Kenna Erhardt of Rogers High School on South Hill is the new Daffodil Queen. Erhardt and girls from schools around Pierce County competed for the title during the Queen’s Coronation, held at Life Center in Tacoma on March 8.

Kayla Prewitt of Curtis High School in University Place was selected as Miss Congeniality. With that title comes a $500 scholarship from Tacoma Yacht Club. Grace Collins of Fife High School came in third place, with Prewitt taking second place.

The event began with welcome and introductions from emcees Chris Egan and Tracy Taylor, reporters from KING 5 television.

Sarah Karamoko, the outgoing queen, came on stage. She was escorted by Clan Gordon Pipe Band, which performed “God Bless America.”

Next was the introduction of the 2013 court. Each girl was escorted by a boy from her school, who introduced her to the audience. Each princess gave a one-minute speech, then answered a question about what she thinks is magical about Daffodil Festival.

Several touched on this year’s theme, “The Magic of Music,” in their responses. “Music reminds me that I am a winner,” said Shelondra Harris of Foss High School.

She mentioned playing basketball and volleyball for the Foss Falcons. Through the values she has learned in school and through participating in Daffodil Festival, she has learned she is “always a champion regardless of the outcome.”

The 24 girls are building up their self-confidence, Harris observed. “I am a force to be reckoned with.”

Tara Harris of Lincoln High School recalled being bullied in seventh grade. A music teacher at school helped her get through that difficult time. “Without music I would not be here today.”

Harris said the girls have learned much from their interaction with festival volunteers such as float designers, advisors and chaperones. “They are what makes this magical.”

Carly Knox of Stadium High School noted that music evokes emotion. She discussed a study of an elderly man with dementia. While his condition often made him withdrawn, when music was played it brought him back to the world around him.

Angelica Marie of Mount Tahoma High School discussed how music helped her deal with her parents splitting up. Proving that music is a form of international language that knows no barriers such as ethnicity or culture, she sang a few verses from “We Are The World,” alternating between Spanish and English.

“Music inspires me to live my life to the fullest,” said Brianna Pedicone of Puyallup High School.

Mikayla Flores of Chief Leschi High School said she has wanted to be a princess ever since she was a little girl. Being involved with the festival has inspired her to pursue her dreams.

Zoe Mix of Wilson High School said this year’s theme inspired her to become a princess. Mix, who wants to study vocal performance at the University of British Columbia and become an opera singer, sang a short song she wrote for the occasion.

Next came the introduction of the judges. They are Pierce County Councilmember Stan Flemming, Kate Simonson, Stephanie Stennes, Katie Skelton and Paul Davis, a commodore with Seafair. Stennes is a member of the Sea Gals, the Seattle Seahawks cheerleading squad. “Thank you for all the lives you are touching,” she said to the girls.

Steve James, executive director of the Daffodil Festival, announced that KING 5 has agreed to televise the Grand Floral Daffodil Parade this year, with Emerald Queen Casino as the presenting sponsor.

Karamoko discussed her experience as Daffodil Queen over the past 12 months. She acknowledged the 2012 court and chaperones. She told members of the 2013 court to savor their time involved with the festival. “Don’t stop believing and indulge yourself in the magic of music.”

A three-year environmental study that researched expected impacts of the proposed rerouting of Amtrak trains from the current Point Defiance tracks to the Sounder rails through South Tacoma has determined the shift would bring no significant impacts to traffic or safety in the area. The Federal Railroad Administration determination earlier this month means design and construction of connecting tracks can move forward. Construction is set to begin in 2015, and the new route service could begin in 2017.

“This is a major milestone for not only this project but for customers and our entire passenger rail program,” said Washington State Department of Transportation Secretary Paula Hammond. “This new section of track allows us to add more daily round trips between Seattle and Portland, making rail travel reliable and more convenient for our passengers.”

The federally funded change would allow two more Amtrak runs from Tacoma to Portland with more reliable service and shave 10 minutes off travel times as well as free up the Point Defiance tracks for freight-only traffic. Each Amtrak Cascades train typically consists of 12 cars and seats 250 passengers. More than 838,000 riders take that trip each year, and the ridership has grown at about 10 percent annually in recent years. The service started in 1994 with a traveler count of just 180,000 passengers.

“This tremendous growth in ridership confirms the demand for Amtrak Cascades and the need to continue improving the service and reliability,” Hammond said. “The next steps in our long-term plan will improve rail infrastructure, reduce freight- and passenger-train congestion and expand Amtrak Cascades service.” 

The Point Defiance bypass is just part of the $782 million in federal funds set to improve Amtrak routes in the state meant to boost passenger travel reliability and travel times.

Passenger trains, including Amtrak Cascades, currently must slow down due to curves and single-track tunnels on the Burlington Northern-Santa Fe Railway tracks near Point Defiance and along southern Puget Sound, through University Place, Steilacoom and DuPont.

“This is an important step in alleviating rail congestion and reducing travel time for passenger rail service between Seattle and Portland,” said Federal Railroad Administrator Joseph C. Szabo. “Incremental successes, like this one, are critical to helping states and regions achieve their long-term vision for higher performing passenger rail service.”

The $89 million proposed rerouting of the passenger trains would bypass Point Defiance by running down the largely existing rail line located west of South Tacoma Way and Pacific Avenue, from South Tacoma through Lakewood and DuPont. The tracks run would then reconnect back to the BNSF Railway main line near the Nisqually Delta on its route south to Olympia and Portland.

Freight train traffic patterns will not change, with the some 50 freight trains a day continuing to use the existing BNSF line around Point Defiance and along the Puget Sound coast. The few freight trains that currently use the bypass route will continue to use it during and after the project. When completed, the Point Defiance Rail Bypass project will bring a total of seven daily round trip passenger trains through Tacoma, Lakewood and DuPont intersections, with an average crossing time of 45 seconds per intersection at a maximum speed of 79 mph. The current Sounder trains travel slower and take more time than the Amtrak trains would once service starts.

And that’s the rub for some folks, since the idea of trains crossing main streets on at-grade intersections the length of South Tacoma Way brings images of traffic jams and cars stuck on tracks. City of Lakewood officials are pondering legal action, in fact, because they fear the added train traffic will hamper economic development along the 18-mile route. Reconfiguring the road crossings at South 56th Street, South 74th Street, Bridgeport Way Southwest, and Berkeley Street Southwest to elevated crossings, however, might be worse than at-grade intersections. Those intersections are trafficked by upwards of 90,000 cars a day.

City Council member Joe Lonergran’s district spans the South Tacoma bypass route Amtrak will use. His neighbors raised safety and traffic concerns when the South Tacoma Sounder station opened nearby and is revisiting their concerns now that the Sounder trains run the route and is fielding those concerns again with the bypass discussions underway that would mean a total of about a dozen trains a day would pass along the tracks.

The claim that the Amtrak trains will only be in the intersection for about 45 seconds doesn’t, for example, give him an idea of how traffic will be impacted. The lights and guard arms at the intersections, after all, will stop traffic before the train approaches as well as after the train leaves.

“That is the real time we are talking about,” he said. “There is a lot more discussion that we have to have. We are really short on details about the Amtrak proposal even though we have been talking about it for years.”

