Arts & Entertainment Community
Harbor Happenings: Scarecrow Festival launches Halloween season
It’s beginning to look a lot like Halloween, with spooky critters appearing in front yards and piles of pumpkins at every grocery store entrance.
The Scarecrow Festival at Sehmel Homestead Park from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 7, provides a preview of the holiday. The event includes hayrides and a petting zoo, pumpkin carving demonstrations, carnival games, food trucks and live music and a scarecrow contest. And, of course, the launching of pumpkins, using giant slingshots set up for that purpose.
Gig Harbor Peninsula FISH Food Bank and the Gig Harbor Kiwanis host a donation station accepting food and personal care items.
Parking at Sehmel for Scarecrow Festival is always a challenge. PenMet will offer free shuttle service from Gig Harbor High School, with the first bus leaving the school at 10:45 a.m. and the last one departing Sehmel at 4 p.m.
A pumpkin takes flight at the 2022 Scarecrow Festival at Sehmel Homestead Park. Vince Dice
Anyone can enter the scarecrow contest through Friday, Oct. 6. Prizes will be awarded for the Most Creative, Most Unique, People’s Choice and PenMet Parks’ Choice. For contest rules, click here.
A pumpkin carved with Guardians of the Galaxy characters at the 2022 Scarecrow Festival.
Photo walk
Local photographer Ron Norris will lead a photo walk along the downtown waterfront Saturday, Oct. 7, as part of the annual Worldwide Photo Walk. It’s free and open to all ages and skill levels. Meet at the Skansie Park Pavilion at 8:45 a.m. Click here to register.
ArtWalk
This month’s ArtWalk takes place from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 7, at eight downtown galleries. Artists will demonstrate their techniques at a number of locations, including woodworkers Micayla and Dale McDaniels at Ebbtide and stained glass artist Marty Bobrowski at Gallery Row from 1–3 p.m.
ArtWalk activities are free. Participating galleries include Ebbtide, Gallery Row, Waters Edge, Mavi, Harbornest, Woodstock, dArtFrog and Gretchen Giese Artworks.
Pier peer
Harbor WildWatch brightens the “Dark Season” with monthly Pier into the Night events on the first Saturday of the month, from October through March.
Divers use an underwater camera to live-stream what they find lurking below the surface. WildWatch biologists and volunteers identify the flora and fauna that appear on the big screen.
Past Pier into the Nights included frequent sightings of feather-duster tube worms; Red Irish lord, sculpin and gunnels; squid; octopus and several species of crabs. This Saturday’s “pier” takes place at Jerisich Dock, starting at 7 p.m. Bring a chair and dress for the weather.
Pier Into the Night
Girls Night Out
Uptown Gig Harbor resumes its Girls Night Out, a popular event that has been dormant for more than a decade, from 3 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 5.
More than two dozen businesses will have special sales, raffles and other fun activities. Many will offer free refreshments. Fondi Pizza will have live music provided by Josh Brulotte from 5 to 8 p.m.
Pick up a free shopping bag and passport at the Uptown pavilion starting at 3 p.m. Have your passport stamped by participating merchants, then turn it in at Greenhouse restaurant by 8:15 p.m. to enter a drawing for a prize.
Teen Tuesdays at the library
Autumn brings special activities for teens every Tuesday at the library, with snacks, games and art projects. This week’s Teen Tuesday activity is Mood Boards. Future programs will include rock painting, mandala coloring, fluffy slime games and a movie night. Teen Tuesdays start at 4 p.m. The library is located at 4424 Point Fosdick Drive.
Music
Kimball Coffeehouse hosts an open mic every Thursday, starting at 5 p.m. Jeff Murray hosts this week, Oct. 5. Musicians, poets, jugglers and all manner of other entertainers are welcome to participate. Friday night, Oct. 6, The husband-wife duo Champagne Sunday plays glam-gypsy-punk rock at Kimball on Friday, Oct. 6. Doors open at 6 p.m. Music starts at 7 p.m.
Melanie Vail and Friends play smooth jazz, pop, country and blues in the Loft at Olalla Winery at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 6. Make reservations here.
Art
Paintings by the Puget Sound Sumi Artists are on display at Tacoma Community College’s Gig Harbor campus through Dec. 8. The exhibit showcases the many aspects and techniques: monochrome ink and brush, contemporary mark-making with color, shodo calligraphy, haiga (haiku poetry paintings), gongbi (“meticulous style”) and freehand style. The show is open during regular campus hours at 3993 Hunt Street.
At the movies
The Flashback Cinema movie at the Galaxy Uptown Theatres at 1 and 6 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 4, is “Lord of the Rings: The Two Tours.” The Flashback movie at noon and 6 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 8, is “The Twilight Saga – Eclipse.” Flashback movies are just $5.
Civic engagement
The Gig Harbor City Council meets at 5:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 9, to discuss a proposed climate action plan and a proposed urban forest management plan. The council will also review an agreement with the Harbor History Museum for management of the Masonic Lodge. The meeting takes place at the civic center on Grandview Street and via Zoom.