“Iron Man 3” was expected to be summer's first box office blockbuster. And, so far, the Robert Downey Jr. vehicle hasn't disappointed, having raked in nearly $200 million in overseas markets, as of Monday.

It opens here on May 3. So to mark the occasion, we assembled a team of local super-hero gurus to deconstruct the movie's Marvel Comics roots and speculate on what might come flying off the screen this weekend in brilliant 3-D.

Our panel included John Munn, longtime owner of the now-closed Comic Book Ink and current managing artistic director of Lakewood Playhouse; Jason McKibbin, avid comic book collector, co-founder of http://www.Comics-4-Kids.org and lead singer of local punk band I-Defy; and Eugene Kirk, the owner of Tricky's Pop Culture Emporium, recently relocated to Tacoma's Stadium District. "If if it was ever cool, I sell it" boasts Kirk.

We met at Dorky's Barcade to further amplify our team's ability to break down all things nerdy.

TW: So, we've seen movies based on the huge heroes – Batman, Spider-Man, Superman. Where does Iron Man rank?

McKibbin: If you would have asked me that question 10 years ago, I would have said he's almost a second-rate character. Not anymore. For years, in the comic books they've amped him up. And, ever since the first “Iron Man” movie came out, how many kids do you see running around wearing “Iron Man” stuff? I'd put him up there as one of the big five.

Munn: Because of (Marvel Comics') bankruptcy about five years earlier, they didn't have the rights to Spider-Man. They didn't have the rights to Fantastic Four. So they had to find the next piece that they had. And if they had a real entry point, a real everyman - a person like us that doesn't have super powers - you have to look at Iron Man.

TW: What I'm hearing from you guys is that he's a second-string character who's been elevated by the movie franchise.

Kirk: He's always been a second-string character. There had been no movies based on him, maybe one cartoon. As much as you like certain (comic book) story arcs, there's no “Dark Knight Returns.”

Munn: There is. There's “Demon in a Bottle” (a nine-issue run from 1979, briefly hinted at in “Iron Man 2.”) That was his battle with alcoholism in the '70s. He's also one of the original Avengers, and they always had a plan that if this (movie) works they've got pieces that they can extend.

TW: Apparently, Robert Downey Jr. got paid $50 million for “The Avengers.” What is he doing right, and what are they doing right with the franchise?

Kirk: He is amongst the biggest international movie stars. A Will Smith is huge in America and is not huge in China, for example. (“Iron Man 3” has) been edited to include extra scenes from China, taking in this huge, new market. So, A, you've got the biggest international star – one of 'em, anyway. B, you're making a special cut for 1 billion Chinese customers. It's an example of absolutely very savvy global marketing. If you read the paper today, it's already opened bigger than “The Avengers” (the third highest grossing film of all time at more than $1.3 billion.)

TW: I'm not so familiar with the villain, the Mandarin. What's up with this character that Ben Kingsley is playing?

Munn: He is, originally, one of the most horrid stereotypes in comics. I'm not going to go into all the negative stereotypes that he embodies in the '60s, but (they touch on) everything that was negatively thought about anybody of Japanese, Chinese background.

TW: So he was kind of a Ming-like character, or a Fu Manchu.

Munn: Right down to the bad, written accent. But what he has is the rings. Each one of those rings represents a symbol of mystic power. I'm not going to say what those are going to be used for, but they open up possibilities for future films, like “Dr. Strange.”

The other two plots it looks like they're working on is one by (comics writer) Warren Ellis, which is the “Extremis” plot (a six-issue story arc from 2005.) The other cool thing is Iron Patriot was introduced in “Spider-Man” comics as Norman Osborn inside the armor. They can't use that character, so they changed it to Don Cheadle's character (James Rhodes, a.k.a. War Machine.)

TW: So what are your hopes and expectations for this film?

McKibbin: I'm hoping the “Iron Man 3” movie is way the hell better than “Iron Man 2.”

Munn: That's simple.

McKibbin: I actually think it’s going to step things up an emotional notch. I think it's going to get young people, and people in general, more invested into the whole universe and everything that is going to happen. I look forward to taking my 4-year-old son to it. I think he's gonna have a blast.

Kirk: What I really enjoy is the wave of toys that will come from this movie, which is gonna be fabulous. They take it up a notch every time a sequel comes out.

I'm just fascinated to see how global this can be, because it's been designed from the ground up to be something that could play the whole planet.

Munn: If you look at “Iron Man,” they're very much like the Rocky movies. The first one, he's just learning how to do it, and then he fights this big guy at the end and still wins. Then the second one, he got the dose of fame and didn't really know what to do with it (but) got his mojo back. This is the one where, if there's a character arc, (writers ask) how do you responsibly deal with power and use it in a positive way?

He died in New York, but he also sacrificed himself for the first time. His story line in “The Avengers” is that you don't really care about the people you protect. It's more about you. Now it's the other side of that. Emotionally, where does he land at the beginning of this film and the end of this film?

This is part of the conversation, which continues online athttp://www.tacomaweekly.com.

The big wheel of time keeps on turning and in the cycle of its churning a new group of seniors from the University of Puget Sound’s art department have emerged to set their stuff beneath the gallery lights. The “UPS 2013 Senior Show” is currently on display at the Kittredge Gallery and will be available for viewing through May 18.

By and large, the 3-D work is abstract and the 2-D material is figurative. There are some digital video installations, a sampling of ceramic work and a tad of conceptual art.

The sculptors from the UPS art student body always prove to be an innovative lot in their choice of materials as well as in the manner of its placement. Yuri Kahan uses the masculine combination of metal and concrete to create complex appendages that jut out from the pillars that support the ceiling of the gallery space. They are both mechanical and organic, showing Kahan’s keen interest in the process of decay. Durable materials are ironically used to mimic objects in a transitory state of deterioration.

Erin Fremder, on the other hand, uses more traditionally feminine materials such as yarn and string that is netted and woven into ephemeral creations that dangle in clusters or hang like cobwebs. Her work is a kind of homage to a family tradition of crafting that set her on the path of joyful handwork from an early age. Some of her ephemeral creations are simply laid out on the gallery floor, so be careful where you step.

Mara Felman’s volcanic mound of plaster pods and parcels occupies the middle of the floor in the main gallery.

