Arts & Entertainment Community

Harbor Happenings: City flips the holiday lights on this week

Posted on November 28th, 2023 By: Charlee Glock-Jackson

The holiday season hits high gear this week with the lighting of the city’s holiday tree in Skansie Brothers Park at 5 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 2.

Santa arrives on a fire truck at 5:30 p.m. The event includes live music, craft vendors, cookies and cocoa. Festivities continue until about 7 p.m.

Harbor WildWatch will host a Pier into the Night at Jerisich Pier on Dec. 2 during the tree lighting event.

Jake Huelsnitz with the Gig Harbor Public Works Department installs lights on the city’s Christmas tree in Skansie Brothers Park on Tuesday, Nov. 28. Photo by Chapin Day.

Peninsula Youth Orchestra winter concert

Peninsula Youth Orchestra celebrates the season with two Rock the Holidays concerts on Wednesday, Nov. 29, at Gig Harbor High School. Special guest, rock violinist Aaron Meyer, will play a fusion of arrangements from Vivaldi to Led Zeppelin. The concerts begin at 4 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.

Proceeds from the concerts support PYO’s music programs in local elementary schools. The orchestra has provided music education and performance opportunities to students from elementary grades through high school for more than 20 years. Tickets cost $15. Buy them here.

TideFest features dozens of artists and craftspeople

Gig Harbor High School’s annual TideFest arts and crafts fair is from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 2, and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 3.

More than 100 artists, all selected through a jurying process, will participate this year. Shoppers will find a plethora of hand-crafted items from functional to fanciful: cedar mosaic birdhouses, bird feeders and squirrel feeders; pottery; photography; jewelry; pillows and quilts; stained glass; beadwork and jewelry; garden art; one-of-a-kind wreaths; greeting cards; painted oyster shells; leather goods; soaps and lotions, and even pickles, hot sauce and spice mixes.

Gig Harbor High School decorated for the 2021 TideFest.

TideFest supports student activities, including the school speech and debate team and the school newspaper. Admission costs $5. GHHS is located at 5101 Rosedale St.

Art Walk

Downtown art galleries will have special art activities and prices during Art Walk from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 2. Artists will be on hand to demonstrate their techniques and talk about their processes and inspirations.

At Ebbtide Gallery, Steve Hammond will show how he uses scratchboard to create his artworks. Gallery Row will feature holiday ornaments and gifts created by several members and Waters Edge Gallery and Framery will offer a 20 percent discount to everyone who mentions ArtWalk. Woodstock Gift Gallery has $25 off on all in-stock “Spiritiles” by Houston Lew and dArtFrog will raffle a canvas photo.

All about books

The Gig Harbor BoatShop’s Tales at the BoatShop event provides story time and activities for kids ages 8 and younger. This month’s starts at 10:30 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 30, and the theme is The Tools We Use. BoatShop volunteers will read “Old Wooden Boat” by Nikki MClure; “What Can You Do With a Toolbox” by Anthony Carrino and John Colaneri; and “The Toolbox” by Anne and Harlow Rockwell. Attendees will also make paper tool belts.
The Gig Harbor Library’s book group will discuss “The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hill” by Robert Dugoni at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 5, at Harbor History Museum. It’s the story about a small-town eye doctor, Sam Hill, who was born with ocular albinism. He must finally face a past tragedy that caused him to turn his back on his friends, his hometown and the life he’d always known. All are welcome, even those who haven’t read the book. The museum is at 4121 Harborview Dr.

Movies at Galaxy Theatres Uptown

The Metropolitan Opera’s “Magic Flute Holiday Encore,” plays at 12:55 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 2, at Galaxy Theatres Uptown. This unique live transmission features a stellar cast including tenor Matthew Polenzani, baritone Nathan Gunn and bass René Pape in an abridged, English-language version of Mozart’s classic fable.
The Flashback Cinema movie showing at 12:15, 3:05 and 6 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 29, is the 1954 classic “White Christmas,” starring Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye. The Flashback movie on Sunday, Dec. 3, is “Elf,” starring Will Ferrell. Showtimes Sunday are 10:45 a.m.,12:30, 3:15, 6 and 8:45 p.m. There is also a special showing of Elf Saturday, Dec. 2 at 10:45 a.m. Flashback movies cost just $5.

Civic engagement

The Gig Harbor City Council meets for a virtual study session at 3 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 30, to hear updates from city staff on the city’s housing, health and human services program; and discuss the 38^th Avenue half-width roadway improvements project. The meeting can be accessed through Zoom.