WSDOT officials say the trains will actually only take about seven seconds to zip through the intersections, so the full time between guard rails going down with flashing lights and when they go back up after the train passes will be less than a minute.

Grade separations would certainly be expensive, adding as much as $292 million, according to the study, while not affecting traffic safety but would have significant environmental and business impacts by blocking vehicle access at the intersections and swallowing commercial property for right of ways.

Another concern is that opening the tracks to passenger trains will lead to freight traffic using the rails as well. Those trains are often one or two-miles long and lumber along at much slower speeds. Shifting more cargo trains to the tracks with at-grade crossings could lead to large backups. Grade separations would, in a “catch 22” aspect of the issue, make the intersections safer but also make freight traffic easier to shift to the South Tacoma route. Either way, more trains are set to come through South Tacoma.

Despite those concerns, city officials have given their collective thumbs up to the move.

“Tacoma supports the Point Defiance Bypass Project consisting of re-routing Amtrak Cascades passenger rail service to an inland route and relocating the existing Amtrak Station from Puyallup Avenue to Freighthouse Square,” said Kurtis Kingsolver, Interim Public Works Director.  “We are excited the project is moving forward but continue to have concerns relative to the potential blockage of East C and East D Streets during boarding, and how it will impact both vehicular and pedestrian traffic. We also have some concerns pertaining to surface parking.  We look forward to working with WSDOT over the next few months to develop a design that promotes multimodal transportation, mixed use development and mitigates potential negative impacts.” 

WSDOT officials say the shift of passenger rail to the former Prairie Line route won’t lead to freight using the tracks since such a move would hamper the whole point of the project – making passenger rail more reliable and faster. The current trains have a reliability rating of about 70 percent on the 3:30-hour trip from Seattle to Portland. The target of the track shift is to boost that to 88 percent reliability and cut the travel time to 3:20 hours.

“It’s really being designed for passenger rail,” said WSDOT’s Cascades High Speed Rail Program Communications Manager Melanie Coon. “There really are no plans to run freight on that line. We are basically trying to get freight out of our way.”

MAN CHARGED WITH PIMPING GIRL

On March 7 Pierce County Prosecutor Mark Lindquist charged Tacoma resident Tyler Elkins with promoting sexual abuse of a minor and third-degree child rape for having sex with, then prostituting, a 15-year-old girl. Last November the victim was kidnapped by an acquaintance named “Hollywood” and an unknown man in California. She was escorted at gunpoint to a house, where she was forced to have sex with several men. Hollywood threatened to kill her if she attempted to escape.

Hollywood forced the girl to walk the streets looking for customers and took numerous nude photographs of her that he used on websites to solicit dates. The victim gave the money she earned to another prostitute, who would give a portion to Hollywood.

On March 2 Hollywood arranged for the victim to begin prostituting in Tacoma. He drove her to meet a friend, the defendant. The three drove to a hotel, where the victim was left with the defendant. There he allegedly threatened the girl and forced her to have sex with him. He arranged encounters with her, collected between $600 and $1,000 from men, then forced the victim to have sex with them. This occurred three times.

On March 5 Elkins is accused of taking the girl to a fast-food restaurant. She went to the restroom and escaped. She then called police.

On March 6 Elkins was arrested at his home. He has pleaded not guilty and bail was set at $75,000. His next court appearance is scheduled for March 22.

CAR HITS TRAIN

A man with a medical condition lost control of his pickup truck on March 6 and hit a Tacoma Link light rail train. The incident occurred in the 100 block of South 25th Street. Police believe the driver had a seizure. He was taken to a hospital for treatment. No one on the train was hurt. Damage to the train was minimal.

SUICIDE ON BRIDGE

A man jumped to his death from the Narrows Bridge on March 5. Police and medical crews responded. The man, 62, was a University Place resident. His car was parked along the eastbound shoulder of the bridge. His body was recovered.

INTIMIDATING GANG MEMBER

A gang member is accused of threatening two community corrections officers who were guarding him in a hospital. The incident occurred on Feb. 28. The defendant, who was in custody for four warrants, was being treated for a stab wound. He got upset for visitation restrictions, pulled intravenous lines out and threw an ice bag across the room. He is charged with intimidating a public servant.

POLICE INVESTIGATING FIRE

Firefighters responded to a fire in a commercial building on Feb. 28. Heavy smoke was coming from PetSmart, located at 3326 S. 23rd St. The sprinkler system in the building was activated and fire crews extinguished the remaining hot spots. Employees, customers and pets were evacuated. No animals appear to have been injured. Damage is estimated at $35,000. The cause of the fire was determined to be suspicious and the case was handed over to Tacoma Police Department.

INCORRECT IN FACILITY

Corrections officers searched a cell in Pierce County Jail on Feb. 22. They discovered an inmate had ripped his mattress and dug into a wall with a pencil. The following day they found a knife made of metal removed from an alarm cover. On Feb. 24 they found another homemade knife, a tattoo kit and an alcoholic beverage in his cell. Authorities took money from his account to cover the cost of repairs. The inmate tried to make a phone call on Feb. 28 and learned he did not have as much money as he thought and thus could not make the call. He banged the phone against the wall, was told to stop, then continued to slam it into the wall.

Give Megan Shea and Amy Allison credit for the best idea of the Charlie’s Dinosaur Drive for Foster Kids.

They work at Associated Ministries, where they’re true to the mission of uniting people of faith to build stronger communities. They embraced the drive as a chance to add a little personal oomph to that mission by collecting supplies for kids going into foster care.

Most collection sites so far are gathering random items from the most wanted list of clothing and toiletries. Shea and Allison saw another way.

“Can we fill a backpack for one child?” Allison asked, just as Shea was about to pose the same question.

These women are brilliant.

They’re going beyond buying hair dryers and jeans for a cause. They and their colleagues will be sending one child on his or her way with a rolling bag packed with love and hope.

Associated Ministries staff will decide together whether they would like to help a boy or a girl. They will pick an age range, and they will plan together who will bring what for the suitcase.

It’s a perfect model. Any office, church, classroom or club can do it.

The next best question of the drive came up when the staff got a briefing on it: “Can we fill more than one?”

You know the answer.

About the drive

Child abuse and neglect cases are some of the hardest on Pierce County Sheriff’s deputies. Though they are all awful, the death of Charlie and Braden Powell at their father’s hand was one of the worst. Who could make sense of a parent murdering his own boys?

After they found a picture Charlie made of a happy dinosaur, five detectives saw it as the mascot of an effort to help the kids they still can. They founded Charlie’s Dinosaur as a non-profit to help children moving out of abuse and into foster care.

There’s an awkward time in that process, said Det. Sgt. Theresa Berg. The children rarely have clean clothes, toiletries or anything to pass the time in the few days when they are in meetings, hearings and temporary care. Charlie’s Dinosaur fills in that blank with a backpack or rolling suitcase filled with new necessities.

The detectives are allowing us to help fill those bags during Tacoma Weekly’s Charlie’s Dinosaur Drive for Foster Kids. The list of things the children need, and the places to bring them are next to this story.