Ben Sample makes a strong statement. His very distinctive creations – part carpentry, part basket weaving – leave an indelible mark on the whole show the way a red hot brand leaves its mark on the haunch of a Texas longhorn. “In Place” is a large structure bolted into place between two of the gallery’s pillars. Amoeboid forms constructed of pliable slats of poplar wood are suspended in space by a nimbus of spikes. “Progress” is a series of three wooden circles with centers of woven, cedar strips that are stained black. The cedar-work forms a circular opening that migrates closer to true center with each consecutive piece.

Erin Wheary’s “Box” series consisting of screen prints over digital prints bridges the divide between the abstract and the figurative, between the 3-D and the 2-D. They are diagrams that could in theory be cut out and folded into the form of a box.

Those of the art students that have chosen paint as their medium (so easy to use yet so difficult to master) are given over to figurative works. Ursula Beck, for example, has done a series of vertical canvases in order to depict the white pines of Minnesota in a variety of moods and atmospheres. The trees are pictured in daylight, moonlight, in fog and in overcast conditions. The operative concept is similar to that of Monet’s “Haystack” series in which haystacks were painted in a range of different light. Beck’s style is more free and easy than that associated with the French Impressionists. Her tree trunks are serpentine and the foliage is bulbous.

Other painters in the show have involved themselves in portraiture for a variety of different reasons. Valerie Cordova’s ghostly, gawky, gothic portraits of persons who have had an influence on the artist are quite striking. Kelsey Vogan, meanwhile, does extreme close-ups of faces using dripping sepias and greens. Darker, charcoal line work is used to transform the faces into compositions like contour maps. Vogan is interested in structure and layers and the way that mood can emerge via that process.

Louise Blake is inspired by the spiritual impact of Seattle’s techno dance scene to create a honeycomb arrangement of hexagonal paintings of individual dancers into one big composition that suggests a community.

Frieda Kahlo meets Paul Gauguin in Lehualani Shiroma’s big, feathery paintings of women in puffy-sleeved dresses and surrounded by peacock feathers and exotic foliage.

Tess Warner appears to be the odd woman out. She uses the portrait painter’s skill to paint pictures of antique firearms in an attempt to depict the object-ness of guns and as homage to her upbringing in gun-loving Texas. While her statement denies a political agenda behind her work, she cannot avoid being embroiled in the current political debate on gun violence in America.

A similar theme is touched upon in a video installation called “Drive By” by Elisabeth Geissinger. A constant loop projected onto a 3’x6’ panel shows a shadowy figure shooting a machine gun from the window of a red car. A more meditative, mysterious and perhaps foreboding mood is created by Geissinger’s videos in which hulking human shadows are juxtaposed against light-speckled palm trees or a beautiful face is superimposed over dazzling facets of light.

The sweetest and most light-hearted piece in the gallery is “Silver Cloud” by Symantha Lee-Harkins. This simple animation depicts a fairy-like figure walking along a street past San Francisco row houses. Everything is black and white until a cloud of colors chases the character. The protagonist at first runs in fear but is swept up and taken on a magic carpet ride over the Golden Gate Bridge. After that everything is in color and the enriched protagonist is deposited to walk the street past now colorized row houses. The watercolor enhanced-prints of the row houses used in the animation accompany the display.

UPS’s art student shows generally include some edgy ceramic work but there is very little of it in the current show. The only example of ceramic art is K.C. Paulsen’s “Us,” a grid of fragmented, crackle-glazed tiles arranged on a long, low wooden tabletop. Each tile corresponds to names of people on a list, thus making the work another kind of very abstract portraiture.

Finally, Wheary’s “Kittredge” is almost entirely conceptual. The artist uses white chalk lines usually employed to mark grass sports fields. Here the chalk marks out the outline cast by the shadow of Kittredge Hall, the building that houses the gallery. Always lively, engaging and inventive, the 2013 UPS art seniors show themselves full of promise of things to come.

When it comes to drummers, Spinal Tap has nothing on the Whole Bolivian Army.

No, TWBA hasn't had one spontaneously combust onstage, a la “This Is Spinal Tap.” But the Tacoma band has auditioned dozens during its first two decades of rhythm section turmoil. It's a constant headache that founding members Matt and Mary Beth Kite are just coming to terms with as they prepare to celebrate the release of their 10th CD, “Siren,” with a May 11 show at Harmon Tap Room.

“We joke about it. We've learned to take it with a little dose of humor, but it's frustrating,” said Mary Beth, the band's lead singer.

“We had a lot of momentum in the mid to late '90s, and things really started rolling along,” she said. “We were playing with more and more popular bands. It was starting to feel like, 'Wow! This could really turn into something.' Then things kind of blew up in the drummer department, and we drifted for a while.”

“Being in a band is all about momentum, and when you lose it it's very demoralizing,” Matt said. “Every time you start with a new drummer, you're really a new band because none of the old material is going to sound quite like it used to. The chemistry is different, and when you write new songs it's gonna have a different feel to it.”

The band draws from a pool of rotating drummers for live shows, and its new album turned into a who's who of past members. “We just decided why buck our own history? We'll just call all the drummers we know,” Matt said.

TWBA – also bassist Greg Strickland – recorded at Seattle's Elliott Bay Recording with the help of Roger Johnson, Dave Warburton and original drummer Dan Hazen, who will be onstage on May 11. On album closer, “Be a Prayer,” the band even went one step further than the Melvins, Modest Mouse and other groups that have used dual drummers in recent years, featuring all three men on the same track.

“I would say Dan, Dave and Rog played the most years with the band and had the most invested of all the drummers,” Mary Beth said. “It was really neat to have them all together and be willing to play together. So they were kind of a riot to watch all in the same room.”

The Whole Bolivian Army formed in Seattle and played its first show in March 1993. The name is a reference within a reference, lifted from a scene from “Beverly Hills Cop” that recalls the finale of “Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid.”

The band rose through the ranks of Seattle's rock scene with a melodic modern rock sound that recalls bands like Garbage and Throwing Muses. But, by 2001, Mary Beth had gotten the baby bug and the Kites had grown tired of the rat race. They spent the next six years in Port Townsend.

But eventually the Kites started to crave a more urban experience again and set their gazes on Tacoma, despite sketchy first impressions from 1998. That's the year TWBA first played the Central Tavern, a defunct Sixth Avenue venue that was most recently Metro Gruv.

“We opened for this band called Face First,” Matt recalled. “They were kind of a grungish sounding band and nice guys. Anyway, a big riot broke out (with) tables flying.”

“I can't believe how fast it escalated,” added Mary Beth, cracking up. “It's really pretty impressive, just like in the movies. So at first I was like, 'What a dump!'”

