Arts & Entertainment Community

Harbor Happenings: A groovy Labor Day on Fox Island

Posted on August 29th, 2023 By:

For a totally retro way to celebrate Labor Day, head to the Nichols Center on Fox Island for a full day of family fun, classic cars and food, capped with musical tributes to the Beach Boys and the flashy “girl groups” of the Motown era.

The Tennessee-based Sail On Beach Boys Tribute and the Jewel Tones perform at the Fox Island Community Recreation Association’s  Labor Day Festival starting at 2 p.m. Monday.

Sail On plays the timeless songs of surfing, cruising, dancing and dreaming from the Beach Boys catalog. The Jewel Tones pay homage to the female Motown bands like Dianna Ross, the Supremes, Martha and the Vandellas and the Shirelles, complete with sparkly costumes and amazing wigs.

Tickets cost $20 for FICRA members and $35 for nonmembers. Kids 16 and younger are free with a paying adult. Buy tickets here.

The Nichols Center is at 690 9th Ave. on Fox Island.

Art walk

Artists will demonstrate and discuss their work during this month’s Gig Harbor ArtWalk, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 2, at galleries around town.

The demos happen between 1 and 3 p.m. Among them will be:

  • Photographer Todd Moses at Ebbtide Gallery, 3004 Harborview Dr.
  • Watercolorist Beth Owens at Gallery Row, 3102 Harborview Dr.
  • Silk scarf painter Karen Petrillose at Water’s Edge, 7808 Pioneer Way
  • Barbara Bleich and Roberta Wagner at Mavi Contemporary Art Gallery, 3126 Harborview Dr.
  • Eva Battle at Harbornest, 3311 Harborview Dr.
  • Colibri Soul Studios will demonstrate basket coiling at dArtFrog, off Pioneer Way behind Ebbtide.
  • Lisa Eui will demonstrate encaustics at Frills, 4121A Harborview Dr.

Other participating galleries include Woodstock Gift Gallery, 3120 1/2 Harborview Dr., and Gretche Giese Artworks, 7801 Pioneer Way.

Last chance for quilts

The Not Your Mother’s Quilt show at the Gig Harbor Library closes Wednesday, Aug. 30. The show features handmade work by members of the Gig Harbor Quilters Guild. The library is at 4424 Point Fosdick Road.

Looking ahead

  • The Gig Harbor City Council will meet for a study session at 3 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 7, at the Civic Center, 3510 Grandview St., to discuss revisions to the city’s flag display policy. Read the policy here. The meeting will be streamed via Zoom.
  • Airport Day at the Tacoma Narrows Airport is from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 9, with an antique aircraft show, STEM activities for kids and hands-on displays of aircraft used by first responders and the military.
  • The fall plant swap, sponsored by several local gardening groups, takes place from 10 to 11 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 9, in the HomeGoods parking lot in Uptown. Bring your extra plants, garden tools, books and other gardening paraphernalia.
  • Bicycle riders are invited to the Fall Family Bike Blast from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 10, at Chapel Hill Church. The event includes live music, food, a bounce house, face painting and other family friendly activities. Chapel Hill is at 7700 Skansie Ave.
  • Tickets are on sale now for the Sept. 23 Cider Swig, which has moved across the bridge to the LeMay Car Museum in Tacoma. Get tickets here.