Tea & Tarot Tuesday, Decade of Dreams circus, Sparks Workshop, and more. 
Happy Tuesday, Tacoma. You know the drill – grab your coffee (or whatever you sip in the morning), kick back, and let Tacoma Brief serve up everything you need to know for the week ahead.
📰 In the news
Local happenings: Hundreds rally to stop closure of a local post office, smart cameras flag recycling contamination, and a bistro bets on approachable European Pacific Northwest dishes — catch up here.
State-level stories: Landlords pay fines for illegal rent surges, Washington teams with feds on sustainable aviation fuel, and billions sit unclaimed in state coffers — see what else is brewing.
National headlines: New SSA tech offers more reliable service, national recalls, and a housing market update — peruse the best of the rest.
Highlights this week
- Collaborate online to solve business challenges
- Sing, dance and play with toddlers weekly
- Spark creativity through art, science, and movement
- Receive guidance through Coordinated Entry
- Get $400 off Windows with Renewal By Andersen
🫶 We got your back
Decor: Looking for a statement piece that won’t break the bank or require an interior design degree? Check out Tacoma hotspots packed with one-of-a-kind sofas, vintage lamps and budget-friendly accents.
Oddities: Washington’s roadsides are full of surprises, like a troll hiding under a bridge or a metal goat that literally eats your garbage. These bizarre attractions will give your next drive the kind of stories you never saw coming.
Cleaning: Tackling the whole house feels like climbing Everest in flip-flops… who even has the energy for that? This cleaning checklist breaks the job into manageable bites so you can crush it room by room.
Furniture: Need décor with a backstory deeper than your latest streaming binge? Vessel Vintage Collective is the gallery that’ll turn your living room into a time capsule… just bring a sharp eye and an appreciation for pieces that only improve with every chapter of history.
Finance: Ready to break up with debt for good? National can help you cut ties, pay up to 30% less than you owe, and finally get some peace. This isn’t your average debt relief advice… it’s a financial fresh start, complete with a happy cry or two when your balance hits zero.
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📆 Around town this week
All events are subject to change without notice. This is entirely outside our control. Please check official event pages and social media for the most up to date information.
This week
🔮 Tea & Tarot Tuesday’s @ A Touch of Meraki | Tuesday (8/12) at 7:00pm – Sip, shuffle, and spill the tea—literally. This cozy hour blends soothing brews with tarot readings, whether you’re flying solo or bringing your witchy crew. Come curious, leave enlightened (and probably a little more caffeinated).
🎪 Decade of Dreams @ Point Defiance Park | Thursday (8/14) at 7:00pm – Summer nights are for reliving childhood awe under a red-and-white big top, minus the elephants. This 10th anniversary, Broadway-style circus roams back to town with aerial artists, old-school charm, and cotton candy. Expect pure, animal-free thrills that even your inner skeptic will love.
🎶 Souled Out Funk @ McMenamins Elks Temple | Thursday (8/14) at 7:00pm – Ready to resurrect your best dance moves, even if they peaked in the 80s? This 10-piece crew brings horns, soulful vocals, and enough groove to dust off your old Saturday Night Fever fantasies. Family ties onstage, plus tunes from Aretha to Bruno, guarantee zero yawns.
🔨 Sparks Workshop @ Children’s Museum of Tacoma | Friday (8/15) at 10:00am – Whether your future Picasso is smudging paints or your tiny engineer is feverishly testing gravity, Sparks Activities at the Children’s Museum of Tacoma serve up hands-on art, math, science, movement, and more. Expect plenty of messy genius, giggles, and parent pride.
🌙 OCB Night Market @ Off Camber Brewing | Friday (8/15) at 4:00pm – Patio evenings this summer call for Off Camber’s Night Market, where over fifteen local vendors hawk everything from candles to quirky prints. Bring the whole crew, sip a cold pint, snag dinner from the food trucks, and pretend you’re cultured.
This weekend
🚚 Junk in the Trunk @ Sprinker Recreation Center | Saturday (8/16) at 9:00am – If you still can’t find that missing spatula, Sprinker Recreation Center has your back. Junk in the Trunk packs aisle after aisle of one-stop garage sale gold with free parking, free entry, and enough quirky finds to make your neighbors reconsider their own attics.
🚗 Puyallup Tribe’s 3rd Annual Auto Show @ Commencement Bay Cannabis – Green | Saturday (8/16) at 9:00am – Grab your sunnies and swing by the Puyallup Tribe’s auto show where classic rides gleam like your neighbor’s pride and joy. Expect kids’ crafts, food trucks dishing tacos and loaded fries, and a raffle so tempting you’ll actually buy tickets.
🧩 The Pan Escape | Saturday (8/16) at 10:00am – Take a break from Netflix and wander Tacoma’s own Pan Escape, where you’ll trek through enchanted woods, outsmart swashbuckling pirates, and solve riddles that make your tax returns feel like child’s play. It’s the most fun you can have without a parrot.
🎸 The Gigsters @ The Spar | Saturday (8/16) at 7:00pm – If your idea of quality time is belting out Elton John with strangers who know every word, The Gigsters have you covered. They’ll deliver boat loads of Beatles, Steely Dan, and classic rock anthems. Expect high school nostalgia levels to spike.
🦘 Camp Kangaroo @ Dumas Bay Centre | Sunday (8/17) at 8:30am – If your kid’s already over backyard s’mores and mosquito swarms, send them to this free grief camp for ages 5 to 17. They’ll swap stories, learn to handle loss without awkward silences, and burn off energy with classic camp games led by caring professionals.
Wanna see more? Browse our full events calendar →
🎶 Live music & entertainment
- 8/12 Fastlane @ Fort Steilacoom Park – 6:30 pm
- 8/13 We Came as Romans @ Temple Theatre – 7 pm
- 8/13 Orla Gartland @ McMenamins Elks Temple – 8 pm
- 8/14 Singles Mixer @ Ocean5 – 5:30 pm
- 8/14 Hair Nation @ Puyallup Rotary Stage – 6:30 pm
- 8/14 Nate Jackson @ Emerald Queen Casino – 8 pm
- 8/15 Tony Rock @ Nate Jacksons Comedy Club – 7 pm
- 8/15 The Selassie Ites and more @ Jazzbones – 8 pm
- 8/17 Godfrey @ Tacoma Comedy Club – 7 pm
🏠️ This house is wild
Perched above the Puget Sound, this 3,130-square-foot home serves up front-row seats to the Olympics, the Narrows Bridge, and a parade of whales and sailboats gliding by. The backyard is a private resort with a fully fenced oasis, terraced landscaping, and an inground pool that practically begs for cannonballs at sunset.
Inside, the kitchen is all about quartz counters and a shiny new gas range, ready for impromptu dinner parties. Three bedrooms, three baths, and an oversized three-car garage mean there’s space for every hobby and every guest—plus a view from almost every room.
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