Most Wanted New Items:

Backpacks

Rolling luggage

Pajamas (no nightgowns or shorties)

Hair dryers

Jeans and tops

Zip-front hoodies

Coats

Toiletries, including shampoo, conditioner, deodorant and body wash

Combs and brushes

Art supplies and books

Dino Donation Sites

Pierce County Sheriff’s Department in the County-City Building

All Pierce County Sheriff’s substations

All Tacoma Police Department Substations

Tacoma Weekly, 2588 Pacific Highway, Fife

If you would like to join this list as a donation site, please send an e-mail with your address to: kathleen@tacomaweekly.com

For local Irish pub owners, St. Patrick's Day is like the Super Bowl, the big dance. It's what they trained for all year, people!

“We'll most likely see over 2,500 people walk through the door over St. Patrick's Day weekend,” said Russ Heaton, who owns Doyle's Public House on Tacoma's St. Helens Avenue. “On a typical weekend, we probably see maybe a thousand; and it's a more concerted drinking crowd.”

“We usually go through about 10 kegs a week,” added Bryan Purdy, who oversaw his first St. Patrick's Day celebration as owner of Puyallup's Twisted Kilt Irish Pub last year. “On that Friday and Saturday, we went through 35 kegs.”

The big day is Sunday this year, but venue owners expect emerald-clad revelers to keep pouring in for some St. Patty's Day “pre-funk” action all weekend. Here's some of what they have planned to keep those crowds festive:

Paddy Coyne's (815 Pacific Ave., Tacoma): You could wind up with a serious muffin top if you don't pay penance before all that St. Patrick's Day “carbo loading.” Lucky for you, the Tacoma City Marathon Association's fifth annual St. Paddy's Day Run starts and ends here on Saturday morning, March 16.

The most diehard runners can tackle the half marathon race, which kicks off at 8:10 a.m. The 10-kilometer run starts at 8:40 and the 5K at 9. Walkers are welcome in those last two but not the big race. Registration will be held from 2-6 p.m. Friday, March 15, at Tacoma's Fleet Feet Sports, 3812 N. 26th St. Routes can be previewed online at www.stpaddyruntacoma.com.

The venue also has live Irish music scheduled all weekend. Seattle's Loch Dhu is up first, at 9 p.m. Friday, followed by George Grissom at 9 p.m. on Saturday. The bill on St. Patrick's Day will kick off with the Fire Inside at noon, George Grissom at 6 p.m. and Pierce County Firefighters Pipes and Drums at 10; (253) 272-6963 or www.paddycoynes.net for further details.

Doyle's Public House (208 St. Helens Ave., Tacoma): Doyle's has been gearing up for the big day for months, with monthly St. Practice Day shows and last month's Dublin on Doyle's drawing for a free vacation to Ireland.

This weekend there's sure to be a long line to get in the bar and the 4,000-square-foot tent that will serve as temporary showroom next door. Saturday's musical lineup includes the Ethan Tucker Band, the Sting Grenades and the Flat 5, the latest of many projects fronted by local rocker Jeff Angell (The Missionary Position, Walking Papers, Post Stardom Depression).

Sunday, the Bog Hoppers will do most of the heavy musical lifting as they kick out Celtic party jams from 3-11 p.m. In between their sets will be performances from three of Tacoma's most popular bands, Mahnhammer, Phasers on Kill and the F***|ing Eagles; (253) 272-7468 or for more info.

Twisted Kilt Irish Pub (109 S. Meridian, Puyallup): TK Irish Pub is normally a cozy spot to drop in for a pint and some FIFA soccer action. But organizers have set up a tent out back for what promises to be a rowdy second installment of their St. Patrick's Day Fest.

“Last year we had about 1,500 bracelets to get in, and we ran out of bracelets by 6 p.m.,” Purdy recalled.

Friday night's musical lineup includes Stripe Valley Sway (8:30 p.m.), followed by Ben Union, performing songs from new EP “This Blessed Union, vol. 2” (10 p.m.) and Roman Holiday, one of Puyallup's most popular bands (11 p.m.).

Up Saturday are the Adventures (7:30 p.m.) and Just Dirt (10 p.m.) Tacoma guitar hero Jerry Miller (Moby Grape) will play at 11 a.m. on St. Patrick's Day, followed by Johnny Cash tribute act Folsom Prism at 3, 6 and 9 p.m. Pierce County Firefighters Pipes & Drums will also appear Saturday and Sunday.

Admission is $5 each night with $20 VIP bracelets also available. The latter include one complimentary drink; (253) 604-4791 or www.tkirishpub.com to find out more.

O'Malley's Irish Pub (2403 6th Ave., Tacoma): All year, a ticker behind the bar counts down the time remaining ’til St. Patrick's Day, down to the second. So you know what the wildest, greenest spot on 6th Avenue will be this weekend.

“We're definitely expecting a packed venue on every single night,” said longtime bartender and new booking agent Kelly Driscoll. “We tried to mix it up with a lot of local bands and bands from out of town.”

This year musical lineup includes Tacoma's North Slope and the Quick & Easy Boys from Portland starting at 9 p.m. Friday, Jip Sea Party (Wenatchee), Psycho 78 (Tacoma) and the Absent Minds (Portland) on Saturday. There will be an early and late show on St. Patrick's Day, with Pierce County Firefighters Pipes & Drums (sound familiar?) and Suzanne Wolf at 3:30 p.m. and the Shivering Denizens, the Fun Police and Approach starting at 8.

Organizers are asking for a suggested $5 donation to get in, with proceeds benefitting a local charity; (253) 627-9403 for more info.

The Tacoma arts community lost a vibrant and loving advocate on March 5, when Paula Tutmarc-Johnson, former owner of Two Vaults Gallery downtown, passed away. Her death came as a surprise to many, for to know Johnson was to know a woman whose energies seemed endless when it came to anything having to do with the arts and all things artistic. This – coupled with her genuine warmth, sharp sense of humor and deep compassion for all people – made Johnson a lady whom her friends, family and colleagues feel blessed to have known.

Johnson’s inquisitive and open mind was one of her best qualities. She craved new ideas, new perspectives and boundless beauty as evidenced by the art that hung on the walls at Two Vaults, her home away from home. From realist to impressionist paintings, from jewelry to found-object sculptures, and everything in between, Johnson’s tastes embraced all genres and mediums as long as high creativity was evident. Her Two Vaults Gallery was a fun gathering hub for those embarking on Tacoma’s monthly third-Thursday Art Walk (now called Art Mingle), and she was in her element inviting people into her gallery to show off the newest artist whose works she was featuring. Even after she sold the gallery, Johnson remained active in the downtown arts scene by hooking gallery owners up with artists she knew had to be seen by the public.

In addition to being an arts advocate and curator, Johnson possessed great musical talents as well. Upon learning of her passing, author, historian and musician Pete Blecha wrote the following about her at www.pnwbands.com:

“Freedom’s Child has found her freedom.

“Just got word that my friend, Paula Johnson, after months of struggling with a surprise cancer diagnosis last summer, passed away peacefully this morning in the arms of her loving husband Jerry. Sweet Paula was the daughter of Seattle music royalty: 1950s country/pop music star Bonnie Guitar and 1930’s electric guitar pioneer Paul Tutmarc.

