Arts & Entertainment Community
Harbor Happenings: Halloween season is here
Halloween festivities kick into full gear Thursday, Oct. 26, at the Tom Taylor YMCA’s Jack-O’-Lantern Jubilee, starting at 5 p.m.
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The event includes Monster Mash dance contests, pumpkin carving contests, bounce houses, a costume parade, touch boxes filled with spooky stuff, trick-or-treat fishing, fortune tellers and even a werewolf walk. And that’s just a sampling of the treats in store for participants.
The free event is open to non-members. The YMCA is at 10550 Harbor Hill Dr.
Witches on the Water
Keep a lookout Saturday afternoon for friendly witches riding their stand-up paddleboards and kayaks through the harbor. All ages and paddling abilities are welcome to participate in Witches on the Water. Meet at the boat launch on Randall Drive at 2 p.m. and paddle to the lighthouse and back.
Rattle dem Bones
The annual Rattle dem Bones bike ride and costume contest takes place Sunday, Oct. 29, starting at the Kimball Street Park and Ride at 8 a.m.
Choose from three courses: Mini Monster (up to 15 miles); Son of Monster (22 miles) and Monster Hill (36 miles). All ages and skill levels are welcome The event is a fundraiser for the Greater Gig Harbor Foundation.
Entry fees start at $15 for youth; $36.40 for adults. Click here to register.
See our roundup of more Halloween events here.
Tigger participated in the Rattle Dem Bones Bike Ride and Costume Contest in 2019. Photos courtesy of Paige Wells/Hushed Revelry Photography
Stories of the sea
This month’s Tales at the BoatShop get-together features nautical stories about marine critters’ camouflage and costumes, read by volunteer Cindy Hacket. She’ll also lead participants in making headbands of sea creatures and slime. “Tales” takes place at 10:30 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 26, at the Boatyard House at Eddon Boat Park. It’s free.
Crime fiction at the museum
Anacortes-based author Matthew Sullivan is the presenter at a Humanities Washington event Thursday at Harbor History Museum. Sullivan will speak about “A Nicer Kind of Murder: The Evolution of Crime Fiction,” at 6:30 p.m. Free admission in person and via zoom. RSVP to [email protected] to receive the Zoom link. The museum is at 4121 Harborview Dr.
State of the Watershed
The Key Peninsula–Gig Harbor–Islands (KGI) Watershed Council will hold a State of the Watershed forum at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 25, at the Civic Center on Grandview Street. Discussion topics include Toxins in Tire Dust, dealing with King tides and an update on the Lakebay Marina project. The meeting will also be accessible via Zoom.
Close-up view of the fishing fleet
Starting this week, the Gig Harbor BoatShop will offer twice-weekly excursions aboard the historic purse seiner Veteran to observe the harbor’s commercial fleet fishing for chum salmon in Colvos Passage (West Pass, in commercial fisher parlance).
The Veteran trips launch at 9:30 a.m. Mondays and Thursdays through Nov. 18 from the Maritime Pier (next to the Tides Tavern). The schedule is dependent on Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife regulations. For information or to make a reservation click here.
Meet school board candidates
Candidates for the Peninsula School District board will present their views at 8 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 26, during a Gig Harbor Chamber of Commerce Public Affairs Forum. The forum takes place in the dining room at Gig Harbor Court, 3213 45th Street Court. Admission is free and all are welcome.
Civic engagement
The Gig Harbor City Council will meet for a study session at 3 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 26, at the Civic Center on Grandview Street. The agenda includes a review of the city’s agenda for the 2024 legislative session; review of an amendment to the Skansie House lease agreement with Harbor WildWatch; and a review of the city’s code compliance process and priorities. The meeting will take place live in the Community Rooms and via Zoom.