You can’t go far wrong with mixing art and wine, and that’s what’s happening this Saturday in downtown Puyallup. The annual Fall Art and Wine Walk will be on in the historic district from 3-7 p.m. Oct. 3, with tickets at $20 for eight one-ounce wine tastes. The event is sponsored by the Puyallup Main Street Association.

The theme this year is “Come Together,” taken from a Beatles-inspired piece of art by Jack Widman, Vice Principal at Kalles Junior High in Puyallup. Here’s what the press release says:

“This never-before-shown piece is comprised of 190 pen and ink drawings, that took five

…

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When I saw “Romeo et Juliette” danced by Pacific Northwest Ballet last year, I thought – as I rarely do – this is one work I’ve simply got to see again. Apparently, I wasn’t alone: So many people came for repeat performances that PNB scheduled it again for this season, and last Saturday night they showed yet again just what a phenomenal production this is.

Partly it’s the excellent dancing, of course, but a lot of it is the sheer synchronicity of all the elements. The choreography by Jean-Christophe Maillot (originally for Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo) manages to be highly …

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Tacoma Art Museum shows Joe Feddersen

Opening this weekend at TAM is “Joe Feddersen: Vital Signs.” The former Evergreen professor connects traditional Plateau Indian patterns with contemporary forms, interpreting urban landscapes in glass, print, weaving and collage. Opens Saturday. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays, 10 a.m.-8 p.m. third Thursdays, noon-5 p.m. Sundays through Jan. 10. $9/$8/free for five and under and on third Thursdays. 170 Pacific Ave., Tacoma. 253-272-4258, www.tacomaartmuseum.org

Wood and paper at Kittredge

It’s the last week to see Paul Vexler’s curving wood geometric sculptures and Maki Tamura’s elaborately painted paper sculptures at the UPS gallery. 10 …

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It’s back – the fourth annual Tacoma Film Festival, showcasing indie films with a highly Northwest flavor for one packed week. Now, the opening’s not til next Thursday, but with 132 films (including 41 local ones), 35 filmmakers attending, discussions, workshops and parties in seven locations throughout downtown and the North end, this is one festival you want to be planning for.

The kick-off is on October 1, with an opening gala at 6:30 p.m. and two films at 8 p.m. in the Kemper Theater at Annie Wright school (827 N. Tacoma Ave.) After the opening short “After You,” …

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For its debut production, the brand new Vashon Opera offered a chamber version of “La Boheme” that was sincere, dramatic and well-sung, for the most part. 

In Sunday afternoon’s show , after a Friday night opening, the company – comprised of an all-local chorus and musicians, plus several island principals – took Puccini’s popular story of the starving Bohemian artists and set it in World War II Occupied Paris. The move was a good one, allowing for a dashing array of costumes, though not adding a whole lot to the storyline. 

Most impressive was the ensemble singing. Company founders Jennifer …

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Lakewood Playhouse springs “The Mousetrap”

The record-breaking stage adaptation of Agatha Christie’s master crime novel opens the season at Lakewood Playhouse. 8 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays, 2 p.m. Sundays through Oct. 11. $22/$19/$16/$14. Lakewood Towne Center, 5729 Lakewood Towne Center Blvd, Lakewood. 253-588-0042, lptheater.qwestoffice.net

Gig Harbor’s annual Studio Tour

Check out 35 of Gig Harbor’s professional artists in the annual self-guided studio tour, with media including paint, sculpture, fiber, jewelry, glass, ceramics and musical instrument builders. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sept. 19-20. Free. Various locations in Gig Harbor, Fox Island, Key Peninsula and South Kitsap. For downloadable map, visit www.gigharboropenstudiotour.org

Piratical …

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Blacksmithing, gold-panning, butter churning and fiddle playing – if you have a yen for the days of Job Carr and Tacoma’s beginnings, then take yourself to Old Town Park this Saturday to step back in time. The Job Carr Living History Festival re-enacts the pioneer days for one afternoon in the park adjacent to the Job Carr Cabin Museum – and it’s all free.

“It’s like the Job Carr Days back in 2004-05, only shorter,” says Kathy Westlin, program director at the Museum, which preserves the home and history of Tacoma’s first permanent non-native settler, Job Carr. The Festival …

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Just when you thought life on Vashon couldn’t get any more civilized, there’s now a homegrown opera company. Vashon Opera is a new non-profit that is staging three full opera productions in its first year, beginning with Puccini’s “La Boheme” this weekend. 

Why an opera company on Vashon?

“There wasn’t one,” laughs Jennifer Krikawa, co-founder and artistic director, who’ll sing the role of Mimi. Krikawa and her husband, Andrew (a baritone who’ll sing Marcello) moved to Vashon from New York nearly five years ago with two small children. Having left their careers behind them, as Krikawa puts it, they …

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