Pierce County Events Calendar

Pierce County Events Calendar

This calendar is the place to find fun events happening throughout Pierce County, including Tacoma, Puyallup, Lakewood and beyond.

Have an event that isn’t listed? Please email events@SouthSoundTalk.com with the following information:

  • Name of Event
  • Date, time and location (name of business if applicable and complete address)
  • Organizer(s) name
  • Cost
  • URL to purchase tickets
  • Website URL
  • SHORT description of the event
  • Photo

Our editors will review and post within a few business days.

Agenda
Agenda
December 2018 Dec 2018
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Dec
7
Fri
Hollywood and the Homefront: Tinsel Town’s Contribution to World War II @ Harbor History Museum
Tickets
Dec 7 @ 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm

Brought to you by Humanities Washington, Humanities in the Harbor will continue in December as John Jensen joins the Harbor History Museum for a special presentation as part of the “Bomber Boys: Portraits from the Front” Exhibit Opening.

During World War II, the War Department realized the importance of not only keeping up the morale of America’s fighting forces abroad, but the morale of those at home. The result was an unprecedented push by Hollywood to contribute morale-building war dramas, troop entertainment, and training films to the war effort. Special radio programs, documentary films, and live performances told Americans at home that they too could serve in the defense of their country by purchasing war bonds, participating in scrap drives, planting Victory Gardens, and volunteering.

Experience the still-powerful images, radio, and film that emerged from this dramatic time in American history. Audio historian and former broadcaster John Jensen shares rarely known stories and anecdotes from Hollywood’s war effort, and shows examples of wartime propaganda through various media that was used to educate, inform, and sway American public opinion.

A former San Francisco broadcaster, John Jensen has been an avid collector of music, movies, and radio broadcasts of the 1930s and 40s. Early fascination led to employment as general manager of KMPX, a radio station devoted to playing the music and radio broadcasts of those years. He produced a world-wide radio broadcast honoring the US Navy 200th Anniversary, starring Bing Crosby, Mel Blanc, and other radio stars from the 1940s. In 1992, he directed the 50th Anniversary Salute to Armed Forces Radio broadcast, heard world-wide. As an audio historian, he has provided research and assorted media to filmmakers, such as Jack Haley, Jr., Frances Ford Coppola, and George Lucas. He recently retired as senior director of public relations for World Vision. Since then he has been lecturing at various venues throughout the Puget Sound area on the Great Depression era and World War II.

Humanities in the Harbor is held at Harbor History Museum, 4121 Harborview Drive, Gig Harbor, WA 98332. Admission is FREE thanks to Humanities Washington! Humanities Washington sparks conversation and critical thinking using story as a catalyst, nurturing thoughtful and engaged communities across our state.

Admission is FREE, but seats are limited. RSVPs and questions may be directed to Zachary Sokolik, Marketing & Events Coordinator at Harbor History Museum at marketing@harborhistorymuseum.org.

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Categories: Adult Focused Events Arts and Entertainment Education Local History Workshops, Classes and Lectures Tags: harbor history museum History museum World War II
Dec
8
Sat
Holiday Open House, Lakewood History Museum @ Lakewood History Museum
Tickets
Dec 8 @ 12:00 pm – 4:00 pm

Stop by for free holiday refreshments, enjoy our display of antique holiday ornaments and maybe sing a Christmas carol or two.

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Categories: Local History Seasonal and Holiday Events
Dec
13
Thu
Tacoma Runners Thursday Run @ Tacoma
Tickets
Dec 13 @ 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm
Tacoma Runners Thursday Run @ Tacoma

The Thursday night beer run started in January, 2010, with just seven runners. It’s a social run that now exceeds one hundred runners nearly every week of the year. Thousands of people have joined this run from every corner of the region.

The Thursday night run is approximately three miles long. This distance is a night off for some; it’s aspirational for others.

For more information about this event, click here.

Run location changes weekly. Check Tacoma Runners’ website regularly to find out where we’ll be running next.

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Categories: Adult Focused Events Food & Beverage Health and Wellness Outdoor Recreation
Dec
15
Sat
Holiday Community Health Fair @ Lincoln High School
Tickets
Dec 15 @ 9:00 am – 3:00 pm

Join us Saturday, December 15, 2018!

Come learn about various community resources and services. Have questions about health insurance? Navigators will be present to answer questions and do Apple Health enrollments. Food, door prizes for kids, gift basket raffles, and childcare will be available.

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Categories: Education Family Events Food & Beverage Health and Wellness Seasonal and Holiday Events Volunteering and Community Enrichment
Dec
20
Thu
Tacoma Runners Thursday Run @ Tacoma
Tickets
Dec 20 @ 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm
Tacoma Runners Thursday Run @ Tacoma

The Thursday night beer run started in January, 2010, with just seven runners. It’s a social run that now exceeds one hundred runners nearly every week of the year. Thousands of people have joined this run from every corner of the region.

The Thursday night run is approximately three miles long. This distance is a night off for some; it’s aspirational for others.

For more information about this event, click here.

Run location changes weekly. Check Tacoma Runners’ website regularly to find out where we’ll be running next.