“Longtime West Coast music fans will recall the 1966 regional Top-10 folk-rock hit, “Freedom’s Child,” that Paula recorded under her stage-name of Alexys. Backed by the Puyallup band Third Generation, Alexys enjoyed her moments in the sun – playing big gigs at the Seattle Center Coliseum on the same bills as the Yardbirds, Beach Boys, Gary Lewis & the Playboys, Sly & the Family Stone, and other touring stars. Her band cut demo sessions downtown at Kearney Barton’s (RIP) Audio Recording studios, and then she and her mother (as producer) finished the "Alexys" LP [Dot Records #16994] with session heavies down in Hollywood. Paula also recorded for Jerden Records, Paramount Records, and 4-Star Records.

“In the late-‘60s she resurfaced with the Maple Valley-based band Peece, and then gigged around further under the stage-names of Iris Hill and Irene Cookie. In more recent times Paula toured through Europe singing R&B, and ran her own Two Vaults Art Gallery in Tacoma. Freedom’s Child will be missed by many…”

Delightful in every way and a true renaissance woman, Johnson’s influence will live on through the works of all the artists she encouraged and in whom she believed.

Plans are still in the works for a celebration of her life in April. Those who wish to be part of the event are invited to contact Johnson’s daughter, Amy Carpenter, at aljc911@yahoo.com or (360) 229-0915; and Jerry Johnson at jerryjohnsonn@comcast.net.

It really takes just two words to describe painter Jill Haney-Neal’s current exhibit at B2 Gallery – “pure joy.” That’s the feeling a lot of people experience when viewing her “wild (but tasteful) women,” as she describes them, which were unveiled, appropriately enough, at the show’s opening on International Women’s Day (March 8).

Collectively titled “I’m Every Woman,” this exhibit is as much about the things women love as it is about the variety of women who enjoy them. Haney-Neal’s works show that women find great delight imbibing in life’s simple pleasures – the serenity of a hot bubble bath by candlelight or a rowdy wine party with gal pals – and bringing love, laughter and color to everything they do.

The artist draws her female figures to look like real women too, with curves, shape and mucho sex appeal. Whether her women are white or African-American, Asian or Hispanic or anything in between, Haney-Neal paints “the every woman” to convey the goddess within that can manifest herself as a gentle, loving mother and wild warrior woman as well, all topped off with a beaming, white smile framed with full, glossy lips painted red.

An award-winning Northwest illustration artist, Haney-Neal states on her website: “Having a degree in sculpture, and having spent hours of life drawing and sculpting, I want to use my formal training to emphasize the female form, exaggerating the feminine with the use of shape, color, and body language, capturing the spirit and humor of women, from a woman’s perspective.

“Using watercolor, acrylic, inks and gouache as tools, I want to achieve a piece that can be observed as well as experienced.”

She does this exquisitely. It’s impossible not to feel the happiness shown on the faces of Haney-Neal’s women, not to mention their unabashed exuberance. In her “Uncorked” series, for example, the artist shows women bursting out of wine bottles like glamorous corks to let the intoxicating goodness inside the bottle – and, metaphorically, inside of the women themselves – flow freely.

In “Boot Camp” and “Booty II,” the booty in this case is fancy cowboy boots, drawn extra large to perhaps make the point that a woman is made up of more than body parts; her boots are made for walkin’, and that’s just what they’ll do. The boot theme also allows the artist to bring additional color and design elements into her works.

Women enjoying the company of other women is seen throughout the exhibit. In “Moonlight March,” five smiling, dancing women make the trek outdoors in the moonlight to find that perfect spot where they can crack open the wine bottles shown in their backpacks along with glasses and a corkscrew.

“Book Club” is a quite humorous piece showing seven women drinking wine and carrying on while one of them sits looking annoyed with an open book in her lap, the book they should be discussing were it not for all the folderol.

Haney-Neal’s art translates wonderfully to useable items like mugs, plates, coaster sets and clothing, and she has these and more for sale on her website www.jillnealgallery.com. Her exhibit at B2 Gallery, 711 St. Helens Ave., is up until April 27. Visit www.b2finearts.com or call (253) 238-5065.

Chris Caillier is a one-man foreign aid program.

He had read and heard about the slums of Dadaab, Kenya, and felt called to help the people there. The question was how to do it with a personal impact and sidestep corruption.

Last July he connected with friends in Tacoma and on the Internet and set out to Dadaab to help one resident, one school, one enterprise at a time. He posted films about what he saw, and what the people needed, and followers back home donated on-line to meet that need.

They grubstaked a business for the Salat family, paid for supplies for the Amri School and formed the plan that, for $20 a month, got a teenage boy out of his glue-sniffing life on the streets and back into his family and school

It was such a success, Caillier said, that he is going back in April.

Caillier is not rich. He works at the South Tacoma Grocery Outlet off of South 56th Street and South Tacoma Way. But he is ingenious, and he has a way of getting people to jump into his plans.

This weekend, that could include you.

He and a corn-popping friend will host Kettle Corn for Kenya outside the store on March 16. The plan is simple. You make a donation. They give you salty-sweet-sinful kettle corn. The store owners, David and Jessalynn Greenblatt, match the take.

Caillier sees the potential for raising $2,000, enough to change dozens of lives for the better in one of the worst places in Kenya when he heads back April 10. To read more about Caillier’s work, click onto http://www.KettlecornForKenya.org.

An apt comparison can be drawn between the nature of Tinkertopia and the projects it hopes to foster. The business is fueled by the accumulation of non-specific trinkets and trappings – objects that might be considered useless by the mundane observer. The inventory, in its motley glory, will soon be sold to anyone who requires the unique benefits an all-inclusive font of miscellany brings. The explorative artist, the budding inventor, and the inspired educator will discover the disparate components of new projects at Tinkertopia. The enterprise will take in anything, and then sell it to anyone with a creative bent.

R.R. and Darcy Anderson, a husband-and-wife team of Tacoma artists, founded Tinkertopia. R.R., an ex-web designer, cartoonist and founder of the donation-driven library known as the Free Radical Media Exchange as well as Darcy, a preschool teacher, wanted a business that would simultaneously encourage artistic creativity and conserve resources that would otherwise be wasted.

Citing Portland’s creative reuse center SCRAP USA as an inspiration, R.R. Anderson said, “We wanted to make a place where weird donated materials can intermingle and mutate.” The list of accepted supplies spans the alphabet from animals (stuffed or plastic, please) to zippers and represents only a fraction of possible items. Recent acquisitions have included piano parts and a collection of vintage tennis rackets.

Assembling the inventory is far from passive. A “Tinkermobile” hit the road in February. The van, adorned with the Tinkertopia logo, was created to facilitate donations. “We want people to call us and say, ‘I have stuff for you; come get it,’ ” explained Anderson.

One such person is Jessica Smeall of Key Peninsula Parks. The organization recently obtained a piano too damaged to repair. Not wanting to consign it to the dump, Smeall contacted the Andersons, who immediately agreed to pick it up.

Smeall believes the material from the material will be put to good use. “Key Peninsula Parks will be hosting some recycled arts programs for our youth,” she said. “The piano may come full circle, with local kids making artistic creations from it.”

Tinkertopia has a van, but it still needs a storefront. Though the Andersons initially searched for a North Tacoma and 6th Avenue location, they recently toured a space on Pacific Avenue. “There is a strong chance that this will be our storefront thanks to Spaceworks Tacoma program,” they said. The University of Washington Tacoma owns the location. UWT hopes Tinkertopia will be a valuable resource to its students. A Pacific Avenue store is also a draw for high school students from the Tacoma School of the Arts (TSOTA).