“We were like, 'Who would ever live in Tacoma?'” Matt said. “And now we live, like, five blocks from there. And we totally love Tacoma. It seems like the perfect combination of urban energy and variety, but still has the small town feel to it.”

Singer-songwriter Holly Figueroa O'Reilly will open the CD release show, which will start at 9 p.m. on May 11. The $5 cover charge comes with a complimentary copy of “Siren.” But we can't guarantee a riot won't break out.

9 p.m. May 11

Harmon Tap Room, 204 St. Helens Ave., Tacoma

$5 cover charge includes a copy of “Siren”

http://www.harmonbrewingco.com

Celebrity zoologists abound on today's airwaves. And they all owe a huge debt of gratitude to “Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom,” the syndicated nature show that Marlin Perkins and sidekick Jim Fowler pioneered back in the '60s.

Peter Gros has been part of the “Wild Kingdom” crew since 1985 and can be seen on its latest incarnation, which airs as specials on Animal Planet. On May 5, he'll share his love for all things that fly, swim and slither in person, at Tacoma's Pantages Theater. So we gave him a ring to find out what critters might show up on stage with him.

Tacoma Weekly: Over the years - as you’ve seen the Croc Hunters and Jack Hannas - have you ever thought, “Posers!”

Peter Gros: (Laughs) No, actually not. ... My thinking is, generally, that as many shows that we have that are out there educating people about wildlife, the better off it’s gonna be. I think that the formats have changed a little bit. They’ve had to become more exciting. But, on the other hand, I think with the pace of today’s world ... it takes a lot more to sort of grab young people, get their attention and educate them while you’re doing it. 

TW: How did you get started?

Gros: I was sort of hardwired for this. I grew up in the Hudson Valley (in New York), and my backyard playground was a preserve of 3,600 acres. So I spent most of my childhood in nature, and then went to school to prepare for this in Northern California. This has always been my passion to be able to work with wildlife. But the opportunity arose for me to actually go work with wildlife, in the wild, (in) 1985 when I met Jim Fowler on the Johnny Carson show.

TW: What should we expect from the live presentation? What kind of animals are you bringing?

Gros: Well, we have ... footage we’ve filmed from around the world interspersed with hand-raised animals. It could be a kookaburra singing. It could be an owl that flies over people’s heads and lands on the stage. It could be a kangaroo (or) the world’s largest porcupine, called the crested African porcupine.

We have a good time with it. But the important thing is that it’s not a gloom and doom show about “the sky is falling.” … It’s based on our successes and all the good things that are happening (with conservation) that you just tend not to hear about. And then it gives me a platform to really connect young people with wildlife. I have lots of volunteers coming up on the stage to meet and help me with these hand-raised animals. 

TW: Are there specific Northwest successes you can point to?

Gros: Sure, our national bird, the bald eagle. It is off the endangered species list. You have the peregrine falcon up there, the fastest bird, clocked at over 200 miles per hour. Those, through captive breeding, have been reintroduced and doing very well. The whale populations in some cases are stabilizing. We have as many bears in some places as we had in the 1800s - black bears I’m talking about.  

TW: I’ve read there are bloopers involved in this show. What are some of the craziest things that happened on the show that didn’t make it onto the airwaves?

Gros: When you’re filming in the wild, you never quite know what’s gonna happen. ... We were rafting the Zambezi River (the fourth largest river in Africa) and we put in under Victoria Falls. It’s all class five-plus water, and the rapids are huge. They call it Valley of the Giants. And before we left they said, “Be sure and stay in the raft because, if you fall out, there are a lot of log snags underwater, and you’ll be pinned down and they’ll hold you down, so don’t get caught on those. But if you do fall out, get back to the boat as quickly as possible. Don’t swim to shore, because that’s where the crocodiles lay in wait and for the food to come by.” Of course, we did capsize several times going through this Valley of the Giants, and you’d be amazed at how quickly one can get back in a boat. 

TW: What’s maybe the most misunderstood animal?

Gros: Snakes, they have no human expressions. They’re cold-blooded. They have no legs nothing we can really relate to and they have had serious bad press since the beginning of history. And there have been movies made in Hollywood about giant snakes looking for people to eat.

But it’s actually quite easy to get people over their fear of snakes and reptiles just by working with them with small worms, and then a legless lizard, and then a small snake. And once they get over the idea of the tactile surprise that they’re not slimy, they’re not cold, they’re not yucky - then they can get over their fear. The important thing to focus on is their role in the animal world, eating all these rats and mice and animals that carry diseases that would make us very sick. 

TW: Is there an animal that fascinates you or that you've loved as a kid above all other animals?

Gros: (Chuckles) Well, I have many, actually. I had the opportunity to do a show with Christopher Cross, the songwriter, and he’s an avid diver. We were in the Bahamas. We swam with dolphins for two weeks and recorded dolphin sounds. Diving with dolphins that would ... bring their young over and play with us in the open ocean was the thrill of a lifetime. 

Peter Gros from Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom

3 p.m. May 5

Pantages Theater, 901 Broadway, Tacoma

$24 to $34

http://www.broadwaycenter.org

The Lincoln High girls tennis team is bucking a very common trend. On a team chock-full of seniors, it is a pair of sophomores that have been the key to an impressive season on the court. Led once again by the duo of Lilly Le and Miriam Cabrera, the Abes topped Wilson 3-2 in their final league contest of the season on April 24 at Stewart Heights Park.

Le, with an impressive display of returns, made quick work of Wilson’s Karissa Longver, winning 6-0, 6-0 in number-one singles. Cabrera, meanwhile, followed shortly thereafter by dispatching the Rams’ Alecia Pak 6-0, 6-0 in number-two singles.

“Between them they’ve only lost one match all year long,” said Lincoln head coach Minh Nguyen. “It’s been great, and I’ve got a lot to look forward to. I’m really excited about the possibilities in the future, but even more so this year. They’ve been great leaders on the team, they’ve been doing their part and everybody looks up to them.”

With the league tournament starting up on May 2 at the University of Puget Sound, Le will look to improve upon her rookie campaign in which she emerged as the third seed to the district tournament last spring.

“Being a sophomore and making it to districts (last year) feels really good,” Le said. “I don’t think I would have made it without my coaches, so I really appreciate them putting their hard work in it…my goal is to make it to state this year and step it up from last year.”

Cabrera, meanwhile, will look to use her imposing serve to advance in the postseason this year after qualifying as an alternate to districts last year.

