’re about connecting, sharing, and creating together. Explore the full schedule of classes running through the end of the year here. See you at TAM!

• TAM Transforming into FUNHOUSE
  • On September 19, you can step into a night of revelry as it’s transformed into FUNHOUSE, a delightfully offbeat celebration designed for grown-ups who appreciate a little whimsy. The event include Tarot and Psychic readings in the Astral Atrium, live music from Champagne Sunday, local DJ sets and roaming performers, midway munchies, specialty cocktails, games, art projects and hands-on activities throughout the museum.

• Celebrate Christmas in the Northwest on the Mt. Rainier Scenic Railroad
  • The Mt. Rainier Scenic Railroad is rolling out a brand-new holiday experience, Christmas with The Clauses. This 75-minute journey takes families through the forest to the Kringle Logging Camp, where Santa greets passengers with keepsakes, the Kringle family performs a festive welcome show, and Mrs. Claus serves cocoa and fresh-baked cookies on the ride back. Tickets go fast. Don’t wait on this homegrown celebration that promises mountain magic, holiday tradition, and a true taste of Christmas in the Northwest. https://tinyurl.com/mrsrchristmas

• Fashion District NW Presents Style Empowerment: Fashion Workshop
  • Fashion District NW is excited to announce a new event – Style Empowerment: Fashion Workshop for the Modern Woman. Saturday September 20 from 12-2pm for an inspiring and transformative experience. The exclusive Fashion Styling Workshop is designed to empower women through the art of fashion, helping them discover their personal style, boost their confidence, and embrace their individuality. Ticket packages are available here.

• TRIPOD Presents: Couture, Custom Jewelry and Creative Ensembles
  • Hosted by Davis Freeman, TRIPOD presents three creative presenters that will show images as they speak. September 19, 7-8:30pm at the Center for Spiritual Living, 206 N ‘J’ St in Tacoma. They will have a surprise first speaker, Pamela Phelps will speak about wearable art and jewelry and Kelly Lyles, local celebrity will talk about artistic adornment. Parking can be a challenge so get their early. Doors open at 6:30pm.

• Artsi Creative Space Opens for Your Artistic Needs
  • Artsi Creative Space, a newly-opened fine art studio, provides equipment and stocked supplies, along with classes workshops, and space to create individually. September and October activities are scheduled and ready. Artsi also hosts group events such as parties, paint-alongs, and team-building sessions.

• Creative Colloquy presents How to Build a Seed: Designing Your Own Writing Prompts with Abby E. Murray
  • In this workshop, writers will plan ahead for the days when we know we need to grow new work but our creative soil is bone-dry or chock full of rocks. Bring a handful of favorite poems or the titles & memories of beloved prose pieces to use as fertilizer. We’ll use the materials we always have on hand to consider what a new literary creation needs in order to break open and throw roots. Plan to leave with a small collection of your own prompts to plant during any upcoming winters of the mind. Registration is required. Recommended $20 donation. Donation is split between the instructor and the organization to compensate for time, space, and facilitation. This fee is optional. Pay what you can; no one will be turned away. Refreshments provided. This program is supported in part by Tacoma Creates, a program of the City of Tacoma.

• Junk Journaling “Ugly Art” at CraftyAF
  • CraftyAF on South Tacoma Way is starting a monthly junk journaling class September 10^th at 6:30pm. This is for perfectionists looking for a place to practice letting go and for the wild creative looking for community to make a mess with. Junk journaling combines journaling, collage, doodles and whatever medium you can adhere in a journal for a brilliant hodge-podge of free self-expression. In combination with “ugly art coaching” by Lore Alexander, this becomes a place to feel deeply into creative intuition and practice creating a mess in a safe space where your nervous system can start to learn that art practice doesn’t have to be perfect all the time. Let It Out: Junk Journaling Wednesday September 10, 6:30-8pm at CraftyAF 5442 South Tacoma Way, Tacoma. $18 special for first month pricing. Book now