Read more
Categories: Adult Focused Events Food & Beverage Health and Wellness Outdoor Recreation
The Pine and the Cherry: Japanese Americans in Washington @ Harbor History Museum
Tickets
Dec 20 @ 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm

Brought to you by Humanities Washington, Harbor History Museum is lucky enough to host a second Humanities in the Harbor lecture in December as we are joined by writer and curator Mayumi Tsutakawa.

In the lead-up to World War II, Japantown in Seattle featured grocery stores, cafes, and native-language services, as well as labor and music clubs. Trading companies imported Japanese goods, and restaurants served the familiar sukiyaki, tofu, and miso soup. In Eastern Washington, Japanese farmers prospered.

Then came Executive Order 9066. Those born in Japan, as well as their American-citizen offspring, were sent, without due process, to concentration camps in windswept deserts. Throughout the West Coast, 120,000 Japanese Americans were forced from their homes. Most Seattle Japanese spent the war years at Camp Minidoka in Idaho, and when they returned, most had lost everything and could not find jobs.

How did they face this injustice and rebuild their lives? How does a lively immigrant community face racist or religious hatred? The 75th anniversary of Executive Order 9066 is in 2017, and Mayumi Tsutakawa, whose father was renowned sculptor George Tsutakawa, will reveal her family’s 100-year history against the backdrop of this dramatic American story.

Mayumi Tsutakawa is an independent writer and curator who has focused on Asian/Pacific American history. She co-edited The Forbidden Stitch: Asian American Women’s Literary Anthology which received the Before Columbus Foundation’s American Book Award. She also edited two books on pioneer Asian American artists: They Painted from their Hearts and Turning Shadows into Light. Tsutakawa received her master’s degree in communications and her bachelor’s degree in East Asian studies at the University of Washington. Her graduate thesis is one of the few documents to research pre-war Japanese American newspapers. Tsutakawa also was manager of grants for the Washington State Arts Commission and previously directed King County’s arts and historic preservation programs.

Humanities in the Harbor is held at Harbor History Museum, 4121 Harborview Drive, Gig Harbor, WA 98332. Admission is FREE thanks to Humanities Washington! Humanities Washington sparks conversation and critical thinking using story as a catalyst, nurturing thoughtful and engaged communities across our state.

Admission is FREE, but seats are limited. RSVPs and questions may be directed to Zachary Sokolik, Marketing & Events Coordinator at Harbor History Museum at marketing@harborhistorymuseum.org.

Read more
Categories: Adult Focused Events Author Talk Education Local History Workshops, Classes and Lectures Tags: History japanese museum World War II
Union Station Reveal @ Washington State History Museum
Tickets
Dec 20 @ 7:00 pm

17 years in the making: See the Union Station reveal Thursday Dec. 20 at 7 PM

Tacoma, WA – The Puget Sound Model Railroad Engineers (PSMRE) will unveil the HO Scale Model of Tacoma’s historic Union Station on Thursday December 20th, 2018 at 7:00 PM at the Washington State History Museum. The model is the crown jewel of the PSMRE model train exhibit at the history museum in downtown Tacoma. The unveiling ceremony will include an appreciation plaque presented to Mr. Gail Hendrickson, who built the model, as well as remarks from PSMRE officials and guests. The unveiling is open to the public and takes place on Third Thursday during the museum’s free admission hours (3:00-8:00 PM).

The incredibly detailed Union Station model has been 17 years in the making.  Lovingly and painstakingly crafted my master model builder Hendrickson, it is the centerpiece of the model train exhibit.

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Categories: Arts and Entertainment Everyday Family Events Local History
Dec
21
Fri
23rd Annual Model Train Festival @ Washington State History Museum
Tickets
Dec 21 @ 10:00 pm – 10:15 pm
23rd Annual Model Train Festival @ Washington State History Museum

History and holiday magic unite at the Washington State History Museum during the Annual Model Train Festival in December. Bring your family, friends, and the railroad enthusiasts in your life to see this showcase of the most spectacular and detailed model railroad scenes in the Pacific Northwest! Don’t miss the largest permanent model train layout in Washington.

Read more
Categories: Arts and Entertainment Education Everyday Family Events Festivals, Expos, and Parades Kids Local History
Dec
22
Sat
23rd Annual Model Train Festival @ Washington State History Museum
Tickets
Dec 22 @ 10:00 pm – 10:15 pm
23rd Annual Model Train Festival @ Washington State History Museum

History and holiday magic unite at the Washington State History Museum during the Annual Model Train Festival in December. Bring your family, friends, and the railroad enthusiasts in your life to see this showcase of the most spectacular and detailed model railroad scenes in the Pacific Northwest! Don’t miss the largest permanent model train layout in Washington.

Read more
Categories: Arts and Entertainment Education Everyday Family Events Festivals, Expos, and Parades Kids Local History
Dec
23
Sun
23rd Annual Model Train Festival @ Washington State History Museum
Tickets
Dec 23 @ 10:00 pm – 10:15 pm
23rd Annual Model Train Festival @ Washington State History Museum

History and holiday magic unite at the Washington State History Museum during the Annual Model Train Festival in December. Bring your family, friends, and the railroad enthusiasts in your life to see this showcase of the most spectacular and detailed model railroad scenes in the Pacific Northwest! Don’t miss the largest permanent model train layout in Washington.

Read more
Categories: Arts and Entertainment Education Everyday Family Events Festivals, Expos, and Parades Kids Local History
December 2018 Dec 2018