THE LOWDOWN ON WHAT'S UP THIS WEEKEND >>>

WEATHER REPORT

Friday: Partly cloudy, hi 79, lo 53

Saturday: Partly cloudy, hi 73, lo 54

Sunday: Partly cloudy, hi 74, lo 54

>>> FRIDAY, JULY 30: FRIDAY AT THE FORT

Over the years, the Weekly Volcano has heard tales of an inexplicable summertime condition.  When the sun is shining, we're told, some people lose their appetites. They all have some ridiculous excuse. Some refuse to sweat and eat at the same time. Sissies. Others say they're too busy. Whatever. Still others pull out the old "it's swimsuit season" excuse. Foolish vanity.  The best we can figure is that they all have heatstroke and aren't quite right in the head. After experimenting, we have reached an indisputable scientific conclusion - When the sun is shining, things just taste better. Prove our theory at the Friday at the Fort event inside the Fort Nisqually Living History Museum's fence. Pampeana will serve their delicious empanadas, 7 Seas Brewing will be pouring pints full of goodness while Irish band Mooncoyne jams.

• Fort Nisqually Living History Museum, 6-9 p.m., $5-$7, Point Defiance Park, 5400 N. Pearl St., Tacoma, 253.591.5339

>>> SATURDAY, JULY 31: BEST OF THE NORTHWEST COMMUNITY FESTIVAL

The Tacoma Art Museum hosts a free community arts celebration Saturday centered around a "Best" theme. Hey(!) Copycats. Anyway, hear a dozen local performers under the wing of Billy Farmer, build and fly a kite, create outdoor chalk art, create a landscape, and more.

• Tacoma Art Museum, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., free, 1701 Pacific Ave., Tacoma, 253.272. 4258
  

>>> SATURDAY, JULY 31: ART-A-THON

Mobilize the Proctor Art Gallery into artistic and social action; reserve some booths at the Proctor Farmers' Market, and do it all to benefit one of the most worthy causes you'll find - F.I.S.H. Food Banks - and you have an event worth repeating. Following the success of last year's inaugural run, the Proctor Farmers' Market Art-A-Thon is back this weekend, where artists will once again display their work and techniques in hopes you'll be inspired enough to donate - with the money going to F.I.S.H.

• Proctor Farmers' Market, 9 a.m.-2 p.m., 27^th and North Proctor Street, Tacoma, fishfoodbanks.org

>>> SATURDAY, JULY 31-SUNDAY, AUG. 1: 24 HOUR ZINE THING

Magazines have been around in one form or another throughout history. In Elizabethan England, there were small chapbooks of Shakespeare's text. In colonial America, there were pamphlets by people like Thomas Paine. In this modern world, with its easily accessible technology, print media has morphed into zines, a sort of alternative, personalized media. Come see how other people express themselves during the 24 Hour Zine Thing, hear zinesters read from their work (3:30 p.m. Sunday) and maybe even make your own zine - in 24 hours. Yup, the event runs for 24 hours straight.

• Northern, 5:30 p.m. Saturday to 5:30 p.m. Sunday, 321 Fourth Ave., Olympia, 360.352.0595

>>> WHERE OUR STAFF IS GOING

MATT DRISCOLL Editor and Don Draper Hair Double
Sadly, I wont be doing anything terribly exciting this weekend. Even more distressing, I can't even make jokes about mowing my lawn anymore as my lawnmower was stolen last weekend, surely by a pack of metal-scavenging tweakers. My wife leaves for a month in Germany on Sunday, so all-in-all it's lining up to be a crap-sandwich of a weekend. Not to be a downer or anything. Party on, Wayne.

PAUL SCHRAG Senior Contributor
I'm spending the weekend camping with all the Olympia-Seattle-Portland homies. There will be debauchery.

NIKKI TALOTTA Feature Writer
This weekend I will be kicking myself in the ass for not making the Best of 2010 3-D party at Masa and devising a way to use duct tape and PBS to babysit my kids for any future parties with the Volcano. I will also be serving up delicious drinks at one of the best bars in Oly.

THE REV. ADAM MCKINNEY Feature Writer
I will work on several projects including, but not limited to, practicing my breathing in an effort to expunge the experience of having watched Cats & Dogs: Revenge of Kitty Galore. At some point, I will no doubt end up at the New Frontier, as per usual. Rock and drink.

On Saturday night I will be driving a Weekly Volcano and Sparks Firehouse Deli sponsored yellow school bus while hosting a good ol' Tacoma bar crawl. The bar crawl was purchased at an auction benefiting the Children's Museum of Tacoma and will visit some of my favorite bars including Top of Tacoma, The Swiss, Meconi's, Harmon Tap Room, Doyle's and The Red Hot.

JOE IZENMAN Music/Theater Critic
Saturday night and 6th Ave is where it's at: catching Jake Westhoff's acoustic stylings at Cork (Volcano-confirmed Best Wine Bar In Tacoma) at 9 p.m., then following him down the street to O'Malley's for Where Sails Meet Rails and Sordid Sentinels at 10. Rock music will be balanced by extreme nerdery as I spend Sunday moving Comic Book Ink to its new location and playing Dungeons & Dragons. Because that's how I roll. With a d20.

KRIS BLONDIN Food/Wine Writer
Co-chillin' Mason County style at Philips Lake with some friends. Drinkin', eatin', swimmin' and perhaps some pyrotechnics will be involve. Most likely in that order. We will try to wait a proper 30 minutes after eating before we swim.

CHRISTIAN CARVAJAL: Theater Critic
My beloved turned 30-plus Monday, so we'll be celebrating by – well, that's a surprise. I'm indulging in some top-secret shenanigans for an upcoming cover article. And last but not least, I'll be rippin' and tearin'.

ALEC CLAYTON: Visual Arts Critic
I'm going to the Funkin' Fun Benefit Dance with Func Pro Tunc for Olympia Therapist Beth Fischer at the 4th Ave Tav.

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

Filed under: The Weekend Hustle, Arts, Word, Events, Food & Drink, Music, Olympia, Tacoma,