Arts & Entertainment Community

Harbor Happenings | Honor the fallen this Memorial Day

Posted on May 19th, 2026 By: Charlee Glock-Jackson

Haven of Rest Cemetery, 8503 State Highway 16, honors the fallen with its annual Day of Remembrance at noon on Memorial Day, Monday, May 26.

The ceremony offers the chance to honor, remember and reflect on the sacrifices of veterans, especially those lost. Following the ceremony, guests can enjoy free hotdogs and a classic car show.

A 21-gun salute at the beginning of the 2024 Gig Harbor Memorial Day ceremony at Haven of Rest Funeral Home in Gig Harbor. Photo by Vince Dice

American Legion Greater Gig Harbor Post 236 will host a Memorial Day ceremony at 10 a.m. Monday, May 25, at Artondale Cemetery, 5512 Hunt St. The ceremony includes music, an honor guard and a color guard, remembering those who gave all.

Mvinyo Winery and Nelly’s African Kitchen will host a five-course dinner honoring local veterans at 5:30 p.m. Saturday, May 23, at the Yacht Club, 8209 Stinson Ave. Tickets prices start at $135, and a portion of each ticket will support the Wounded Warrior Project. Buy tickets here.

Farmers Market opens Thursday

Opening Day of the Waterfront Farmers Market is from 1 to 6 p.m. Thursday, May 21, at Skansie Brothers Park.

A full line-up of vendors will sell products like fresh berries and produce, flowers, herbs and local honey, as well as arts and crafts items and prepared foods. Gig Harbor Mayor Mary Barber will cut the ribbon to officially open the market at 1 p.m. Singer-songwriter Lakin will provide the music for opening day, and Kathleen Rose of WillaBella Farm will lead a kid-oriented hands-on activity about propagating figs and the importance of healthy food systems.

The fountain at Skansie Brothers Park during opening day of the Waterfront Farmers Market on May 22, 2025. Photo by Vince Dice

A free ADA-accessible shuttle will run every 15 minutes throughout the day, with stops at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Rosedale St. and the United Methodist Church on Pioneer Way. Shoppers can park for free at either location.

Click here to read more about the market.

Mosquito Fleet Festival

The Mosquito Fleet Festival takes place Saturday and Sunday, May 23 and 24, at various locations in Port Orchard. The festival celebrates the historic passenger ferries that once criss-crossed the Puget Sound region.

Activities include sailings aboard the Mosquito Fleet boats Carlisle II and Virginia V, with on-the-water tales from bygone days. Other events include the weekly farmers market on Saturday; a maritime market Saturday and Sunday; live music; a scavenger hunt; book sale; family games and art; a performance of “Pirates of Penzance” and more. Click here for more information.

The Virginia V passes through Colvos Passage, between Ollala and Vashon Island, on its way from Gig Harbor to Port Orchard on Sunday, May 17. Photo by Julie Warrick Ammann

History museum events

Harbor History Museum will present a free lecture by costume designer Diane Johnson titled “Hidden Layers: How Women’s Undergarments have Shaped Ladies’ Liberties” at 6 p.m. Thursday, May 21.

The discussion will “pull back the layers of satin and silk” to see how the evolution of women’s underwear parallels the ongoing struggle for gender equality. It’s sponsored by Humanities in the Harbor and continues the theme of the museum’s current exhibition “The Hostess with the Mostest.”

A show in museum’s lobby features a small selection of work by Gig Harbor’s Jini Dellaccio, a groundbreaking photographer who photographed local bands and midcentury fashions.

The museum is located at 4121 Harborview Dr. and is open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday.

Reminiscences of a nature walk

Naturalist Chris Rurik will share his memories of a walk through the “wild side” of the Key Peninsula at 2 p.m. Saturday, May 23, at the Gig Harbor Library, 4424 Point Fosdick Dr.

Rurik will talk about things he encountered – like bears, champion trees, eelgrass meadows and other natural wonders. Rurik, who calls himself a “naturalist spy,” is the author of Infinite Peninsula, a newsletter chronicling his adventures “through the worlds of wild creatures and home places.”

Fun and games

Hidden Harbor Wine Library, 8805 N. Harborview Dr., Suite 204, has bingo at 4:30 p.m. Mondays.

Locust Cider, 3207 57th St. Ct. has Trivia Night at 6 p.m. Wednesdays. Locust will host the monthly Harborcade Pinball Tournament at 6 p.m. Thursday, May 21, with a $5 entry fee. The cidery sponsors a crushed glass art party at 2 p.m. Sunday, May 24, in which participants can create an original artwork using crushed glass. The price is $45 or $60 depending on project size, and includes all materials and instruction. Sign up here.

