Arts & Entertainment Community

Harbor Happenings: Paddlers Cup races are this weekend

Paddlers of all ages and skill levels can take part in the Paddlers Cup races Saturday and Sunday, April 20 and 21, at Ancich and Skansie Parks.

Now in its 11th year, the Paddlers Cup features two days of racing for kayaks, canoes, stand-up and prone paddleboards, outriggers, para-canoes and dragon boats. It’s a fundraiser for the Gig Harbor Canoe and Kayak Racing Team, whose members have won multiple national championships and Olympic medals. To participate in the Paddlers Cup, register here.

Dragon Boats race during the 2023 Paddlers Cup. Photo by Chapin Day

Poetry in the Harbor

Celebrate National Poetry Month on Thursday, April 18, as Tacoma Community College-Gig Harbor presents the annual Poetry in the Harbor event. Four poets will read from their work and discuss their creative processes:

• Tacoma resident Asha Berkes is director for Educational Partnerships for Write253 and teaches poetry at Tacoma School of the Arts.
• Kathleen Byrd, from Olympia, teaches writing at South Puget Sound Community College. Her poetry explores deep relationships to place and attention to dreams.
• Josie Emmons Turner is a former Tacoma Poet Laureate. She now calls Gig Harbor home.
• Tacoma writer Michael Haeflinger is the author of several books of poetry including the audio book “Let’s Don’t be Crazy.”
• Emcee Allen Braden’s writings have been published in many literary reviews. He was awarded a fellowship for the National Endowment for the Arts and has taught at TCC since 2000.

The class fee for Poetry in the Harbor is $25. Register here.

Planting and clean up

The Gig Harbor Downtown Waterfront Alliance is looking for volunteers to help tidy up the waterfront in Millville, the museum and Finholm districts from noon to 3 p.m. Friday, April 19. Tasks include weeding, spreading mulch, cleaning benches and more. To join the crew email [email protected] with the subject “Pop Up.”

Tales at the BoatShop

Where would we be without bugs? They pollinate flowers, fruit and vegetables; they are important food for salmon and other fish; they make honey and they help make compost.

Kids age 3-8 can learn more about bugs Thursday, April 18, at the monthly Tales at the BoatShop. “Going Buggy” is this month’s theme as volunteer Cindy Hackett reads “Wait and See” by Helen Frost and Rick Leider; “Dancing Feet” by Lindsey Craig and Marc Brown and “Peep Inside Bug Homes” by Anna Milbourn and Simona Dimitri.

Kids will sing some songs, do a little dance and make an insect puppet. “Tales” starts at 10:30 a.m. at the Boatyard House (the brick house next to the BoatShop at 3805 Harborview Drive). It’s free and drop-ins are welcome, but all kids must be accompanied by an adult.

Free trees

The city of Gig Harbor is partnering with the Tacoma Tree Foundation for a free tree giveaway Saturday, April 20, at Donkey Creek Park. According to organizers, a variety of trees and shrubs will be available including large and small species of evergreens and deciduous trees.

Tree specialists will be on hand to help select the right tree for a specific planting site, and printed planting guides are provided with each tree. The trees are typically in 1-, 2- and 3-gallon pots and stand 1-6-feet tall. The giveaway runs from 10 a.m.–1 p.m. or until organizers run out of trees. Arrive early to get the best selection.

Live music

Roeman and the Whereabouts take the stage Friday, April 19, at Kimball Coffeeshop. Band members credit Marvin Gaye, Otis Redding, Al Green and Stevie Wonder for their inspiration and songs. Doors open at 6 p.m.; music starts at 7 p.m. Free; all ages welcome.

Olalla Winery hosts The Fabs for a night of Beatles covers at 6:30 p.m. Friday, April 19. Seating is limited. $15 cover. Reserve tickets here.

At the movies

The Flashback Cinema movie at the Galaxy Theatres Uptown on Wednesday, April 17, is “The Dark Night” – considered by many to be the best Batman movie ever made. Showtimes are 11:30 a.m. and 6 p.m. The Flashback movie on Saturday and Sunday, April 20 and April 21, is “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire” playing at 11:30 a.m. and 6 p.m. Flashback movies are just $5.

The Met Opera’s performance of Puccini’s bittersweet love story “La Rondine” plays at 9:55 a.m. Saturday. This rendition features soprano Angel Blue as the French courtesan Magda, opposite tenor Jonathan Tetelman as Ruggero. Soprano Emily Pogorelc and tenor Bekhzod Davronov complete the cast as Lisette and Prunier. Speranza Scappucci conducts the orchestra as Nicolas Joël’s Art Deco-inspired staging transports audiences from the heart of Parisian nightlife to a dreamy vision of the French Riviera.

Civic engagement

The Gig Harbor City Council will meet at 5:30 p.m. Monday, April 22, in the Civic Center on Grandview Street. Tentative agenda items include a quarterly budget report from city staff, a presentation of the Downtown Waterfront Alliance’s annual report and appointment of new members to the parks and arts commissions. Council meetings can also be accessed via Zoom.