Preparing the space will take about a month. The Andersons plan on covering the walls with murals and signs. And, of course, every little knickknack will have to be transferred from storage.

Once the store is established, its owners will inspire customer projects by example. They plan on filling shop windows with donated lights and statues of their own creation. The interior will feature other exemplary models made of reused material.

Ultimately, Tinkertopia will be a source of material and inspiration for local artists young and old. R.R. and Darcy Anderson eagerly await the moment when their shop opens. They plan to make it available for birthday/craft parties and field trips. Tinkertopia will provide an endlessly varied assortment of supplies to anyone in need of an obscure or unusual component. When visiting Tinkertopia, R.R. Anderson says, “People can be along for an adventure.”

To contact Tinkertopia, email rerun@tinkertopia.com or visit http://www.tinkertopia.com.

For the first time in 26 years, the pads are popping on local middle school football fields this spring. After Tacoma Public Schools announced late last summer that football would again be offered in the spring – among several other changes in an ongoing effort to strengthen middle school programs – nine local schools hit the field on March 4 to prepare for the upcoming season.

“I think this is a great opportunity for middle school kids to feel special,” said Jamila Jones, the recently named head coach at First Creek Middle School. “The best part of it is (kids) are buying in to everything that’s not football – how they should walk, how they should talk and what kind of example they should be. It’s been awesome.”

Baker, Giaudrone, Gray, Jason Lee, Mason, Meeker, Stewart and Truman middle schools will join First Creek in the new season, which will begin with a jamboree between all the teams at Mount Tahoma Stadium on March 23 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The first slate of regular season games is set for March 28.

After going through a few years of budget issues, the return of football – along with offering of girls cross country in the fall – was made possible in part by Tacoma Public School’s collaboration with a number of advertising sponsors.

“All of those people have really helped us get back and allow these programs,” said Jennifer Kubista, Tacoma Public Schools director of student life.

Kubista added that since she was hired in 2003, it has been an ongoing effort with district and school officials to continue to strengthen and expand athletic programs. But she noted that bringing back football is somewhat of a landmark because of its unique importance among student athletes. “It was probably one of the best moments I’ve ever had in my career,” she said, “because I knew we were going to be bringing back something that was pretty special.”

In addition to the two new sports offered this year, the district announced that all middle school sports would be moving to the high school model – with a varsity, junior varsity and ‘C’ team. All sports will also be allowed to practice five days per week instead of four.

With a contact sport like football again being offered at a younger age, both Kubista and Jones noted that the impact will also be felt at the high school level.

“I’m amazed at how many kids come to high school with the lack of fundamentally sound football,” Jones said. “I think this middle school component will help high school programs get that boost…overall I think that will make programs better.”

Not only that, but the impact that the sport should have, and the lessons learned, should have an impact in the classroom.

“The academics is first and foremost,” Kubista said.

And Jones agreed, noting that he is already seeing the impact after one week of practice.

“I got an email from a teacher the other day – football players are teaching class,” he said. “A football player broke up a fight. (These are) things that I hadn’t been hearing.”

And while he hopes to see positive results on the field this spring, Jones hopes even more positive results will be seen down the road. “I want to win football games, but ultimately I want to send high schools kids who understand what it means to be a high school student athlete.”

The annual battle as to when the weather will allow for outdoor sports is on once again. But local baseball squads are hard at work, with some having already begun their seasons. We take an early look at the Tacoma schools in our high school baseball preview.

STADIUM

A new era has begun for the Tigers, as eight-year coach Chuck Peterson decided to retire during the offseason and new coach Barry Fretwell takes over the reins. Fretwell will assume his first varsity head coaching job after stops at both O’Dea High School and Pacific Lutheran University.

When the Tigers take the field, the cupboard will not be bare. Fretwell can expect good production from senior first baseman and pitcher Jake Vieth, who will provide much of the power for the Tigers. Other contributors should include junior second baseman Brannon Ronia and catcher Matt Gunn. Right-hander Ryder Destunder will join Vieth in the rotation, as Destunder’s offspeed pitches should complement Veith’s hard fastball nicely.

By Steve Mullen

BELLARMINE PREP

Bellarmine coach Rick Barnhart has seen it all before in his 29 years as the Lions’ coach, and has a nice balance of both pitching and offense this year. The Lions are led by junior center fielder and leadoff hitter Brandon Thompson, who sported a .388 batting average last year. Senior third baseman George Foley, who hit .383 last season, combines with right fielder and pitcher Harry Stenberg and catcher Michael Ota to give Bellarmine plenty of offense.

The Lions will not be without quality pitching either, as Stenberg and senior left-hander Marcus Lane will give the Lions two good front-line starters. Another name to keep an early eye on is senior shortstop Andrew Patubo, who has given up his final year of soccer eligibility and has turned heads early both at the plate and in the field.

By Steve Mullen

WILSON

Entering the upcoming season, second-year Rams head coach Doug Rupe has much to look forward to. “If we play defense, we should be able to compete,” he said.

The Rams will have one of the best pitching rotations around with junior right-handers Brady O’Keefe, Jared Horner, and Evan Stout. Offensively, Wilson should get production from promising freshman first baseman Noah Hill. “He should give us great production in the middle of the lineup,” Rupe said. “That’s great for a ninth grader.”

Other major cogs will be the catcher Nate Sandoval – the Rams’ lone senior – and speedy center fielder Robbie Rhoads, who is strong defensively.

By Steve Mullen

FOSS

The Falcons enter the 2013 season wondering who will fill the large shoes of pitcher Jayce Guild and catcher Billy Barker. Early candidates on the mound include juniors Omar Morris, Marcus Ransom, and Ryan Phillips – all right-handers who coach Roy Young hopes will carry the load for the Falcons. “It will be tough to replace Jayce,” Young said, “but this should be a good group who can keep us in ball games throughout the season.”

The Falcons should be in pretty good shape offensively with Morris, Phillips and shortstop Mike McCoy hitting in the middle of the order. If all the pieces come together for the Falcons, they could be an interesting team to watch in the 3A ranks.

By Steve Mullen

MOUNT TAHOMA

The Thunderbirds have a good number of key players returning, and will be boosted by the addition of senior infielder Drake Jones, a talented transfer from Chicago with a good bat.

A solid junior class is led by shortstop Kasey Kenyon and third baseman Kyle Couture, while second baseman Garret Granvold and outfielder Kyle Bailey will also be counted on.

Granvold and Couture will lead the Thunderbirds’ pitching staff, while Bailey and Jones will also see time on the mound.

Head coach Victor Rodriguez hopes a maturing roster continues to help the team improve, even if a low number of players presents a challenge. “There’s not much depth, but we’ve got some talent,” he said. “It’s not an excuse. We’re just going to go out and play hard.”

By Jeremy Helling

LINCOLN

Looking to continue to rebuild his program, second-year head coach Ron Gee is optimistic about his roster that features 10 returning players.

