Gig Harbor Film Festival Sure to Impress

Film Line-Up for October 14-16th Now Available

The movies have finally been announced for the 2011 Gig Harbor Film Festival it’s it’s another awesome line-up! You’ve heard that Julie Andrews is coming to town, and likely heard that tickets for the Celebrity night with her are sold out. However, the best part of the festival is going to be the amazing films being featured, and there are still plenty of tickets available for the entire weekend.

The 4th annual Gig Harbor Film Festival is October 14-16th with one additional film on October 12th. Check out this link http://issuu.com/jim.appelgate/docs/ghff_all#print to download the program guide of films, or be sure and check out Wednesday October 5th Peninsula Gateway for your copy of the guide. Designed by Jim Appelgate of the Gateway, it is a remarkably useful and graphically beautiful piece to use to plan which films you want to see during the festival.

When Did October Calendar Become Fuller Than July??

Get Busy in October!

When did it happen that the calendar of events in October became fuller than July? Seems like yesterday (about eleven years ago actually) I sat with the original organizers of the Gig Harbor Quilt Festival and we created an event specifically for October because it was desperately in need of help. Considered the “shoulder-season” in tourism terms, October’s often good weather cried out for an event or two to draw overnight visitors and entertain the natives.

Fast forward more than a decade and October is alive and well in Gig Harbor thank you very much. No one can say we roll up the sidewalks in Gig Harbor come fall anymore. In fact, I looked a head on the www.gigharborguide.com calendar of events to see when the next day was without an event or activity listed. There isn’t one. Period. The times have sure changed.

Finding Kind - a special film presentation

Gig Harbor Film Festival October 12th

The Gig Harbor Film Festival forwarded me the following information today, regarding this special presentation on October 12th of "Finding Kind".

Thanks to our Sponsors, Fuller Theological Seminary and Windrider Film Forum, Gig Harbor Film Festival is bringing this important film to the community, free of charge…the GHFF Board of Directors, Advisory Board Members and all involved in this project invite you to this important screening, October 12 at 6:00 pm., Galaxy Theatre….Filmmakers, will be present for Q&A along with Chap Clark, Chap Clark, Ph.D., Founder of ParenTeen and HURT Seminars, based in Gig Harbor, WA, is Associate Provost of Regional Campuses and Special Projects and professor of youth, family, and culture at Fuller Theological Seminary and Senior Editor of Youthworker Journal.

Bullying is a hot topic these days. It’s not that it hasn’t been occurring for ages, but the posting of chick fights on YouTube and the suicide of Phoebe Prince and just within a week another youth, has brought the issue to the forefront of our collective consciousness.

Go Hug a Tree

Loosing trees creates new effort to appreciate them....

Trees. We have them, a lot of them, but how often do you really notice them? I notice trees when I travel – that’s when you see the differences in trees regionally. I notice trees when the seasons change – that first hint of fall color or the early buds in spring. I notice trees when they disappear – a clear cut or windstorm damage always takes you by surprise. But all that said, I think most people, myself including, take trees for granted.

Remember the scene in the Wizard of Oz where the apple tree gets mad when Dorothy picks an apple? Of course you do, who doesn’t? Wouldn’t it be interesting to really know how a tree feels? Remember Shell Silverstein’s “The Giving Tree”? The tree in that book is more human than many human’s I know. J

Trees are an important part of our world and of our lives here in Gig Harbor. And that’s why a special exhibit is being planned to celebrate the trees of Kopachuck State Park, which are unfortunately slated for removal later this year due to an invasive disease called laminated root rot. This troublesome disease has posed a danger to life and property and has caused the park to be on a restricted schedule all summer.

Discover Discovery Village

What do you get when two creative moms put their heads together? Well, you get lucky if you live in Gig Harbor because you get an amazing children’s facility called DISCOVERY VILLAGE!

Not having small children myself anymore, I had not been to Discovery Village in Gig Harbor North. But I kept hearing about how clever it was. So I made a visit there last week and found an intriguing, colorful, safe and engaging place for Gig Harbor families.

Discovery Village is not a daycare, it’s a play care. Filled with hands on museum exhibits including an ADA compliant playground, classrooms, a healthy café and toy store. This 8000 square foot facility is open 6 days a week and includes a pre-school. Drop in classes and events include music, dance, art, tumbling, language and even an 8 week cooking class in a beautiful kitchen facility.

The indoor playground is a clever design with a Pacific Northwest theme, and includes a water play area and a sand play area.

What is Uncorked Canvas?

Give me a glass a wine and a paint brush and who knows what will happen? A lot of fun that’s what! Friday night I enjoyed my first (not my last) visit to Gig Harbor’s “Uncorked Canvas” located just off Hwy 16 near The INN at Gig Harbor.

With my husband, we joined five other folks for a two hour painting party! Uncorked Canvas is a relaxing and social place where you can let your creativity show. Our instructor led us step by step through a process to paint a picture based on the night’s featured painting of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge. I’m pretty literal so I tried get my painting to look as close as possible to the sample – but to my surprise, others in the room really “colored outside the lines” creating their little masterpieces. It was fun and interesting to watch the creativity flow from each individual.