Community Calendar

Nov 8, 10am-8pm, Nov 9, 9am-1:30pm

39th Annual Newport High Ski Swap

Come to the largest ski swap in the greater Seattle area. Picture this: we have over 20,000 sq feet of gym space and an avalanche of over 10,000+ new and used ski and snowboard gear available for sale. We've got it all - downhill, XC and back-country skis, snowboards, boots, bindings, poles, jackets, pants, helmets, hats, goggles, gloves, socks, under layers, snowshoes, bags and more!

Got gear gathering dust?
Time to set it free! Register your gear online at www.newportskiswap.com ahead of the swap and drop off on Friday, Nov. 7 (4:30pm-9pm) or Saturday, Nov. 8 (8am-9:30am). The best part? You will get to pocket 75% of the sale price and 25% will go to the PTSA to support the teachers and students of Newport High. A win-win!

Looking for new gear?
We have several ski vendors who will be rolling in with truckloads of new gear. Come check out Gerk's Ski & Cycle, Enumclaw Ski & Mountain Sports, Dusty's, Edge & Spoke and Westcoast Board & Ski, Sport Haus & Alpine Hut.

Why we do it?
It's not only about gear, it's about supporting our community. For over 30 years, the Newport High Ski Swap has been connecting people with affordable equipment, making mountain adventures accessible to all. Come sell your gear for a great cause or find some great deals on snow sport gear! Don't miss out, mark your calendar for Nov. 8-9!

OPEN ADULT BALLET CLASS

Have you always dreamed of dancing ballet?
Now’s your chance to step into the studio and move with grace, strength, and joy.

This class is also for you if you are returning after years away from ballet or any other forms of dance.

Saturdays 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM
Tacoma Urban Performing Arts Center (T.U.P.A.C.)
1105 Martin Luther King, Jr Way, Tacoma, WA 98405

A Class Designed for You:
- No experience needed—just a curious spirit
- Go at your own pace in a supportive, judgment-free space
- Build flexibility, confidence, and connection with your body

Wear what feels comfortable.
Come ready to move with intention and joy.

Whether it’s your first plié or your hundredth pirouette, this is your time to shine.

Questions? Call us at 253-327-1873

Let’s dance together at T.U.P.A.C.—where every adult belongs at the barre.

A Wider Lens Film Festival invites families to The Grand Cinema in Tacoma this Saturday, Nov. 8th, to share 9 short films bound to 'widen' our understanding of what it means to live with a developmental difference or disability.

Join Mary Bridge Children's Physical Medicine & Rehab Clinic for a pick-me-up of 9 powerful short films starring actors and filmmakers living with intellectual, physical, or developmental disabilities. This hospital fundraiser, organized by the Mary Bridge Brigade, offers a chance for meaningful discussion about modeling empathy and inclusion with the children in your life.

Two 90-minute showings are available, starting at 11:30 AM and 2:30 PM. Ticket price is $5, or $7.18 including fees. All proceeds benefit Mary Bridge Children's Hospital via the Mary Bridge Brigade. Register tickets.

It’s almost like being in love! Dance your way back in time to one of the most romantic musicals ever written, Lerner and Loewe’s Brigadoon. Americans Tommy and Jeff are hiking the Scottish Highlands, when out of the mists they stumble upon the enchanting village of Brigadoon, which appears for only one day every 100 years. But this dreamlike place is far more than it seems—and those who fall in love there might never be the same.

From the writers of My Fair Lady and Camelot comes this soaring love story, full of glorious ballet and favorite tunes like “Come to Me, Bend to Me,” “The Heather on the Hill” and “Almost Like Being in Love.” This production features an exquisite new adaptation, which enhances all the romance and magic that makes Brigadoon a truly timeless masterpiece.

Fusing Bruno Mars caliber stage presence with top-tier vocals and wall-to-wall choreography, the men of UPTOWN combine the smooth stylings of R&B with the fresh hits of today in a unique and modern show that gets every crowd on their feet! Born in New York City (the epicenter of contemporary pop and soul music), the group exudes unparalleled energy with their blend of contemporary radio hits and classic Motown music. Every single member of UPTOWN is a world-class soloist, with frequent comparisons to the artistry of icons like Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye; when they come together as one collective, the resulting remix creates “the most electrifying show you’ll see this decade!” (Agua Caliente, Palm Springs CA).

Welcomed by KNKX. Frank Vignola is one of the most extraordinary guitarists performing before the public today. His stunning virtuosity has made him the guitarist of choice for many of the world’s top musicians, including Ringo Starr, Madonna, Donald Fagen, John Lewis, Tommy Emmanuel, Lionel Hampton, the Boston Pops, the New York Pops, and guitar legend Les Paul, who named Vignola to his “Five Most Admired Guitarists List:” for the Wall Street Journal.

His dynamic genre-spanning music has brought him to 21 countries on three continents – and still growing – performing in some of the world’s most illustrious venues, including the Sydney Opera House, Carnegie Hall, The Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco, New York’s Lincoln Center, The Blue Note, and the world’s oldest indoor concert hall, Teatro Olimpico in Vicenza, Italy.

