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This Weekend in Tacoma: Flea Market, St. Paddy's Day, Soccer, & A Sweet New Cafe

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This weekend in Tacoma is a mix of good old traditions mixed with completely new experiences. We're recommending 2 annual events you may already know and love, as well as 2 things new to our city. Hope to see you out there in Tacoma this weekend!

1. Seattle Sounders 2 vs. Portland Timbers 2
Friday, March 16th, 7 pm
Cheney Stadium

Did you know Tacoma has a soccer team? Our own Cheney Stadium is now the home to the Seattle Sounders FC 2. We'll be at the season opener this Friday against the Portland Timbers cheering with all our pals from Windermere Abode (plus Windermere in Tacoma will donate to Tacoma youth sports for every point the Sounders score and we're challenging Windermere in Portland to do the same!). You can still get tickets ranging from $7 to $20. Image from @windermereabode. 

Look for beauties like these at the Fieldhouse Flea Market this weekend! Bows from Kd Bird, prints from Maria Jost, a pocket journal from Springtide Press, and stationary from Yoshiko Yamamoto of The Arts & Crafts Press. 

Look for beauties like these at the Fieldhouse Flea Market this weekend! Bows from Kd Bird, prints from Maria Jost, a pocket journal from Springtide Press, and stationary from Yoshiko Yamamoto of The Arts & Crafts Press. 

2. Fieldhouse Flea Market
Saturday, March 17th, 8 am-4 pm
University of Puget Sound Fieldhouse, N 11th St & Union Ave

This event brings together dozens and dozens of local makers, bakers, printers, and vintage collectors under the roof of the Fieldhouse at UPS. What's more, it's a Puget Sound Women's League fundraiser, so 100% of your $5 admission goes to student scholarships (If you want to beat the crowd and get first pick you can pay $10 to be enter the flea market from 8-9:30 am). And, the Women's League has some booths of their own where anything your purchase goes to scholarships (they're staffed by volunteers and encourage "rounding up" your change since it's all for a good cause). You're going to find everything from fresh flowers, jewelry, soaps and salves, vintage Pyrex, hand-sewn children's apparel, vintage clothes, dolls, furniture, veggie starts, perennials, cookies, tarts, and more, and more. 

Just a few local vendors you might recognize:
Kd Bird - vintage inspired knits, bows, and other attire
Girl Loves Cake Desserts - delectable macarons
L'Arche Farm & Gardens - veggie starts and perennials for your garden
Maria Jost Art - intricate, scientific botanical prints
Springtide Press - bold letterpress prints, artist books, broadsides
Yoshiko Yamamoto/The Arts & Crafts Press - traditional blockprints and letterpress note cards
Reale Girl Designs - colorful, happy, handmade fabric dolls with bright and simple clothes
Happy Fox Studio - handmade, eco-friendly jewelry
See the full list of vendors here! 

Don't miss the raffle too! This is another part of the event that supports student scholarships through the Women's League and you get a chance to win items donated by the same great vendors filling the Fieldhouse. See you there on Saturday! Poster image from @fieldhouseflea. 

3. Saint Patrick's Day Festival 2018 - 2 Days of Music & Celebration
Friday, March 16th - Saturday, March 17th
Doyle's Public House, 208 St. Helen's Ave

Celebrate Saint Patrick on Saint Helen's Ave. Doyle's Public House is putting up the big party tent and welcoming a load of bands to play this weekend. Show up in person at Doyle's and if they're still in stock you can get a commemorative t-shirt that's also your 2 day pass to this event. AND wearing this year's t-shirt lets you skip the line when you arrive. These are limited, so if you're into it, head to Doyle's now. Other options are pre-sale tickets: $13 for a 2 day pass, or tickets at the door at $12 per day. The raucous music starts up at 6 pm on Friday and begins again Saturday afternoon at 2 pm. See the full line-up here. Image from @doylespub. 

Sunshine, fresh flowers, good coffee, and extraordinarily nice food. 

Sunshine, fresh flowers, good coffee, and extraordinarily nice food. 

4. Honey at Alma Mater
7 am M-F, 8 am Sat, 9 am Sun
Alma Mater, 1322 Fawcett Ave

We've been looking forward to this beautiful place and now it's here. Alma Mater is still developing and will continue to grow into its full vision, but Honey is ready to serve us in a cafe space filled with natural light, fresh flowers, potted plants, and food as comfy and delectable as it is lovely. If you're into music, food, art, creating, collaborating, meeting, and eating, you'll find yourself here a lot in future (I think that's a pretty safe prediction). Along with whatever music the cafe is playing, you may also be serenaded by the sounds of ongoing construction in the background, but this wasn't too loud. It just suggested more good things on the way.

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Come in just for the Heart coffee or Mad Hat tea and a visit with a friend, or order a meal. The menu has Scandinavian inspiration including ebelskivers (think spherical pancakes that fit in the palm of your hand), a dish my grandmother used to fix for the family at the beach in the summer. Between our three dishes 4 or 5 kinds of edible blossoms adorned the food. And it tasted so good, and the portions were perfect, and the hash browns were golden-crisp outside and creamy inside. Bring your little one too. There's a corner with colored pencils and an Etch A Sketch to let you know the kids are welcome. If you don't try it this weekend, just keep it in mind, and come along next time you want to sit by a fresh bouquet lit by a bright window with a nice cup of coffee in hand (I'm up for that most days of the week). 

Ebelskivers with petals and apricot compote. 

Ebelskivers with petals and apricot compote. 

Welcoming entrance to Alma Mater's Honey Cafe from Fawcett. 

Welcoming entrance to Alma Mater's Honey Cafe from Fawcett. 

Making time for some Etch A Sketch. 

Making time for some Etch A Sketch. 

Eggs Cocette (the hash browns are outside the frame, but so so so good). 

Eggs Cocette (the hash browns are outside the frame, but so so so good). 

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Hi, I'm Michael Duggan, a licensed broker with Windermere Abode. I would love to help you through the home buying or selling process. Please contact me to set up a meeting and get things started.