“A lefty’s serve always has a little extra spin, a little extra funk on it,” Nguyen said. “She definitely has that. She has definitely made that a weapon.”

Abes seniors London Hughes and Arijana Zekiri notched the other match win, a 6-3, 6-3 doubles win over the Rams’ May Luu and Young Cho to secure the team victory.

Wilson, meanwhile, got strong play from their number-one doubles team of Alexa Blackman and Brenda Luu. The duo rattled off wins in four straight games in the first set to win 6-3, and took the second set by the same score over the Abes’ Julie Nguyen and Ferdeza Zekiri. Wilson’s Jordan Badilla and Delany Dawson later scored another doubles victory, topping Lincoln’s Deyanna Willis and Diana Zuniga 6-4, 6-4.

Despite most of the roster graduating after this spring, the Abes certainly will be formidable not only in this postseason, but in the years to come with Le and Cabrera at the helm. Nguyen even noted that he may have the duo team up in doubles this postseason to have a stronger chance at making a run to state.

“It makes for a dangerous combination,” Nguyen said. “We’re looking forward to some big things from them.”

It was a week full of a common, unpleasant theme for the Bellarmine Prep softball team. Facing a chance for a big win against a top league foe for the third time in four days, the Lions suffered a narrow defeat, falling 6-4 to South Kitsap at home on April 26.

“It’s a tough league,” said Bellarmine Prep head coach Craig Coovert, noting one-run defeats to first-place Olympia and third-place Gig Harbor earlier in the week. “We know we’ll get a chance come postseason, so all we can do is keep trying to get better and win our final two league games before the tournament.”

With ace pitcher Courtney Schwan out of town for a volleyball tournament, senior Rachel Barcena – who was battling illness – valiantly took the mound for the Lions. After retiring the Wolves in order in the first, Barcena helped herself out at the plate in the bottom half by doubling with one out and scoring two batters later on Becca Sorenson’s squeeze bunt. Alex DeStephano made it 2-0 by scoring on a wild pitch after earlier drawing a walk.

Bellermine still in position for playoffs

South Kitsap pitcher Ashley Chamberlin cut it to 2-1 in the top of the second after reaching on an error and later scoring on a passed ball. Hannah Spohn tied it an inning later with a double to score Alissa Buss, and Haley Romo followed two batters later with a single to score Spohn. But the Lions responded in the bottom half, as DeStephano tied it again by singling and scoring on Alexa Ostrander’s infield single. Celine Woo followed with a bunt single to score Sorenson, regaining the lead for the Lions at 4-3.

“Today we came out and scored most of our runs on bunting and slapping, putting the ball in play and putting the game in motion,” said Coovert, noting that they had focused on small ball in practice the day before. “Now we just need to build on that.”

But the lead was short lived, as Mackenzie Bergstrom led off the Wolves’ fourth with a triple and scored on Madison Watson’s double. Watson and Chelsea Foster then later scored on an error, giving South Kitsap a 6-4 lead.

Freshman Erica Grenlund came on in the fifth to relieve Barcena, escaping a bases-loaded jam by getting Foster to hit into a double play. Grenlund shut out the Wolves the rest of the way, allowing just two hits and one walk.

“She has hardly pitched all year and she was able to shut them down,” Coovert said. “It’s nice to get some good out of a loss.”

The Lions were only able to manage one hit in the final three innings against Chamberlin, who retired the final six batters in a row.

But Bellarmine responded with a big win on April 29, winning 3-1 over Central Kitsap behind DeStephano’s two-run single in the first inning. Schwan also returned to pitch a complete game – allowing just one run on two hits, with no walks and six strikeouts – to help the Lions remain in position for the postseason.

Mount Tahoma was riding a wave of momentum heading into their key match against first-place winning, with a four-game winning streak putting them into the thick of playoff contention. But the Rams proved they were still the team to beat, using Oswald Ramos’ goal less than a minute after halftime to take a 1-0 win over the Thunderbirds on April 30.

“They definitely battled hard,” said Wilson interim head coach Dominick Cusato. “They’re a good team and they’ve been winning games lately. We just outworked them. We just wanted it more. It’s a testament to the boys.”

The Thunderbirds created most of the pressure early, getting the game’s first good look in the 15th minute when Cesar Ramirez’s shot deflected off the crossbar and was grabbed by Rams keeper Matvey Shitik in midair. Ian Karanja added another scoring chance nine minutes later, but his free kick from 20 yards out was deflected out by Shitik.

After not getting a good look at goal in the first half, Ramos caught the Thunderbirds off guard on a counterattack in the 41st minute, outracing the defense and sending a shot into the left netting from the right side.

“They were pinching really hard on one side,” Cusato said. “So I figured we would get the ball to the weak side…it’s (one versus one). We’ll win that battle all day long.”

Mount Tahoma’s Anthony Garibaldi had a couple of good looks at goal in the next 10 minutes but was unable to finish. Thunderbird forwards Brian Wambaa and Ian Karanja used their speed to create some pressure on the outside the remainder of the half, but were unable to create many serious threats.

“We had a lot of pressure, but I don’t think the pressure really translated into chances,” said Mount Tahoma head coach Scott Nelson. “I felt like (Wilson was) on their heels a lot of the time, but that final ball or final decision was a little lacking.”

The win gives the Rams seven league victories and a little bit of cushion for first place, as they look to sew up the league championship when they host Foss on May 2 at 7:15 p.m. at Stadium Bowl. The Thunderbirds, who remained tied for fourth place, will look to stay in playoff position as they faced a match at Timberline on May 2 at 7 p.m.

With five teams still jostling for four playoff spots, Nelson knows there is no more margin for error. “Any of these teams can finish first and any of them can finish fifth. Whichever team does finish fifth is going to be saying ‘woulda, shoulda, coulda.’”

It’s been a trying first season for Stadium baseball coach Barry Fretwell. But with their backs to the wall in a must-win situation, the Tigers beat the Bellarmine Prep Lions 9-4 on April 26 at Heidelberg Park.

Leading the way for Stadium was senior right-hander Ryder Destunder, who gave up only two earned runs and scattered seven hits in a complete-game effort.

“You never know after yesterday (a 10-1 loss at last-place Yelm),” said Fretwell of his hard-to-figure-out Tigers. “We’ve been up and down all year.”

Destunder, who has carried the load for Stadium for most of the year, talked about his outing on this day. “I had my best breaking stuff that I had all year today,” he said. “It was a huge win for us.”