Thursday is Trivia Night at Ocean5 starting at 6 p.m. All ages are welcome at 5268 Point Fosdick Dr. NW (near Fred Meyer).

Thursday is also Trivia Night at The Beer Vault, 14004 Purdy Dr., with games starting at 6:30 p.m. The Vault also hosts Music Bingo at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 20. Monday, May 25 is Bunco Night at the Beer Vault. It’s free, starting at 6:30 p.m.

The Float has karaoke Fridays at 8 p.m. Sing your rock-star-heart out at 14511 Sherman Dr. NW in Purdy.

Live music

Kimball Coffeeshop has an open mic at 5:30 p.m. Thursdays at 6659 Kimball Dr. The Mark DuFresne Band plays the blues at Kimball in a South Sound Blues Association-sponsored at 7 p.m. Friday, May 22.

The Grifting Cowboys — with the “comfort country” twang of Hank Williams and George Jones and the harmonies of the Eagles, Jimmy Buffett and others — take the stage at Olalla Winery Friday, May 22 at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $20 here.

LowLight Room, with singer-songwriter Ralph Flick, provides the music at Locust Cider at 6 p.m. Saturday, May 23. Locust is at 3207 57th St. Ct.

Chrissy Dykes plays a mix of country, pop and indy folk at 7 p.m. Saturday, May 23, at The Beer Vault, 14004 Purdy Dr.

Ongoing events

The Ross Tello Lego Drive continues through May 29 to benefit local kids and teens who are in Seattle Children’s Hospital facing long illnesses. Take new, unopened Lego sets to the Civic Center, 3510 Grandview St. Click here for more information about the drive.

Registration is open for the BoatShop’s Maritime Summer Camps for kids age 7 to 13. The camps are geared to specific age groups and provide hands-on learning experiences in the BoatShop and on the water. Register here.

Registration is open for the city of Gig Harbor’s Fourth of July parade. The city-sponsored America250 celebration will also include pie-eating and pie-baking contests, food vendors and other family friendly activities. Sign up for the parade here.

The Gig Harbor Yacht Club sponsors sailboat racing at 6 p.m. Thursdays, featuring the Gig Harbor-designed Thunderbird fleet and other boats. Races can be viewed from anywhere on the downtown waterfront.

Tacoma Community College’s exhibition of photographs by Emily J. Won continues at the Gig Harbor campus through June 12.

At the movies

The Gig Harbor Film Festival’s Monday Movie for May is “Tow,” showing at 6:30 pm. Monday, May 25, at the Galaxy Theatres in Uptown. It’s based on a true story of Amanda Ogle, who lives in her aging car on the streets of Seattle. When the car – her only lifeline – is stolen and impounded, she is thrust into a relentless legal battle against an indifferent system.

This week’s SummerFest movie is “Despicable Me 4” showing at 10:15 and 11:15 a.m. Tuesday, May 19; 10 a.m. and 3:20 p.m. Wednesday, May 20; and 10 a.m. and 12:35 p.m. Thursday, May 20. Starting Friday, May 22, the SummerFest movie is “Racing Stripes” – about a zebra who grows up believing he’s a racehorse. Showtimes are 10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Friday, May 22; 10 a.m. Saturday and Sunday, May 23 and 24; 10:30 a.m. Monday, May 25; and 10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 26. SummerFest movies are just $3.50.

The Flashback Cinema movie on Wednesday, May 20, at the Galaxy is “Shrek 25^th Anniversary” showing at 12:45 and 6 p.m. On Sunday, May 24 and Monday, May 25 it’s Grease” starring John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John. Showtimes are 12:30 p.m. Sunday, and 1 p.m. Monday. Flashback movies are just $7.

The Galaxy’s Classic movie Monday, May 25 is “Bullitt,” the 1968 action flick with Steve McQueen as an all-guts-no-glory San Francisco cop determined to find the underworld kingpin who killed the witness in his protection. Showtime is 10 a.m. Classic movies are just $5.

Friday’s Fright Night film on May 22 is “Zombie Land” about a band of survivors that fights the living dead while the crossing the nation from coast to coast. Showtime is 8:45 p.m. Fright Night tickets are just $6.

Always confirm showtimes with the theater, in case there are last-minute changes.

Civic engagement

The Gig Harbor City Council meets at 5:30 p.m. Monday, May 26, at the Civic Center, 3510 Grandview St. Tentative agenda items include approval of a contract covering construction, materials testing and construction support for the 38th Avenue project and an agreement with Parametrix for a Soundview Drive Stormwater Park feasibility study. City meetings can also be viewed via Zoom.