• Poetry in the Park Returns
  • Poetry in the Park will return in September! Join us Friday, September 5th for a kickoff event at Adriana Hess Wetland at 10:30AM. Lemonade and cookies will be served. Poetry in the Park is a partnership between Tahoma Bird Alliance, Pierce County Library System, and Tacoma Public Library System. Signs featuring classic and contemporary nature themed poems will be displayed throughout 9 parks in Tacoma and Pierce County during the month of September. Join a guided walk or enjoy the poems on your own schedule. Those attending a guided are walk are encouraged, but not required, to bring a short nature themed poem of their own to share!

Neighborhood News

• Celebrate Antique Sandwich Company’s Grant Award
  • Antique Sandwich Company is thrilled to announce that it has received a grant from the Backing Historic Small Restaurants Grant Program presented by National Trust for Historic Preservation and American Express. The funding will support some of their updates to the beautiful old building. The Antique is one of 50 historic small restaurants across the country to receive a grant. Look for their upcoming updates.

• Downtown Tacoma is Getting 75 New Large Apartment Units
  • The historic building at 1423 Pacific Avenue is going forward with its conversion from offices to multi-family. The project will have 75 large apartment units with condo-quality finishes, a roof deck, pet salon, gym, secured covered parking plus 10,000 sqft of ground floor retail space. Preleasing is expected to start in January ahead of an April opening. This conversion is another big step in the revitalization of downtown Tacoma bringing more residents and retail to the area.

Local Governance

• 34^th Annual Consular Association Reception & Dinner
  • October 23, 2025, 6-9pm at the Museum of Glass, the World Affairs Council of Tacoma is excited to announce the Honorable Gary Locke, former US Ambassador to China, US Secretary of Commerce, and Governor of Washington will be the keynote speaker at the 34^th Annual Consular Association Dinner. There will be a festive banquet to honor the state’s consular officials and celebrate the international ties that connect us. For more information and tickets, click here.

• Tideflats Subarea Plan Update
  • In an August 12 study session, Tacoma City Council received an update on the Tideflats Subarea Plan, a long-term land-use plan years in the making. The effort represents collaboration between the City of Tacoma, the Puyallup Tribe of Indians, the Port of Tacoma, Pierce County and the City of Fife. The Planning Commission submitted recommendations, alongside a Health Impact Assessment from the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department. A follow-up discussion is scheduled for September 9 at the Committee of the Whole, and a public hearing on October 28. Read and watch the presentation http://bit.ly/4mKnLuh

• Investing in Public Safety Through Strategic Hiring
  • Tacoma Police Chief Patti Jackson recently presented a proposed lateral-hire incentive program designed to strengthen staffing. The plan encourages experienced officers from across Pierce County to join the Tacoma Police Department, aiming to close the gap between funded positions and active officers. Fully staffing the department is a top city priority. Watch the presentation.

Business & Opportunity

• Empowerment Bus Nears Completion with Final Volunteer Push
  • The Skoolie Foundation and Joe Bowers are calling on the community one last time to help finish the Empowerment Bus, a mobile shower and resource unit serving Pierce County. The final work party, Empowerment Bus Wrap Up, takes place Sunday, September 14, at 1pm at Skoolie Thrift, 11305 Waller Road East, Tacoma (Puyallup, WA 98446). Volunteers of all skill levels are welcome. Registration: skooliefoundation.com.

• Support Washington’s America 250 Initiative as a Digital Communications Specialist
  • The Washington State History Museum seeks a digital communications specialist to support Washington’s America 250 initiative. The role includes creating and managing digital communications celebrating Washington’s role in the nation’s 250th anniversary. Project runs through November 30, 2026. Apply by September 8, 2025. https://bit.ly/4n8dLL8

• Fall Applications for Night Market Now Open
  • Fall applications for Night Market and Sunday Drag Brunch are now live. Indoor booths are 7×5′ and outdoor booths are 10×10′. Vendors may apply for multiple dates, though space is limited. Learn more and apply: https://tacomanightmarket.com/pages/vendor-info.