Bellarmine broke on top with a run in each of the first two innings, but also stranded four runners. Trailing 2-1 entering the bottom of the third, Stadium would take the lead for good on a sacrifice fly by Darius Cook to give the Tigers a 3-2 lead. The Tigers would ice it in the sixth with a three-run outburst, with the big blow being a solo home run to right center field by Jake Vieth.

But needing another win against Gig Harbor on April 29 to advance to the league tournament, Tides starter Nick Gagliardi would limit Stadium to just four hits as the Tigers fell by a score of 2-1 to end their postseason chances.

“We’ll learn a lot from this, this was a real tough one to lose,” said Fretwell, as the Tigers look forward to next season. But they’ll also look back on missed opportunities in this game.

Vieth stood tall all afternoon on the mound for Stadium, matching Gagliardi pitch for pitch. The junior left-hander would strike out four through six innings, but Vieth would commit a costly error in the seventh that proved huge. After Gallinger singled to lead off the inning, Vieth threw wide in an errant pickoff attempt to help Gallinger race around to third base. Gallinger would later score on an error by Tiger shortstop Brannon Ronia, and the Tides would took a 2-0 lead into the bottom of the seventh. But Ronia lined a single to left to score Matt Gunn and cut the Gig Harbor lead to 2-1 in the bottom half, and after a walk and an infield error the bases were loaded. But Jake Hinkle would ground back to the mound to end the Tigers’ season.

“Jake (Vieth) hit his locations all afternoon,” Fretwell said. “He had good stuff, including a great curveball that we have been working on all year.”

In looking forward to next season, Fretwell will have to answer the question of who will take over the role of ace of the staff, occupied the past few seasons by Destunder. “That question will be answered early in tryouts next spring, and with the effort by Jake today it could be his in 2014.”

RAINIERS SWEEP WEEKLY AWARDS

Tacoma Rainiers infielder Nick Franklin was named the Pacific Coast League Player of the Week and right-handed starter Andrew Carraway was named the league’s Pitcher of the Week for the week of April 22-28.

Franklin batted .474 with three doubles, one home run, six RBI and seven runs scored during the week. He ranked 10th in the league with nine hits over that span, highlighted by a 5-for-5 outing at Las Vegas on April 25 that saw the 22-year-old hit a pair of doubles, score three runs and produce two RBIs.

Carraway flirted with a no-hitter in his lone appearance over that stretch – a start at Las Vegas on April 26. The right-hander held the 51s hitless through 6.1 innings and ended the night surrendering just two hits and striking out five batters through seven scoreless frames. He has now earned a winning decision in each of his last three starts and has compiled a 3.38 ERA through five outings this season.

This marks the first time Tacoma has swept the weekly league awards since Abraham Nunez won Player of the Week honors and Masao Kida won Pitcher of the Week accolades June 13-19, 2005. 

Through April 29 the Rainiers sat in first place in their division with a 15-10 overall record. They were scheduled to finish off the series against Tucson on May 2 at 7 p.m., and will host Reno on May 3 at 7 p.m., May 4 at 5 p.m., May 5 at 1:30 p.m. and May 6 at 11:30 a.m.

TCC DROPS THREE OF FOUR

Despite losing three of four non-conference contests to Bellevue College last weekend, the Tacoma Community College baseball team sits in second place in the West Region of the NWAACC as they head into their final two series of the year.

The Titans fell 3-2 to Bellevue in the opener on April 27, as starter Lukas Hinton surrendered three runs in seven innings to take his first loss of the season. Hinton, though, sports some strong numbers, including a 4-1 record with a team-leading 1.56 earned run average in 52 innings pitched.

But TCC scored nine runs in the first two innings in the nightcap to take a 9-6 win. Seth Heck – the team leader with 27 RBIs on the season – drove in two runs and went 2-for-3 with a double, while Chad Michaud was 2-for-4 with two RBIs and Austin Johnson hit a three-run homer.

Michaud and Ben Circeo drove in two runs apiece in the opener on April 28, but Bellevue scored six unearned runs – including two in the bottom of the seventh – to take a 7-6 walk-off win. It was the same result for the Titans in the nightcap, as they came back from a 5-1 deficit with four runs in the sixth inning – including a two-run double by Evan Peterson – to tie it. But Bellevue notched another walk-off win in the ninth, with the winning run scoring on a wild pitch.

That left TCC with a 26-10 overall record, and a 12-4 mark in the West Region as they resume conference play by hosting Green River in a doubleheader on May 4 at 1 p.m. and travel to Green River for another doubleheader on May 5 at 1 p.m.

UPS CLOSES WITH A BANG

The Puget Sound baseball team closed their conference slate with a 15-3 win at Willamette on April 28, banging out 20 hits in the process.

The Loggers got on the board with five runs in the third inning, including a three-run homer from designated hitter Christian Carter. They scored six runs in the ninth inning to put the game out of reach, including a two-run double by first baseman Jeff Walton. Left fielder Connor Savage was 4-for-6 with two doubles, three runs scored and two RBIs, while third baseman Kaulana Smith was 3-for-6 with a double and three RBIs. Starter Nathan Aguiar allowed two unearned runs in 6.2 innings pitched, giving up three hits and two walks with four strikeouts.

The Loggers – with a 16-22 overall record and 11-13 mark in conference play – close out their season by hosting Whitman on May 4 at 10 a.m. and Pacific (Ore.) on May 4 at 4 p.m.

SOLID RESULTS AT NWC TRACK MEET

The Pacific Lutheran and Puget Sound track and field teams finished their seasons at the Northwest Conference Championships on April 26-27 in Salem, Ore.

Alicia Burns and Matt Klein headlined the day for UPS on April 27 as the Loggers’ All-NWC honorees. Burns took third in the 800-meter run with a time of two minutes and 19.50 seconds, while Klein earned his second All-NWC honor of the meet by taking third in the 5k after taking second in the 10k on April 26.

Joe Cerne also earned All-NWC status in the pole vault on April 26, vaulting just over 15 feet to take third. His vault was a personal-best and ranks fourth all-time for the Loggers.

Josh Seekatz took second in the steeplechase with a time of nine minutes and 41.08 seconds to earn All-NWC honors on April 26, while Klein came in as the defending champion in the 10k and took second for All-NWC honors. Kathryn Flyte was an All-NWC performer for the women’s team with a third place finish in the 10k. The Loggers’ men placed fifth overall while the women placed seventh.

Pacific Lutheran, meanwhile, placed fourth in the men’s championship while the Lute women placed fifth overall.