Pasquale Grasso - It was the kind of endorsement most rising guitarists can only dream of, and then some. In his interview for Vintage Guitar magazine’s February 2016 cover story, Pat Metheny was asked to name some younger musicians who’d impressed him. “The best guitar player I’ve heard in maybe my entire life is floating around now, Pasquale Grasso,” said the jazz-guitar icon and NEA Jazz Master. “This guy is doing something so amazingly musical and so difficult. “Mostly what I hear now are guitar players who sound a little bit like me mixed with a little bit of [John Scofield] and a little bit of [Bill Frisell],” he continued. “What’s interesting about Pasquale is that he doesn’t sound anything like that at all. In a way, it is a little bit of a throwback, because his model—which is an incredible model to have—is Bud Powell. He has somehow captured the essence of that language from piano onto guitar in a way that almost nobody has ever addressed. He’s the most significant new guy I’ve heard in many, many years.”

For over 55 years, Tower of Power has delivered the best in funk and soul music.“We were a Soul band called The Motowns.” recalls Emilio Castillo. “Rocco was the bass player, I was there, and my brother was the drummer. I met “Doc” Kupka back in 1968, and gave him an audition. He came in the band, and we eventually changed our name to the Tower of Power.” The reason for the band name change was that they had a specific goal in mind.

East Bay Grease defined their sound and landed them with Warner Brothers. Bump City, their 1972 debut for the label, was a hit on both the Billboard 200 and the R&B Albums chart, and netted them the hits “You’re Still A Young Man” and “Down to The Nightclub.” The 70s were a boom period with radio classics like “So Very Hard to Go” and “What Is Hip?,” and the band continued to tour and record over the years. Castillo says their love of the stage is the same today as it was back in 1968.

50 years later, in 2018, they returned to Oakland to celebrate their landmark 50th anniversary. Tower’s window-rattling grooves and raucous party spirit has been a balm for the soul throughout their half-century existence, but the release of 50 Years of Funk & Soul: Live at the Fox Theater couldn’t have arrived at a better time.

The band has long since surpassed Castillo’s modest aspirations, traveling the world, enjoying hit singles on their own and backing legendary artists including Otis Redding, Elton John, Santana, the Grateful Dead, John Lee Hooker, Aerosmith, Bonnie Raitt, and countless others. In the process they’ve defined an “Oakland soul” sound as instantly recognizable as those from Castillo’s hometown, Detroit, as well as inspirations like Memphis and Philadelphia.

Blues icon. Soul man. Rock and roller. Robert Cray is all these things – and more. The Georgia-born, Washington-raised musician first picked up a guitar after seeing The Beatles on TV, and then, having witnessed Jimi Hendrix perform in Seattle, determined that his destiny would also follow a similar path. And so he has: across the past half century Robert Cray's developed into one of American music’s most singular artists.

Think about it: Robert Cray has shared stage and/or studio with the likes of John Lee Hooker, Muddy Waters, B.B. King, Buddy Guy, Chuck Berry, Albert Collins, The Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton, Tina Turner, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and the Memphis Horns. Cray’s stinging guitar playing and soulful voice, his skills as a band leader and performer, mark him as keeper of the flame for American roots music, an artist who never fails to deliver. "We were so lucky just be able to see them," says Cray of trading guitar licks on stage with legends of blues, rock, and soul, "let alone share the stage with them -- what an experience!"

As an artist, Robert Cray's aged like fine wine -- his voice has developed a greater range and expressiveness; this he's put to use on masterful interpretations of such Southern soul standards as "I Forgot To Be Your Lover," "Your Good Thing Is About To End," and "Nobody's Fault But Mine." At the same time, Cray's guitar playing now possesses an additional depth, a growl that can hint at a caress then signal emotional upheaval.

His recent run of albums -- 2014's In My Soul, 2017's Robert Cray & Hi Rhythm and 2020's masterful That's What I Heard -- are amongst the very finest he's made. Every song here is deeply felt, whether an agonised song of loss, an angry protest number, or a dance tune that gets audiences pumping.

Symphony Tacoma (Sarah Ioannides, conductor)
Jimmie Herrod, vocalist
Symphony Tacoma Voices
Haniye Kian, vocalist

Join us for an unforgettable night of unstoppable energy as Symphony Tacoma and Symphony Tacoma Voices unite with "America’s Got Talent" finalist Jimmie Herrod, a Tacoma native whose powerhouse vocals have taken the nation by storm! From Motown magic and the British Invasion to disco grooves, rock anthems, and dance-floor favorites, this electrifying concert will have you singing and maybe even dancing in the aisles.

This is Tacoma’s chance to welcome home one of its brightest stars; you don’t want to miss it!

A group of visual artists have come together to express their concern over the current state of the nation/world due to today’s political situation. The show title “Degenerate” Art harkens back to the label used by the Nazis in the 1930s to attack modern art and the artists who did not adhere to the permitted view of racial purity, militarism, and obedience.

Pieces by six established Vashon Island artists will be presented: Gregory Burnham, Bill Cleaver, Bill Jarcho, Alice Larson, Marc Pease, and Lenard Yen.

“Every day this becomes a more important show as we see the arts attacked and erosion of our freedom of speech,” said Alice Larson. “What is happening parallels fascism in Germany under Hitler. Anything not toeing the line of the administration in power is deleted, banned, and those related to it punished.”
Bill Cleaver summarized why the exhibit is particularly relevant to the group. “We are artists, so this is how we express our concerns. We hope this show will inspire others to find their own way to declare their distress.”

The “Degenerate” Art Show will be on display at Snapdragon Café, 17817 Vashon Hwy SW, Vashon Island, WA during November 2025, with an opening celebration on First Friday November 7, 6 – 9 p.m.