Arts & Entertainment Community

Harbor Happenings | Honor Dr. King this weekend

Posted on January 14th, 2025 By: Charlee Glock-Jackson

Honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with music and inspirational readings from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 19, at Gig Harbor United Methodist Church.

Dr. Karen Bolton, a U.S. Navy veteran and advocate for equity in education, will lead the celebration entitled “Where do we go from here: Chaos or Community?” which was also the title of one of King’s books. Bolton is a Bremerton School Board member.

The event is sponsored by Gig Harbor for Racial Justice. Registration is required and can be done here. Suggested donation is $10 with proceeds supporting honorariums for event participants. Bring a non-perishable food item to benefit Gig Harbor Peninsula FISH Food Bank. The church is located at 7400 Pioneer Way. To register, click here.

The national holiday honoring Dr. King is Monday, Jan. 20.

Harbor WildWatch activities

There’s lots to do at Harbor WildWatch this week. On Wednesday, Jan. 15 children can enjoy Salish Sea Storytime at 11:30 a.m. at the Marine Life Center. Stories are geared to kids age 2-5, but all ages are welcome.

At 5 p.m. Wednesday, join WildWatch biologists on the dock at 7Seas Brewing for Pier into the Night. Learn about what’s lurking in the waters of Gig Harbor Bay as divers using underwater cameras project photos onto the big screen set up on the pier. Dress for the weather. 7Seas is located at 2905 Harborview Drive.

Science Saturday takes place from 2 to 3 p.m. on Jan. 18 at the Marine Life Center, with hands-on kid-centered activities that tie-in to WildWatch’s Sharks of the Salish Sea exhibit. Space is limited, and children must be accompanied by adults. The Marine Life Center is located at 3207 Harborview Dr. WildWatch activities are free, but donations are appreciated.

Got art?

Work by scratchboard artist Steve Hammond is on display in the Harbor History Museum lobby. The show, titled “Scratching the Surface of Reality,” features Hammond’s images of people and wildlife.

Scratchboard is an unusual artistic technique in which the artist starts with a dark ink-covered “board” (sometimes called a clayboard) and literally scratches away the dark coating to create an image on the lighter surface beneath. The museum is open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday. Admission is free.

“Cognitive Dissonance: Living While Black,” a solo exhibition of collage, mixed media and graffiti symbology by Sabreenah Essien, continues at Tacoma Community College-Gig Harbor. An artist reception is from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 16. Free admission. The gallery is open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday and from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Fridays.

Live music

The T-Town Aces play the blues at 7 p.m. Friday at Kimball Coffeehouse. The Aces include Washington Blues Society’s Male Vocalist winner Mark DuFresne on vocals and blues harp, Tom Boyle on guitar, Billy Spaulding on keyboards, Les White on bass and David Hudson on drums. Doors open at 6 p.m. Free and open to all ages.

Kimball also hosts an open mic on Thursdays at 6 p.m. All ages are welcome, whatever your talent might be. Kimball is located at 6649 Kimball Drive, suite A-102.

Kenny Callahan pays tribute to Jack Johnson, John Mayer and other musical favorites Friday in the loft at Olalla Winery. Music starts at 6:30 p.m. Purchase tickets here.

At the movies

The Flashback Cinema movie at the Uptown Galaxy Theatres on Wednesday, Jan. 15, is “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade” showing at 11:30 a.m. and 6 p.m. On Sunday, Jan. 19 and Monday, Jan. 20 the Flashback movie is “Interstellar,” a futuristic epic about a team of astronauts’ search for a new home for the human race. Showtimes are 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. Flashback movies are just $5.

Civic engagement

The Gig Harbor City Council meets for a study session at 3 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 16, at the Civic Center. Tentative agenda items include a discussion about traffic-calming cameras, updating the 2018 Wastewater Comprehensive Plan and council committee assignments.

Looking ahead

Want to march in this year’s Maritime Gig parade on June 7? The Chamber of Commerce is accepting applications here. The Gig, as the event is affectionately called, is Gig Harbor’s annual weekend-long celebration. It includes live music and dance, arts and craft vendors, food vendors, the Blessing of the Fleet and more.