Marisa Gonzalez pulled off the biggest surprise for the Lute women on April 26, throwing a personal best mark of 41 feet and 5.25 inches to beat teammate Samantha Potter for the women's shot put championship. Potter won her second straight NWC discus crown for the Lute women with a throw of 142.5 feet, while Taryn Dee finished second in the 400-meter hurdles and Madison Guscott took third in the 400-meter dash in 59.53 seconds.

I.V. Reeves placed in the top seven in all four of his individual events, highlighted by his championship in the 100-meter dash with a time of 10.94 seconds. He had placed seventh in the men's long jump on April 26, finished seventh in the triple jump with a leap of 43 feet and nine inches and capped off his individual event effort by taking fifth in the 200-meter dash in 22.81 seconds.

Kyle Peart, second in the hammer throw on April 26, threw a personal best of 53 feet and 8.25 inches to place second in the shot put.

Paint Tacoma-Pierce Beautiful began transforming Tacoma in 1985, sending out teams to paint homes for free, raising the standards in neighborhoods, restoring dignity to low-income seniors and people with disabilities.

The program is now reinventing itself.

The original concept was pure Tacoma: Give a bunch of volunteers the materials to make one person’s home lovely again. Service clubs, paint suppliers, schools and congregations rallied to it, and Associated Ministries added it to roster of community initiatives. Every year it grew. It expanded into Lakewood, University Place, unincorporated Pierce County.

But members of many of the original congregations have aged, and younger people have not stepped in. City and County grant money has become scarcer. When long-time director Sallie Shawl retired, so did some of the teams she had kept faithful.

You can think of that as waning, or as evolution. The new leaders have chosen the latter, and are adapting the program to new conditions. Amy Allison and Megan Shea are finding ways to meet fresh needs and work with new partners. The buzzword for that is collaboration – a smart strategy driven by dwindling resources.

When Paint was founded, Tacoma was a “Father Knows Best” kind of town. City leaders made policy that city workers carried out with city money. People in tougher neighborhoods felt abandoned – in part, because they were. They demanded better policing, and worked with cops to develop it. In the process, they earned respect, and power, from their new partners. They tried out fresh ideas, including the Broken Window Theory. It maintains that a broken window is a sign that people don’t care about the area, and that it’s open to crime and more blight. Fixing the window demonstrates that the residents claim ownership.

That led to a natural partnership between police and code inspectors.

It is a brilliant success.

Police, alerted to high-crime houses, call in the code inspectors, and they work on the property together. The cops use arrests. The inspectors use code violations. Together they can force the owner to clean it out and clean it up. Tacoma’s neighborhood associations think of the people on these teams as rock stars.

That brings us to the neighborhoods, where groups stemming from Safe Streets, Tacoma Neighborhood Council, community gardens and individual issues are the first to notice trouble spots.

If a long-time neighbor’s grandson has moved in to move drugs, they notice, report and document. If a household has fallen into neglect, or hoarding, they notice, figure out what’s going on, and report.

Paint Tacoma-Pierce Beautiful is a fine fit in this new web of partnerships.

Last year, organizers noticed an odd phenomenon. When they knocked on the doors of homes in bad shape and offered to paint them for free, homeowners declined. Seniors, especially those who are not connected to churches or community groups, didn’t know about Paint. They thought it was a scam.

This year, Shea and Allison are spending their evenings at neighborhood meetings. In the past, Paint reps attended the same meetings, and asked the people at them to form teams and help. Allison and Shea recognize that the people at the meetings are already doing more than their share. Instead of asking them to paint, they are asking them to refer neighbors who need it. They are explaining the applications and leaving copies, and using the website: www.paintbeautiful.org.

They have given Tacoma and Puyallup Tribal police, and code inspectors, applications to hand to homeowners.

That means a trusted neighbor, or a public servant, can offer the free paint job. It also means that the houses that most need the work get applications into the program.

It’s a new, smart approach, and, because Pierce County did not fund the program this year, it is centered on Tacoma and Lakewood.

Paint has made another smart move. In the past, it only painted for low-income seniors or disabled people. It will now paint for any homeowner who meets the low-income guidelines.

While Allison and Shea have been adapting and collaborating, they have been listening and responding.  Metro Parks ‘ Laura Rodriguez of Portland Avenue Community Center and Christine Lucey of Communities in Schools at Oakland High School have told Paint Tacoma that young people are desperate for meaningful, structured summer programs, especially on Tacoma’s East Side. Over the past two years, that neighborhood has lost a summer day camp, a library and a Boys and Girls Club.

Paint has a pilot plan to meet part of that need – a youth mentorship summer paint program. Teams of 10 to 15 young people, mainly in middle and high school, would work with teams of five to six adults to paint several homes on the East Side, near the community center. The young people would earn volunteer hours – and make a visible, positive impact on their neighborhood. They’ll end the summer paint-spattered and proud of it.

Shea and Allison are working with the city, Metro Parks, Pierce County Labor Council and United Way to sort out the details. They intend to start small, but see ways to work with other partners as they expand. They also are getting the word out that they need adult leaders. Teachers, church and service club members, adults who have summer weekdays free are all welcome.

It’s more than a fresh approach. It’s the evolution that will keep a Tacoma treasure strong, fresh and transformative.

The first harvests from local gardens and fields are hitting the streets with the opening of farmers market season around Tacoma and the South Sound. Any number of a variety of markets will take over a local street each day of the week with offerings from fresh veggies to cottage crafts and arts of all sorts, straight from the maker to the buyer.

The largest of these markets is the Broadway Farmers Market that takes over the Theater District each Thursday beginning in May and lasting through the summer. The South Tacoma Farmers Market anchors Sundays while the 6th Avenue Farmers Market holds down the demands of Tuesday shoppers. All three operate under one non-profit management but have their own neighborhood twists.

“Each market is unique,” market organizer Kayla Waldorf said. “Our Thursday market is our flagship market and is our largest (ranges between 80 and 100 vendors) and most metropolitan market (since it is located downtown). It really is a lunch hub for the downtown and business community and provides urban residents with local, farm fresh produce. I think the most interesting thing about this market is the mix of rural and urban cultures that come together in this space.”

This year, Downtown on the Go is bringing Bike Day complete with free bike parking and a bus demonstration to show riders how to load bikes safely and take the bus stress free.

The 6th Avenue market is more of a neighborhood market that has a family-friendly feel with games and activities for younger shoppers.