Leading the way is four-year starter Austin Pizarro, who should contribute at third and first base while also seeing time on the mound. Junior outfielders Aiden Covington and Zach Bennett also return to boost the offense. Gee is also excited about sophomore second baseman Collin Ford – a Puyallup transfer – and freshman catcher Xavier Baines and freshman shortstop Mark Jones.

Interest is quickly growing in the Abes’ program, as they will field a JV team for the first time in a number of years. “The attitude has been outstanding, guys playing hard,” Gee said. “They’re buying into what we’re trying to do here to get it turned around.”

By Jeremy Helling

TACOMA BAPTIST

The Crusaders will feature a solid core of seniors off a squad that advanced to the district playoffs last year. Leading the offense will be power-hitting senior first baseman Dalton Wintersole, who can simply crush the ball.

Senior shortstop Matt Hallstrom and senior outfielder Brandon Turner also return, while senior third baseman Taylor Martindale returns to add some pop to the lineup after taking last year off. Junior infielder Tommie Brazile and sophomore outfielder B.J. Peterson will also fill key roles, and all of the listed players should contribute on the pitching staff.

“Kids are working really hard and want to do well,” said head coach Kraig Gillman. “They’ve got a little experience in the playoffs and they’re looking to take it further.”

By Jeremy Helling

LIFE CHRISTIAN

The Eagles have a relatively young squad with no seniors, but do have a talented, experienced junior class that will lead the way.

Junior all-league outfielder Kevin Breen should pace the offense, while junior Sam Veliz will head up the infield. Fellow juniors Taylor Roeloffs and Tyler Bogue will combine to man the catcher spot. Veliz, Bogue and Roeloffs will also lead the pitching staff, something head coach Gregg Leach noted should be a strength.

“As long as pitchers throw strikes, pitch to contact, I think we’re going to be fine,” Leach said. “Our offense, we need to come around with that. We’re going to be playing small ball.”

By Jeremy Helling

Several softball teams took big hits due to graduation last year, and it is time for some promising newcomers to shine. We take a look at some of the local squads as the season begins. Note: Life Christian will not be fielding a team this year due to low numbers, and the Stadium and Tacoma Baptist coaches could not be reached for comment.

BELLARMINE

After reaching the state tournament last year, the Lions return a good number of experienced players, including Narrows 4A MVP pitcher Courtney Schwan. The junior is dominant on the mound, and should continue to contribute offensively as well.

Schwan is surrounded by a solid core of seniors, including four-year starting first baseman Alex DeStephano and shortstop Alexa Ostrander. Senior utility player Rachel Barcena will be a very important piece offensively and on the mound, and sophomore Rebecca Sorenson brings a solid bat as she takes over at second base.

“Last year we had a really nice run and fell flat when we were there,” said head coach Craig Coovert. “This group that comes back wants to see it through even farther. So far the work ethic and drive is very impressive.”

Coovert added that freshman pitcher Erica Grenlund should also contribute on the mound, and fellow freshman Alyssa McKiernan will contribute in the infield and outfield. 

WILSON

The Rams lost star pitcher Janessa Flynn and power hitters Alexa Olague and Taylor Clark – among others – but will still look to quickly rebound with a promising group.

Senior pitcher Alex Flynn should take over as the ace, and brings a solid bat as well. Senior outfielder Kaysha Fox should continue to make noise at the top of the lineup, and senior infielder Darian Grimm and infielder/outfielder Julie Davis will be counted on as well. Junior infielder Stephanie Granger will help Flynn form a solid pitching staff and should also contribute in the infield, while senior Carsen Stanley will take over for Olague at catcher.

“We may have to try to score different ways than just trying to get up and smash it,” head coach Ron Balmer noted. “We’ll still be okay just because we have decent pitching.”

Balmer added that sophomore Maddisyn Scott and freshmen Syntera Garnes and Kenzie Baynes should see time as well.

MOUNT TAHOMA

The Thunderbirds have eight seniors on the squad this season, led by first-team all-league catcher Bailee Larson.

Larson will be counted on to lead the offense, as her powerful bat should make noise in Mount Tahoma’s first season in the 3A ranks. Also returning is senior center fielder Lupe Hernandez, while sophomore shortstop Zanaa Holt adds more experience to the lineup. Sophomore Nancy LaPointe-McCloud will look to lead the Thunderbirds on the mound after getting significant experience there last year.

Head coach Rachel Reed noted that the team is strong on leadership and sports a strong desire to improve, something that should help their development. She added that senior outfielder Caylie Neziri and freshman infielder Elizabeth Box are a couple of newcomers to keep an eye on.

LINCOLN

The Abes will look to build the program under first-year coach Ron Aguirre, who is in his 23rd year of coaching softball.

Lincoln’s hopes will be centered on senior infielder Maryssa Tippett, who has an extremely powerful bat and will surely lead the offensive effort. Tippett, though, will also be relied upon heavily as the team’s ace on the mound. Also returning is junior shortstop Heidi Leeper, who will bring leadership and experience in the lineup. Aguirre noted that junior infielder Yozelin Maldenado also should make an impact, and that the Abes will work to steadily improve for future seasons as well.

“I noticed a strong desire to listen and to work to be better,” he said of his early impressions of the squad. “They want to be a contender someday.”

FOSS

The Falcons are another team looking to rebound from a tough season, and feature a good combination of experience and youth.

Senior Pawarisa Onmun – a two-time second team all-leaguer – will switch from the outfield to solidify the catcher spot, and senior Kapua Lane will look to lead Foss on the mound. Junior Kylie Thornton also returns to the infield for the Falcons.

Head coach Carlena Stroud noted that freshman infielders Michaela Phillips, Hallie Bader and Breanne Hayes should make an immediate impact, while fellow freshman Tyra Goshay will see time in the outfield.

The 2013 high school basketball season certainly had its fair share of dramatic finishes and unbelievable individual performances. With the amount of talent within the city limits, that’s no surprise. We look back at the season that was in boys basketball with our annual edition of the All-City Team.

No group epitomizes the best of the best more than this year’s first team, as the four Division I college recruits put forth some of their best efforts this season. Foss senior guard Dezmyn Trent, the Narrows 3A MVP, simply dominated all year long. The recent Boise State commit lit it up from anywhere on the court, tallying 40-plus points four times and averaging 27 points and eight rebounds while adding three assists per game.

Lincoln’s duo of Tre’Shaun Fletcher and Ahmaad Rorie was just as unstoppable, leading to the Abes’ third-place finish at state. Fletcher – a University of Colorado commit – averaged 21 points, 10 rebounds and four assists per game, emphasizing his season with some highlight-reel dunks in the playoffs.

Rorie – a junior bound for the University of California – could hit from anywhere on the court, averaging 21 points and dishing out five assists per contest. Bellarmine Prep senior forward Lucas Meikle again led his squad deep in the playoffs, as the Gonzaga-bound Lion averaged 15 points and nine rebounds per game. Mount Tahoma senior guard Brian Neal rounds out the first team, as he led the Thunderbirds back to the district playoffs – where he scored a game-high 31 points in their loss to Mountain View – by averaging 17 points and over five assists and four rebounds per contest.

The second team is led by Bellarmine Prep senior Isaiah Flynn, the lightning quick point guard who averaged 11 points per game and had a knack for hitting clutch shots down the stretch. Foss senior guard Jericho Ballard was a great compliment to Trent, averaging 12 points and four rebounds per game and helping lead the way in the state regionals.

