Arts & Entertainment Community

Harbor Happenings: Film Fest, Cider Swig and more

Posted on September 20th, 2022 By: Charlee Glock-Jackson

Movie lovers, rejoice. The Gig Harbor Film Festival returns this week after a two-year COVID-induced hiatus.

The festival runs Sept. 22-25, with 61 films scheduled for screening at the Galaxy Theatres Gig Harbor. It kicks off with “The Ventures – Stars on Guitars,” a documentary about a seminal instrumental rock band that got its start in Tacoma.

There are full-length feature films, documentaries, shorts, a Made in Washington collection and a “Strange Batch” featuring films that are, well, strange.

Each film will be shown twice, and the Director’s Choice will be announced and screened again on Sunday.

General admission wrist bands and printed programs are available at the Galaxy Theatres.

Cider Swig

Although it’s at the LeMay Car Museum in Tacoma this year instead of in Gig Harbor, the Cider Swig is sponsored by the Greater Gig Harbor Foundation.

The Swig takes place Saturday, Sept 24. This year’s in-person event will tempt swiggers with more than 130 Northwest ciders, plus wine, mead and beer.

The Cider Swig is Saturday, Sept. 24, at LeMay Car Museum in Tacoma.

There will also be food for sale, games and live music by Spare Thyme, The Apollo Trio, Birch Pereira and the Gin Joints and The Shy Boys. Tickets for the 21-and-older event are available at gigharborfoundation.org.

Gig Harbor Rocks

The civic center is hosting a display of hand-painted rocks created by members of Gig Harbor Rocks, a loosely organized group of artists who paint small stones, then hide them in plain sight all around the area.

The display includes several dozen rocks painted with a variety of designs: flowers, cats, flip-flops, owls, lizard-like creatures and more.

Painted rocks on display at the Gig Harbor Civic Center.

When a person finds a rock, they usually photograph it and post it on the Gig Harbor Rocks Facebook page. Sometimes they put the rock back where they found it. Other times they take it with them, then hide it somewhere else so the “gift” keeps moving.

The exhibit continues through Sept. 26 in the hallway display case. The civic center is at 3510 Grandview St. and is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

PAL Open Show

Peninsula Art League’s 20^th Open Juried Art Show continues at the Harbor History Museum through Oct. 28.

The show features 100 paintings and sculptures created by artists from as far away as New York and Missouri, as well as from throughout the Puget Sound area. The museum is located at 4121 Harborview Drive. Hours are 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday. Admission is free.

Gig Harbor artist Ann Stockdale won the Best of Show award at PAL’s 2021 Open Juried Show for her painting, Four Amigos. Charlee Glock-Jackson / Gig Harbor Now

Coming soon

Looking ahead to October, Harbor WildWatch’s popular Pier into the Night returns to Jerisich Dock Saturday, Oct. 1.

Divers use an underwater video camera to live-stream what they encounter in Gig Harbor Bay. Staff biologists and trained volunteers identify the flora and fauna that appear on the big screen in real time. The family-friendly event happens again the first Saturdays of November and December, rain or shine.

The North Creek Salmon Heritage Site just north of the Wastewater Treatment Plant, will be dedicated at 5:30 p.m. Oct. 4. Phase 1 is a 11.5 acre parcel that was recently purchased by the City with help from a grant from Pierce County Conservation Futures Fund and the Puyallup Tribe.

For information on more local events, visit Gig Harbor Now’s Calendar page. To submit an event to our calendar, click here or email [email protected].