“We work hard to collaborate with the 6th Avenue Business District to cross promote 6th Avenue as a social hub,” Waldorf said. “This year, we are developing a new community dining space that aims to bring people together each market day and have a communal dinner and meet their neighbor, and our hope is that this will strengthen community ties.”

"Each market is unique." - Kayla Waldorf Market Organizer

The South Tacoma Market is the baby of the bunch. Located at STAR Center, a hub of activity for the South Tacoma community, the partnership allows for everything from food and craft vendors to fitness classes to play areas, with the Boys and Girls Club tossed into the mix.

“This is the perfect location for us because the STAR Center draws in exactly the right clientele,” Waldorf said. “Metro Parks has been extremely welcoming and helpful in the establishment and continued growth of this market and that partnership is so important to the development and feel of the market.”

The Proctor Farmers Market operates outside of the “big three” markets in Tacoma as a way to serve the neighborhood with fresh, locally grown farm products and information about food.

“Our market is unique to the entire county for several reasons,” organizer Lisa Lawrence said. “No. 1, we are a year-round market. Our weekly season runs from the end of March through the third week in December. Then we hold weekly winter markets on the second Saturday in January and February.”

The full calendar comes without “filler” vendors of crafters or art sellers. The market is all farms, all the time.

“We are farmer centered,” Lawrence said. “Our goal is to support local farms and farmers. This is why you don't see arts and crafts vendors at our market.  It's about food and farmers. Five of our nine current board members are farmers.”

Surrounding cities have their own farmers markets that provide day-trip adventures for those seeking fresh food and local products. Gig Harbor, for example, has markets that offer vendors that come from the community for family entertainment and produce.

“We have music for kids every Saturday, free guitar lessons, kids can sing or play percussion instrument,” market manager Dale Schultz said.”There are no storefront businesses at our market.”

6th Avenue Farmers Market

3-7 p.m. Tuesdays, May–Sept.

6th and North Pine Street

http://www.tacomafarmersmarket.com

Broadway Farmers Market

10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursdays, May–Oct.

South 9th Street and Broadway

http://www.tacomafarmersmarket.com

South Tacoma Market

11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sundays, April–September

STAR Center, 3873 S. 66th St.

http://www.tacomafarmersmarket.com

Proctor Farmers Market

9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays, March-Dec.;

10 a.m. to 1 p.m. second Saturdays Jan./Feb.

Corner of North 27th and Proctor Streets

http://www.proctorfarmersmarket.com

Puyallup Farmers’ Market

9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays, April 13–Oct. 12

Puyallup’s Pioneer Park and in the Pioneer Park Pavilion, 330 S. Meridian

http://www.puyallupmainstreet.com

Gig Harbor Farmers Market

11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sundays and Wednesdays, June 2-Sept. 29

Skansie Brothers Park, 3207 Harborview Dr.

http://www.gigharborfarmersmarket.com

Gig Harbor Farmers Market at Uptown Shopping Center

8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays, April 6-May 14

4701 Pt. Fosdick Dr.

http://www.gigharborfarmersmarket.com

Lakewood Farmers Market

11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesdays, June 4 -Sept. 17

Lakewood City Hall, 6000 Main St. SW

http://www.cityoflakewood.us/farmersmarket

Steilacoom Farmers Market

3-7 p.m. Wednesdays, June 15-Sept. 7

Lafayette and Wilkes Streets

http://www.steilacoomfarmersmarket.org

With all the pomp and pageantry befitting a decision that was already made, Tacoma City Council passed Resolution No. 38664 on April 30, its formal endorsement of the North Downtown Central corridor as the choice route for the Tacoma Link Light Rail system expansion.

“The City Council hereby expresses its support for the North Downtown Central (E1) corridor as the preferred alternative for the Tacoma Link Light Rail system expansion project, which will be a significant and important investment in Tacoma and an important addition to the regional transit system,” the resolution states.

The route would run tracks from the current Theater District Station, run up Stadium Way to Martin Luther King Jr. Way and continue down to Hilltop’s South 19th Street. The route is projected to cost $133 million, but $50 million of local partnership dollars is still needed to match Sound Transit and federal grant dollars.

During the public comment period before the formal vote, Hilltop residents championed the route to their neighborhood in hopes that it will push the once troubled area into prosperity.

“The Renaissance is beginning,” resident Aaron Wilson said.

East Side residents countered with their case for tighter connections with the rest of the city and easier access to everyday services such as schools, museums and grocery stores that a Portland Avenue route would bring. They also talked about the economic development potential of having light rail service between the South Sound’s entertainment hub at the Emerald Queen Casino, which recently announced plans for a $200 million expansion, and Tacoma’s tourism industries.

“You don’t want to ignore the golden goose,” Edwina Magrum said, noting the $430 million in local economic activity created by tribal operations each year. “You want to nurture it.”

The endorsement of this route was officially 8-1 with Councilmember David Boe opting out, saying that the route was too expensive, at $50 million a mile, and would fail to create an economic boom the way other routes would have since Hilltop is already improving. Boe believes that the Link will only bring higher buildings and higher rents to make the economics of any new development pencil out. He likened the MLK route to the “compromise” of the current tracks that run along Commerce instead of the original plan of Pacific Avenue only to dead end in what is essentially a back alley of the Theater District.

“It puts a poor decision on a poor decision,” he said. “It will be painfully expensive to expand in the future.”

Councilmember Marty Campbell tossed a “hail Mary” into the political decision with a proposed amendment to the endorsement what would have still championed the MLK route but would have also requested a look at extending the route from Tacoma Dome Station to Portland Avenue if money were available. That route would service the Salishan community, the Portland Avenue mixed-use district, connect industrially zoned open land to commercial hubs, make a step toward connecting Tacoma to Sea-Tac International Airport lines and help solve downtown event parking issues through a partnership with the Puyallup Tribe for use of the Emerald Queen Casino lots. The route would also open up another pool of federal grant dollars that specifically seeks to address transportation issues for federally recognized tribes.

“It may find a way to self fund,” Campbell said.

The amendment was a proposed compromise for a decision that pitted neighborhoods against each other because it contained a section of the main “route not taken” that would have run from Tacoma Dome Station to Portland Avenue and up to East 29th Street at a cost of $119 million. Sound Transit’s local stakeholders group of business and civic leader has endorse the concept of reaching Portland on one end and MLK on the other as a way to connect the Salishan neighborhood to the rest of the city as well as boost economic development around the Dome and East Side as well as tie Hilltop to downtown.