Stadium senior guard Eric Anderson-Connolly helped guide the Tigers’ attack this year, averaging nine points per game and leading his squad to the state regionals. Wilson freshman Alphonso Anderson burst onto the scene this year, averaging over 12 points and eight rebounds per game for the young and dangerous Rams. Mount Tahoma senior forward Andre Wiley dominated up front as well for the Thunderbirds, averaging just under 14 points per game and adding over eight rebounds per contest.

Tacoma Baptist guard Brandon Stoehr headlines the third team, as the unselfish sophomore loved getting his teammates involved, and still found enough shots to average over 16 points per game. Lincoln junior guard Ar’Mond Davis was a dangerous outside threat for the Abes, sporting a silky smooth outside shot and averaging 11 points while pulling down four rebounds per contest.

Stadium senior Jordan Powers combined with Anderson-Connolly to form a strong backcourt for the Tigers, as he added 8.7 points per game and made some big plays. Bellarmine Prep forward Sefo Liufau – despite missing a good portion of the season after recovering from the football playoffs – still managed to average double digits in scoring, and used his overall athleticism to be a big factor for the Lions. Foss junior forward Olashawan Miller also earned a nod, becoming a main target on the interior for the Falcons and putting up 7.5 points and five rebounds per game.

1ST TEAM

G – AHMAAD RORIE – JR – LINCOLN

G – BRIAN NEAL – SR – MOUNT TAHOMA

G – DEZMYN TRENT – SR – FOSS

F – TRE’SHAUN FLETCHER – SR – LINCOLN

F – LUCAS MEIKLE – SR – BELLARMINE PREP

2ND TEAM

G – ISAIAH FLYNN – SR – BELLARMINE PREP

G – JERICHO BALLARD – SR – FOSS

G – ERIC ANDERSON-CONNOLLY – SR – STADIUM

F – ALPHONSO ANDERSON – FR – WILSON

F – ANDRE WILEY – SR – MOUNT TAHOMA

3RD TEAM

G – JORDAN POWERS – SR – STADIUM

G – BRANDON STOEHR – SO – TACOMA BAPTIST

G – AR’MOND DAVIS – JR – LINCOLN

F – SEFO LIUFAU – SR – BELLARMINE PREP

F – OLASHAWAN MILLER – JR – FOSS

It isn’t often that the mighty keyboard gets to be front-and-center for a music showcase dedicated to its versatility and charm, but that’s exactly what will happen at Louie G.’s on March 21 for “An Evening of Keys,” featuring six Northwest musicians usually seen performing with the rest of their bands but will have the stage all to themselves at this show.

“An Evening of Keys” was started by Maurice the Fish Records CEO Raymond Hayden. “This show is unique in that you'll get to see six veteran players who each bring a different genre of music to the stage,” he said. “Many people have seen each of us in our respective bands, but this will shed some light onto what makes us all tick on an individual level.”

Slated to play at “An Evening of Keys” are:

Raymond Hayden with guests Liz and Dan Teisan of Late September Dogs. Hayden is songwriter and keyboardist for Raymond Hayden and the Monsters in the Dark, and his long musical resume includes opening for Blue Oyster Cult, Nazareth, April Wine and Berlin;Doug Skoog, keyboardist for Blues Redemption and The Crazy Texas Gypsies; Skoog has also performed with Chuck Berry and John Lee Hooker, among other notables;Mark Bittler, funky keyboardist and composer for Bump Kitchen;Anthony Ciarochi, keyboardist for Tin Man, The Aury Moore Band and Stone Age Thriller, with guest Laurie Johnson,;Derek Whitaker and guest vocalist Brenda Kashmir; Whitaker is keyboardist with Heartless and has performed with Heart, Heart to Heart and Alan White of Yes.

Headlining the show will be Brooke Lizotte, most recently of the newly formed band DreamWreck that Lizotte formed “with a bunch of old characters I’ve known forever and day,” as he described them – two members of Heart (Ben Smith on drums/vocals and Jon Bayless on bass/vocals) and Rod Cook on guitars/vocals (Vicci Martinez, Little Bill). For “Evening of Keys” Lizotte will be without these bandmates but he will have a special guest – recording artist Pamela Moore, who’s about to release her album “Resurrect Me” for which she and Lizotte co-wrote together. A backup singer for Queensryche, among her other accomplishments, Moore’s powerhouse voice and drop-dead gorgeousness are sure to blend beautifully with Lizotte’s masterful playing, as he describes their chemistry as “a lot of love and heart.”

Lizotte has worked with lots of big names in the business like Alicia Keys, Amy Winehouse and producer Salaam Remi. For Jennifer Hudson and Leona Lewis he played piano, keys and string arrangements for their single “Love Is Your Color” on the soundtrack “Sex and the City 2.” He’s written and recorded with Randy Meisner from the Eagles and Dan Reed of Dan Reed Network; Lizotte co-wrote a song that will be on Reed’s new album “Signal Fire.” Other films Lizotte has worked on include “Burlesque,” “Happily N’Ever After” and “Last Night,” among others.

With more than 56 years of making music behind him (he just turned 61), Lizotte has a wealth of material to cull from. Without giving too much away about his “Evening of Keys” set list, he said he’ll play all his own original material, and maybe with backing instrumental tracks and maybe not. “I’m not completely sure yet,” he said. “My musicality moves between Beethoven and Basie and the Beatles. I run the gamut,” he said. Now living on Mercer Island after two decades in Los Angeles, Lizotte is very busy writing, recording and producing at Triad Studios on Capitol Hill and at working in film and television. He recently finished playing keyboards for a new CD by Danny O’Keefe (who music lovers will remember from the 70’s hit song “Goodtime Charlie’s Got the Blues”) and helping out his friend, and former Microsoft executive, Jim Allchin record music showcasing Allchin’s contemporary blues-rock guitar. Lizotte said he’s also working on a project for HBO in addition to his usual session artist work. Lizotte says he really didn’t miss a beat between relocating from L.A. back up to the great Northwest. In fact, having been born and raised on Queen Anne Hill, Lizotte says being back home in Seattle has opened for him “a magical era in my life. My mom is quite elderly so it’s nice to be near her, and I’m plugging in to friends and family I’ve known forever,” he said. And he’s really looking forward to entertaining the audience at “An Evening of Keys.”

“It’s gonna be a kick.”

The show starts at 8 p.m., March 21 at Louie G.’s Pizzeria, 5219 Pacific Hwy. E. in Fife. Admission is $7.

VICCI MARTINEZ HOMECOMING

Vicci Martinez has mostly hung out in Los Angeles since she wowed Cee Lo and viewers during the inaugural season of NBC-TV's “The Voice” in 2011. But on St. Patrick's Day, she will be back for another holiday homecoming show at Jazzbones, 2803 6th Ave. She we will go on after 6 p.m. with songs from “Vicci,” her Universal Records debut, not to mention cuts we loved around these parts before she was famous. Tickets are $15; (253) 396-9169 or http://www.jazzbones.com for more info.

