Arts & Entertainment Community
Harbor Happenings | Behind the names of Washington places
How did Washington towns, schools and some well-known products get their names? Seattle-based historian Feliks Banel will answer those questions at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 22, at Harbor History Museum.
Banel will present “All over the Map: Stories Behind the Names of Washington Places and Things.” He will delve into how the names often reflect deeper, even challenging, meanings — and he’ll include a few “hyper local” place names.
Banel served as deputy director of Seattle’s Museum of History and Industry (MOHAI) and has produced Edward R. Murrow Award-winning radio shows and podcasts and Emmy-winning TV documentaries about local history. The discussion is part of the museum’s Humanities Washington series and coincides with the museum’s annual meeting at 4421 Harborview Drive. Reservations are recommended. RSVP to [email protected].
Humanities Washington and its partners create events led by cultural experts, scholars and storytellers who discuss everything from Washington state history to philosophy to current social issues.
Pier into the Night
Harbor WildWatch hosts a Pier into the Night underwater adventure at 5 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 21, at 7Seas Brewing. Divers will livestream the sea life they encounter and project videos on a big screen set up on the pier, as WildWatch biologists identify what’s being shown. Expect to see crabs, tube worms, gunnels and sculpin and maybe even a giant Pacific octopus.
Band Boosters fundraiser
Gig Harbor Band Boosters will take over Applebee’s restaurant at 4827 Point Fosdick Dr. from 8 to 10 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 24, for a fundraiser for the band. The restaurant will donate half of the proceeds to the boosters. A $12 ticket includes pancakes, scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, juice and coffee, all served by band members. Buy tickets here.
Fun and games
Locust Cider, at 3207 57th St. Ct . (next to the Inn at Gig Harbor), hosts trivia night at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 21. The monthly Harborcade pinball tournament happens at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 22, with signups at 6 p.m. and a $5 entry fee. The cidery hosts pottery workshops, led by Dust and Dashes, on Friday, Jan. 23, and Sunday, Jan. 25. The $90 fee includes instruction, clay, glazes and all firings. This month’s workshop focuses on making two cups. Register here.
Seahawks watch parties
At least three local watering holes are hosting watch parties for the NFC Championship Game on Sunday, Jan. 25. Watch the Seahawks take on the Los Angeles Rams at the Beer Vault, 14004 Purdy Dr.; The Float, 14611 Sherman Dr. in Purdy; or the Tides, 2925 Harborview Dr. Kickoff is 3:30 p.m.
Live music
The Peninsula School District Choral Festival begins at at 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 22, at Kopachuck Middle School. The Goodman Middle School advanced band and chorus also will perform Commencement Bay Music Educators Association event at Silas High School in Tacoma at 7 p.m. Jan. 24.
Christopher Hasbrook plays music inspired by country and rock at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 23, at the Olalla Winery. Get tickets here.
Kimball Coffeeshop hosts Eric’s Main Connection, at 7 p.m. Friday Jan. 23. Note that there is no open mic at Kimball this week.
At the movies
Jan. 26 is “Hummingbird Night” at the Gig Harbor Film Festival’s monthly Monday Movie Night at the Galaxy Theaters in Uptown, starting with a showing of “The Bird in my Backyard,” followed by “Every Little Thing.” “Every Little Thing” is a deceptively simple story about the Los Angeles Hummingbird Rescue and its founder Terry Masear and two baby hummingbirds she rescued. “The Bird in my Backyard” follows a citizen scientist as he documents the journeys of two hummingbirds in his urban garden. Everyone who attends will be entered into a raffle for a hummingbird-themed gift basket. Showtime is 6:30 p.m. Monday, Jan. 26. Reserve tickets here.
The Flashback Cinema movie at the Galaxy is “Mean Girls” showing at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 21. On Sunday, Jan 25, it’s “Interstellar,” a futuristic epic from filmmaker Christopher Nolan. It follows a team of astronauts who embark on a mission to find a new home for the human race after a disastrous agricultural famine devastates Earth. Interstellar showtime is 11:30 a.m. Flashback movies are just $5.
Opera lovers won’t want to miss the Met’s big screen presentation of “The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay,” an operatic adaptation of Michael Chabon’s Pulitzer prize-winning novel about two Jewish cousins who create a comic book superhero, hoping to recruit America into the fight against Nazism. Jan. 24 showtime is 1 p.m.
The Galaxy’s Classic Movie on Monday, Jan. 26 is “Gigi” starring Leslie Caron as the high-spirited Gigi and Louis Jourdan ais the jaded aristocrat who falls for her. Maurice Chevalier and Hermione Gingold sing a memorable duet in this classic that won nine Academy Awards (the most for any musical) including Best Picture. Showtime is 10 a.m.
Civic engagement
Learn about Peninsula School District’s upcoming Replacement Educational Programs and Operations Levy at a public information forum at 4:45 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 20 at Swift Water Elementary School, 10811 Harbor Hill Drive. The levy will be on the Feb. 10 ballot. It accounts for about 17% of the districts overall budget and helps fund ongoing school operations and programs. A similar meeting will be held at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 27 at Evergreen Elementary School on the Key Peninsula. Click here for more information about the levy.
The Gig Harbor City Council will meet at 5:30 p.m. Monday, Jan. 26, at the Civic Center, 3510 Grandview St. Agenda items include the election of the 2026 mayor pro tempore; adoption of the Crescent Creek Park Master Plan; council committee assignments and quarterly finance and budget reports from the city’s finance director.
Looking ahead
The annual Night to Shine is a night honoring young people with special needs. It’s filled with music, dancing, food, karaoke, prom photos, limo rides and fun. This year it will take place at the Tom Taylor YMCA on Feb.13. The organizers are calling for volunteers to be “buddies” with the kids – to walk with them during the night and make sure they feel celebrated and loved. Volunteers must be 16 years and older, and will be asked to complete a background check. Click here to volunteer.