Campbell’s amendment got the backing of Boe, Councilmembers Joe Lonergan and Victoria Woodards, but failed to pass the nine-member council. The remaining council members feared it would weaken the endorsement message as Sound Transit seeks federal grant dollars against other transit projects around the nation.

But now the city finds itself in a position with dueling endorsements going to Sound Transit’s Finance Committee on May 9, before a full board vote expected on May 23. The detailed routing and funding research then starts. Mayor Marilyn Strickland is a Sound Transit Board member.

In other transportation news, council members wore their Transportation Benefit District Governing Board hats this week to formally vote on how to spend the estimated $4 million the city will get this year from the $20 vehicle licensing fee that will start being collected in June to help fund road repairs.

The money does not go far in a city that has an $800 million backlog of needed repairs, but it is something.

Most of it, about $3.6 million, will go toward street repair. About $2 million of that will go toward residential street chip sealing and overlaying, with about $500,000 going toward work on main streets. Specific road repairs – potholes – will receive $1.1 million and make the Tacoma Weekly's Pothole Pig happy.

About $300,000 will go toward curb and sidewalk work and $60,000 will go toward upgrading traffic signals that are failing or based on outdated technology.

The right kinds of calls have been coming in to the Pierce County Sheriff’s detectives behind the Charlie’s Dinosaur drive.

“Our box is full,” said the Tacoma Police officer at substation two.

“We have a lot of coats,” said TPD spokeswoman Loretta Cool at headquarters.

Box after box of donations arrived at the Sheriff’s headquarters in the County-City building.

Pierce County Sheriff’s detective Ed Troyer stopped by the warehouse where Charlie’s Dinosaur shares space with Mission to Mexico and Toys For Tots. There was a crate of rolling suitcases, another of backpacks. Someone had gone to Costco and bought a stack of jammies for toddlers. A big box of markers, crayons and notebooks is pretty good evidence that someone else understands that art is a valuable outlet for children in crisis.

The public’s support – make that your support – of foster children is helping to energize the Charlie’s Dinosaur board members. They are looking for more ways to help kids through the foster care system.

“They are in the process of redoing the visiting rooms at DSHS this spring, the rooms where the kids in foster care visit their parents,” Troyer said. “They are painting, putting in new carpet, getting new toys. The detectives decided that needs to be done for the kids’ sake.”

They are planning a coat drive with Walmart, too, Troyer said.

“When fall rolls around, they’ll walk into schools and see kids dressed in layers, without coats, even in freezing weather,” he said.

So they give coats to those children, even if they are not in foster care.

“They see the kids where the need actually is. It goes straight from us to the kids. Nothing in between.”

We’ll wrap the drive in a couple of weeks. In the meantime, feel free to bring your donations to Tacoma Weekly, 2588 Pacific Highway, Fife, 98424.

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 deaths 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.

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 deaths 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.

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

The Tacoma Weekly, 2588 Pacific Highway, Fife.

As Jake Sterino holds a stack of hand-written letters from customers pleading with him to re-open the much-beloved produce stand, it is clear the community has missed his locally grown, farm fresh produce. But fortunately, the fourth generation family-run farm is listening to its loyal customers. On May 1, Sterino Farms opened a brand new produce stand featuring fresh, local produce sold at a fair price.

“We have a commitment to stay ahead of the curve and grow some of the best produce we can,” - Jake Sterino

This month, the stand will feature rhubarb, leeks, lettuce and more seasonal items, along with gourmet pastas, olive oils, hanging baskets of flowers – just in time for Mother’s Day – and much more.

All produce will be in-season, and the products available at the produce stand will more often than not have been harvested that same day. Much of the produce found in the typical grocery store was harvested an average of 16 days prior due to the time it takes to cool, package, ship and distribute each item, Sterino said. “We harvest and sell our produce the same day, which just tastes better,” he said.

As one of the few local farmers left in a region once known for its agriculture, Sterino simply attributes his farm’s success and longevity to a commitment to quality. “We have a commitment to stay ahead of the curve and grow some of the best produce we can,” Sterino said.

Quality is something Sterino knows firsthand after watching his grandfather and father build the business. Over the decades, customers have become increasingly interested not only in quality, but also in where their produce is coming from. And each Sterino Farms product sold at the produce stand or at the local grocery stores will be as fresh as can be. Sterino farms nearly 700 acres from Fife to Orting, and remains dedicated to keeping the business going as one of the few family-run farms with longstanding roots in the region.

The produce market will be open from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. through mid-June, and until 8 p.m. through the fall.

The Sterino Farms produce market is located at 6116 52nd St. E. in Puyallup.

Do not be surprised if the crowd is just a little bit bigger than usual at Dirty Oscar’s Annex this summer. After Guy Fieri of the Food Network’s “Diners, Drive-ins and Dives” uncovered this hidden culinary hot spot, foodies from around the Northwest are sure to be curious. And with the recent hiring of Chef Geoffrey Bryan Yahn, the restaurant’s elevated bar food will receive a bit of a makeover in the form of fresher, healthier ingredients.

Yahn, with nearly 20 years experience, virtually grew up in the kitchen, first developing an interest in cooking at the age of 10. Some of his favorite childhood memories are going to local farmers markets as a child and learning about what it takes to grow your own food.

He plans to bring his love of farmers markets and fresh produce with him to Dirty Oscar’s, and plans to develop dishes that are as close to guilt-free as they can be. And watch out for even more gluten-free and vegetarian dishes in the future.

Starting May 7 at the nearby 6th Avenue Farmers Market, Dirty Oscar’s will operate a booth featuring special dishes priced at $6-$8, available only at the market: a bulgur, beet and arugula salad with champagne vinaigrette; a sandwich with Tasso ham, smoked gouda, arugula, pickled onion and herb aioli on baguette; and Moroccan couscous salad with quinoa and spring vegetables from the market dressed with sumac vinaigrette. These dishes will be easily portable to allow visitors to continue shopping, and will be available in two sizes.

Dirty Oscar’s recently started getting in on Tacoma’s Taco Tuesday scene, with its own unique salmon taco, featuring light white sauce, paired with tequila cocktails and glasses of wine on special.

Although there are no plans for a menu overhaul at the moment, watch out for daily specials and previews of Yahn’s own dishes, which he describes as “whimsical.”

For more information about the restaurant, visit http://www.dirtyoscarsannex.com. Dirty Oscar’s Annex is located at 2309 6th Ave. in Tacoma.