GORDON LIGHTFOOT

Canadian folkie Gordon Lightfoot is headed to Tacoma. On March 16, the singer-songwriter – best known for “The Wreck of the Edmond Fitzgerald,” “Sundown” and other classics – will headline the Emerald Queen Casino's I-5 showroom, 2024 E. 29th St., in Tacoma. The show is scheduled for an 8:30 p.m. start, and tickets are going for $20 to $60, plus service charges. You must be 21 or older to get in; (253) 594-7777 or http://www.ticketmaster.com for further details.  

TITLOW MUD RUN

Metro Parks will host a two-mile run (and walk) through Titlow Park (8425 6th Ave.) on March 24. This family-friendly, chip-timed run/walk will take you off the sidewalks and city streets and into the muddy trails full of obstacles to crawl under, jump over and run around. $15 per person, starts at noon. There will be prizes for top men and women and a muddy picture contest. To register visit http://www.metroparkstacoma.org.

‘NAIROBI HALF LIFE’

The Grand Cinema is one of just 100 cinemas across the United States that will be screening “Nairobi Half Life” on the evening of March 21, 6:45 p.m. It is the most successful film to ever come out of Kenya and although it has screened all over the world, March 21 will be one of its first major introductions to cinema fans in the United States. The film tells the story of a young, aspiring actor from upcountry Kenya who dreams of becoming a success in the big city. In pursuit of this, and to the chagrin of his brother and parents, he makes his way to Nairobi, the city of opportunity, where he finds many obstacles in his way that he must overcome. Tickets on sale now at The Grand, 606 Fawcett Ave.

PROPHETS OF ADDICTION

Meet cast members from the BJ Shea Morning Experience and the KISW-FM (99.9) Rock Girls at the Backstage Bar & Grill, 6409 Sixth Ave., Tacoma. The night's musical lineup includes In the Between and Prophets of Addiction. Admission is free from 7 to 9 p.m., and it is open to all ages until 11 p.m. But cover is $5 starting at 9 p.m., and you must be 21 or older after 11 p.m.; (253) 564-0149 or http://www.backstagebartacoma.com. 

Tacoma’s National Guard Armory and all its wonders could still be yours. The fortress of arms, concerts, horses and presidents is still on the market.

An interested buyer had toured, talked, run numbers and made an offer then, this week, backed out on the $1 million building.

There is still time to dream about its next role in Tacoma’s history.

It would make a great brewery, said Amocat Café owner Morgan Alexander.

It would be a great space for law offices, say most of the attorneys who practice in the County/City Building just down the hill.

“I’d think a nice little theater, or a casual night club, a jazzy, casual nightclub,” said Cristine Gunderson, who works at the parking lot kiosk next to it. “This little neighborhood could use something like that. It’s such a beautiful building. I hope someone good buys it.”

So does Washington National Guard Captain Keith Kosik, who, with Robert Wren, led a four-floor tour of the building that once housed cavalry horses, welcomed presidents and sent high school graduates off to their futures and guardsmen and women off to war.

“I wish you guys could have seen it a couple of years ago,” Kosik said, standing on the 20,000-square-foot drill floor and looking up at the balconies and arched wooden ceiling. “This was magnificent for over 100 years.”

Before the Guard decommissioned the building in 2011, the flags of every state hung from the balconies, with the United States flag at one end of the building and Washington’s at the other.

The floor, dusty as it is, still gleams in the sunlight more than a year after the power and water were turned off. It is made, Kosik said, of old-growth pine two-by-sixes standing on their narrow edge. Horses, including those of three costumed cavalry officers at the decommissioning ceremony, have galloped on these floors and left them unscarred.

The Armory, said Kosik, was the jewel of Tacoma in 1908, when it was built for $95,000. The city celebrated its completion with a New Year’s Eve ball, followed by the dedication on New Year’s Day, 1909. Even before the Guard commenced the building’s service as an armory, it shared it with the community.

Still, it was primarily a military installation.

Infantry trained and drilled there during World War I.

A few years later, Guardsmen responding to labor riots to the south and west came through the Armory. Nearly a century after that, The Guard deployed from there to the World Trade Organization riots in Seattle.

“In 1916, when we sent troops down with General Pershing to chase Pancho Villa on the original southwest border mission” Tacoma’s soldiers mustered at the Armory, Kosik said.

“There were stables,” Kosik said, for Cavalry Troop B.

“And there was a horse swimming pool,” said Wren, who tended the building for 38 years and is a maintenance mechanic at Camp Murray.

The streets of Tacoma were a poor place for warhorses to get exercise, so the Armory had a pool where they could work out. It is the boiler room now, on the lowest and darkest level, not far from the gun range, arms vault, small parking garage and the sunless quarters where the caretaker lived.

“When my unit was here, we used to do urban battle drills in these rooms,” Kosik said of the warren of small, low-ceilinged rooms.

He will take that training with him when he deploys to Afghanistan this spring.

The airier ground floor is short on history and long on practicality. It is divided into rooms large enough to house a small business or law practice, maybe even a shop or a bail bondsman, convenient as they are to the jail.

It was that convenience that put prisoners in the Armory in the 1990, when Pierce County Jail was chronically overcrowded.

With the crowding leading to lawsuits, Pierce County set up chain link fences on the drill floor, set out beds and transferred low-risk prisoners there.

“That’s when they installed the sprinkler system,” Kosik said.

“In the 1970s and ‘80s, the lawyers would come in every day and play basketball,” Wren recalled.

The hoops are still there, but the stage and podium from political rallies are gone.

When presidents came to Tacoma, it was most often to the Armory to give speeches.

“Three sitting presidents have come here,” Kosik said of William Howard Taft, Woodrow Wilson and Harry Truman.

During World War II, the Armory saw troops off, and the community in. It hosted dances, Christmas celebrations and dances for troops on leave.

It was an ideal venue for high school graduations and weddings, Wren said.

“My brother and I went to dances here, and boxing and wrestling.”

And, oh, the concerts.

“Giant Band Battle Dance” “Battle of the Bands,” “Big Five-Hour Dance and Show” the ads and handbills read during the 1960s. Teens by the thousands rocked out to The Wailers, Viceroys, Sonics, Solitudes, Intruders, El-Caminos, Dynamics, Furies, Galaxies, Marshans, Noblemen and Paul Revere and the Raiders.

That was the rocking. The Dockside Derby Dames brought the rolling. The roller derby team practiced on that drill floor, and also failed to damage it.

That all ended when the National Guard ruled that the building no longer met its needs. There was not enough parking. There are other, more practical spots.

It dismantled what it could, removing every piece of furniture, every appliance. Wren helped pulled four pallets of carpet tiles and shipped them east to other armories, where they matched the flooring.

When they were done, they turned off the lights and water.

Decommissioned, the building reverted to the state. When local governments did not want it, the state put it on the market.

“Our phone has been ringing,” said Stefanie Fuller, acquisition and disposal manager for real estate services with the state’s Enterprise Services. “One interested party talked about redeveloping it and making it into housing units. People from Bates toured it. I have a spoken offer of $475,000, but, no, we’ve got time. This is not going to be a fire sale.”

After 105 years, the Armory has earned better than a bargain price. It merits a quality future in the city it has served so well, and in so many ways.

“I was a soldier here,” Kosik said. “As somebody who appreciates the Washington National Guard and Tacoma, the Armory connects our combined history. When I look at it, I hear the voices of many generations.”