Recreation & Wellness

• Take Your K9 Out to the Ballgame
  • K9 Innings welcomes furry friends to Cheney Stadium! On September 7, bring your pop for prizes and fun in dog-friendly ballpark atmosphere. First pitch at 1:35pm, gates open at noon. The Rainiers play the Reno Aces. Special ticket packages include a Rainiers-branded ball thrower. https://www.gofevo.com/event/k92025

• Tacoma Best Ball Tournament September 13
  • Join the Tacoma Golf Association’s two-person Best Ball on Meadow Park Golf Course’s Championship 18. Registration deadline: September 8. Tee times begin at 8am. Details at TGA Tacoma Best Ball registration page.

• Wag and Wave in the Water at Wild Waves
  • Wags N’ Waves returns September 9th at Wild Waves. This dog-only swim day includes water fun and raises funds for Auburn Valley Humane Society. Tickets: wildwaves.com/events/wags-n-waves-2025.

Reviews

• Film Review: Splitsville, by Elizabeth Mulloy
  • A screwball comedy about the messiness of relationships? Sign me up! Splitsville is one of the funniest films of the year that had me laughing so hard that I was crying from laughter. Its sharp, witty and unapologetically raunchy comedy that dives head first into the world of open relationships. Asking questions such as “can open relationships lead to a healthy marriage” or “can open relationships doom a couple in jealousy and envy?” through the lens of fist fights, slap stick gags, and the classic semantics of screwball comedy. Brought to life through a tightly knit ensemble featuring Dakota Johnson, Adria Arjona, Kyle Marvin and Michael Angelo Covino (Marvin and Covino co-wrote, and Covino directed), Splitsville is a hysterical ride. Even my parents, whom I took to go see this, thought it was hysterical.
  • My Rating: A-

• Film Review: The Toxic Avenger, by Elizabeth Mulloy
  • If you are going into The Toxic Avenger, do not expect some cinematic masterpiece. This is Troma we are talking about, a brand known for being bad taste cinema. Which include graphic nudity, a spectacle of over-the-top gore, and enough mean spirited profanity that you will have a bar of soap in your mouth for over a year. Its unapologetically silly, freaky, and absurd. So if you are a fan of the original Toxic Avenger, or are just a freak, like me, I have your new favorite cult midnight movie.
  • Writer and director Marcon Blair, keeps true to the thematic core of The Toxic Avenger, while also updating it to modern sensibilities, a much larger budget, and an A-List cast featuring Peter Dinklage, Elijah Wood, and Kevin Bacon. Filled to splatter-horror kills, absurdly corny comedy, and a capital “Fuck You” to greedy corporations, especially to pharmaceuticals and insurance companies, The Toxic Avenger is exactly the kind of crowd pleasing midnight movie you expect. It’s gory, it’s disgusting, and it’s fun. While not all of it lands and there was a bit too much CGI gore (even though the make-up is amazing), you kind of don’t care. This is a Troma movie where our protagonist is a green mutant freak who kills bad guys with his radioactive mop. This is the silly splatter horror superhero movie the world needs.
  • My Rating: B

• Film Review: The Roses, by Elizabeth Mulloy
  • While The Roses may not be as mean spirited as the original film, nor is it as deep as A Marriage Story, it is still a fun, entertaining ride that makes you question your relationship choices. Benedict Cumberbatch and Olivia Colman are a match made in Hell (complimentary), as their chemistry is fiery, hot, and the right amount of self-destructiveness that will make you feel good about your relationship choices. And with actors of their caliber, they take the writing to a whole new level. The writing witty, smart and the perfection of dry British Humor, that will have you wheezing from laughing so hard. While, The Roses maybe a tad bit forgettable, it is still a fun time to be had by all.
  • My Rating: B

Screenshots… we scrolled so you don’t have to