Arts & Entertainment Community

Harbor Happenings | Retired Peninsula High teacher’s work on display at museum

Posted on October 6th, 2026 By: Charlee Glock-Jackson

Harbor History Museum will host an art show of paintings by retired Peninsula High School art teacher Curtiss Hall, with an opening reception from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 9.

A painting by retired Peninsula High art teacher Curtiss Hall.

The show is dubbed Hidden in Plain Sight … Boats Floats and Ropes. Hall will be at the reception to talk about his work and his “watercolor batik” painting technique, a multi-step process inspired by the textile ink-and-wax tradition. Each artwork is mounted on wave-worn wooden boards gathered from the Salish Sea, and each evokes memories of favorite maritime places and spaces.

Admission is free to museum members or $5 for non-members. The museum is at 4121 Harborview Dr.

A painting by retired Peninsula High art teacher Curtiss Hall.

Book discussion

The Gig Harbor Literary Society meets at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 6, at Harbor History Museum to discuss “Rough Trade” by Katrina Carrasco. It’s a novel set in 1888 Washington Territory that follows Alma Rosales, an ex-detective living as a male stevedore named Jack Camp, who runs a dangerous opium-smuggling operation in Tacoma. Book discussions are free and open to everyone, whether or not you’ve read the book.

Cemetery mapping

Harbor History Museum volunteer Bruce Morse will discuss the techniques he uses to survey and restore the historic Burley Cemetery at 5 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 7, at the museum. Morse will talk about the preservation work involved in cleaning weathered grave markers and the research he conducted to uncover their stories. Admission is free for museum members or $5 for non-members. RSVP to [email protected].

Project manager Bruce Morse observes the canine search Thursday.

Bruce Morse at the Burley Cemetery in 2024.

Emergency preparation class

Gig Harbor Fire and Medic One will host a Safety and Sanitation Emergency Preparation course at 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 8, at the district’s headquarters facility, 10222 Bujacich Road. Learn to protect your home and maintain hygiene during an emergency, including how to shut of a gas utility and how to operate a fire extinguisher. The class is free but registration is required here.

Crew School

Learn basic crew member skills and get a taste of what it’s like to crew on a purse seiner during the Gig Harbor BoatShop’s Crew School.

Classes take place Oct 9, 10 11, 13 and 14 at the BoatShop and on the water. Along with the basics of net mending, navigation, line handling and on-deck skills, Crew School also includes the U.S. Coast Guard-approved Sea Safety and Survival course. Tuition for the Crew School course is $200. Sign up here.

A separate Sea Safety class will be held from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 11. The class meets the training requirements of the Commercial Fishing Safety Act to conduct drills and combines lecture and hands-on experience with the safety and survival equipment now required for commercial fishing vessels. Tuition is $100 for BoatShop members or $125 for non-members. Register here.

At the library

Humanities Washington will present Philosophy With Young People (an Educators Workshop) at 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 10, at the Gig Harbor Library, 4424 Point Fosdick Dr.

Karen S. Emmerman, PhD, will lead the discussion about young people’s philosophical abilities, how doing philosophy differs from teaching philosophy, and how educators can help cultivate a lifetime of curiosity and discovery. Emmerson is education director for the Philosophy Learning and Teaching Organization and an affiliate instructor in philosophy at the University of Washington. The workshop is free, with no pre-registration needed.

Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is Nov. 1 and 2. Teens can learn about the significance of the holiday at this week’s Teen Creative Space from 4 to 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 13, at the Gig Harbor Library. Artist and educator Vaquero Azul will create an ofrenda – or altar – and talk about the meanings of common Dia de los Muertos offerings and symbols.

Fun and games

The Beer Vault, 14004 Purdy Dr., hosts music bingo at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 7. The Vault also has trivia at 6:30 p.m. Thursdays.

The Float has Tank’d Up Trivia games at 7:15 p.m. Wednesdays, with prizes to the top three finishers, and karaoke from 8 p.m. to midnight Fridays. The tavern is at 14511 Sherman Dr. NW in Purdy.

Ocean5 has family bingo at 5:30 p.m. Wednesdays and Let’s Get Quizzical Trivia at 6 p.m. Thursdays at 5268 Point Fosdick Dr. NW.

Hidden Harbor Wine Library, 8805 N. Harborview Dr. Suite 204, hosts bingo on Mondays and canasta on Thursdays. Games start at 4:30 p.m.

Live music

The Harbor Ukulele Group gets together from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturdays at the Gig Harbor Library, 4424 Point Fosdick Dr., to share tunes. Newcomers are welcome.

Kimball Coffeehouse hosts an open mic on Thursdays, with signups at 5:30 p.m. and music starting at 6 p.m. The True Romans take the Kimball stage at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 9, for a free, family-friendly show.

Saxophonist and flutist Mark Lewis and pianist Bill Anschell play jazz at Olalla Winery at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 9. Tickets are $20 here.

Bottoms Up plays dance and rock at 8:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 9, at the Float in Purdy.

At the movies

The Flashback Cinema movie at the Galaxy Theatres in Uptown on Wednesday, Oct. 7, is “The Shining,” showing at 6 p.m. On Sunday, Oct 11, it’s the original “Beetlejuice,” starring Michael Keaton. Showtime is 1 p.m. Flashback movies are just $7.

The Galaxy’s Fright Night flick on Oct. 9 is the 1931 version of “Frankenstein,” with Boris Karloff, Max Clarke and Colin Clive. Fright Night shows start at 8:45 p.m., with tickets just $5.

The Galaxy Classic on Monday, Oct. 12, is the 1939 original version of “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” starring Lon Chaney. Showtime is 10 a.m., with tickets just $5.

Also on Monday, Oct. 12, the Galaxy will show a Mystery Movie at 7 p.m. It’s a surprise film with no title reveal until showtime.

In tribute to the late Dolly Parton, the Galaxy will have special showings of “9 to 5.” According to the Galaxy’s website, Disney will donate a portion of the proceeds from each ticket to The Dollywood Foundation to support Parton’s Imagination Library. Showtimes are 1:45 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 10; 3:30 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 11; and 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 13.

Civic engagement

The Gig Harbor City Council meets for a study session at 1 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 6, at Eddon Park Boatyard House, 3805 North Harborview Dr. Council members will review of the city’s proposed 2027-28 budget. They will do the same during a second study session at 1 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 8, at the Civic Center on Grandview Street. Council meetings are streamed via Zoom.

Attorneys from TacomaProBono will offer free advice on civil questions like landlord-tenant issues, domestic issues, divorce and more from 4 to 6 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 13, at the Gig Harbor library, 4424 Point Fosdick Dr.