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Tacoma Community: 10 Ways to Connect in September

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Savoring the warm still-summer days with Sunday afternoon coffee on the patio is one of the ways we take time for peace, quiet, and enjoyment.

Savoring the warm still-summer days with Sunday afternoon coffee on the patio is one of the ways we take time for peace, quiet, and enjoyment.

Summer is waning. Not gone, not over, not yet past, but we can feel the change in foggy mornings, dew-heavy grass, brittle flower stalks, shorter days, earlier sunsets, and all the talk of how to create a viable semblance of “back to school” for all the kids from kindergartners to college students. No one needs to hear us say anything about how it’s been a strange year. You’ve noticed. Maybe what you could stand to hear is what’s still happening around town, what’s still bringing people together in Tacoma. What you can look forward to on a Friday night, or maybe even, how you can help with your time, skills, efforts, or funds.

That’s what this September events list is all about, connecting to community. You’ll find a vintage yard sale, community meals, opportunities to give your time to people and to the environment, a public art tour, new pizza places, a cooking class, and more. We hope you find something for you, something that gives you hope and gets you through. Take a look.

Connect to Tacoma with Events & Gatherings

1. Takeout Thursdays to Benefit the Humane Society for Tacoma & Pierce County

Thursday, September 3rd
9 am - 12 am
Doyle’s Public House
208 St Helen’s Ave, Tacoma

  • Support the Stadium District’s favorite Irish Pub, Doyle’s Public House, AND support animals in need of care

  • 20% of the proceeds from takeout orders on September 3 go to the Humane Society for Tacoma & Pierce County

  • Burgers, salads, pretzels, shepherd’s pie, or maybe breakfast - Bourbon brioche French toast! Make your order online and enjoy!

2. All Star Vintage & Friends Yard Sale

Sunday, September 6th
11 am - 3 pm
Lincoln District
S 38th & Park Ave, Tacoma

  • Free entry - street parking

  • A little back to school season shopping IRL with All Star Vintage and a mix of Tacoma vintage curators

  • Lincoln District Flea Market recommends you then go support one of many POC owned restaurants or cafes in the Lincoln District

  • Masks required and vendors will be ready with hand sanitizer

3. FREE FOOD BOXES FOR FAMILIES

Tuesdays, September 8th & 22nd
10 am
Tacoma Community House
1314 S L St, Tacoma

  • Free

  • Emergency Food Network and Tacoma Community House are partnering to offer free boxes of food for people in the community who could use some help with food security

  • First-come first-served

  • Enter the parking lot from L Street

  • Staff offering the food boxes will wear masks and keep their distance to keep the community safe

  • Interested in more community meals? See our August post for more community meals offered weekly around Tacoma!

Image from Tacoma Ocean Fest

Image from Tacoma Ocean Fest

4. Tacoma Ocean Fest Online 2020

Sunday, September 13th
10 am - 5 pm
Online at tacomaoceanfest.org

  • Free

  • This annual event at the Foss Waterway Seaport is a celebration of art, science, and water

  • Arts: music, dance, artist livestreams, underwater film, Youth Story Contest, and installations at the Foss Waterway Seaport

  • Eco-booths: marine science education, virtual booths, diy at home activities, new Ocean Action game

  • Water: get involved with the Tacoma Splash photo challenge and win prizes!

  • Learn more about all aspects of this event at tacomaoceanfest.org

Image from Molly’s Tamales

Image from Molly’s Tamales

5. Fresh Corn Tamales

Saturday, September 19th
3 - 5 pm
Online From Home

  • $45 - register and prepay here

  • Join the online cooking classes via Zoom - Molly will provide the link and password

  • She’ll also provide shopping lists ahead of time to make sure you’re all set

  • We’ve attended Molly’s vegetarian tamales class in-person, as well as an online cooking class, and many of her markets and events, so we absolutely encourage you to give this a try

  • Eating at home and making your own can be so delicious!

Connect to Tacoma with Self-Guided Tours

6. Find (and eat!) New Pizza in Tacoma

There’s some good pizza out there in Tacoma. Maybe you always go to the same old place. Great. I love going to the same old place. But, if you haven’t been to one or two of the new places (small, local businesses struggling to get started and thrive during the pandemic) go give ‘em a try. Besides, pizza is one of the most classic takeout options, which is perfect for these weird times.

Image from Tacoma Pie

Image from Tacoma Pie

Tacoma Pie

7104 6th Ave, Tacoma

  • Open Thursday - Saturday, 5 - 9 pm

  • Detroit style, Sicilian style, Grandma style

  • Deep dish - the crust is thick and high, and crisp, and soft, and so much lighter than it looks - delicious!

  • p.s. One of these pizzas turned into 3 meals for the 2 of us (we usually eat the whole thing!)

  • Served from the commercial kitchen at The Gourmet Niche

Image from State Street Beer, photo credit Chris Daniels

Image from State Street Beer, photo credit Chris Daniels

State Street Beer Co.

606 N State St, Tacoma

  • Wednesday - Sunday

  • Okay, we all know State Street Beer Co. isn’t new, but their pizza is!

  • State Street has a legit pizza oven now, pita pizza no longer!

  • Thin, chewy, crusty wonder, and they make a vegan one too

The Main Ingredient Pizzeria

5419 S Tacoma Way, Tacoma

  • Open Daily

  • New York Style crust

  • Classic pie menu with some good looking vegetarian toppings, nice combinations, and build-your-own options

  • We haven’t tried this one yet, it’s pretty new!

  • Go, say “hello” and tell us what you think - if we get there first, we’ll let you know

  • If you remember Stonegate Pizza, just head there, The Main Ingredient moved into that spot

Image from Spaceworks Tacoma

Image from Spaceworks Tacoma

7. Spaceworks Artscapes Art Walk

Any day you want
Any time you want (daylight is best)
All over Tacoma

  • Free self-guided tour of some of Tacoma’s public murals

  • Follow the route from south to north created by Spaceworks to see 10 murals around Tacoma, or start at the one closest to home (you’ll find the murals listed by address and artist in the caption of this post)

  • Love these murals and want to support funding so more artists can create murals for buildings around our city (lots of businesses welcome them!)? Go ahead and send a donation to Spaceworks if you can!

Connect to Tacoma by Volunteering, Donating & Accessing Services

Go visit this special park, eat some blueberries, and make sure to leave it at least as clean as you found it.

Go visit this special park, eat some blueberries, and make sure to leave it at least as clean as you found it.

8. Charlotte’s Blueberry Park Volunteer Work Party

Saturday, September 26th
9 am - 12 pm
Charlotte’s Blueberry Park
7402 E D St, Tacoma

  • Free volunteer event - register here

  • Help keep this beloved Tacoma park clean and free from invasive species

  • If you already know about Charlotte’s Blueberry Park, a free, u-pick blueberry farm open to all, then you know it’s a secret too sweet to keep

  • During COVID-19 group size is limited, so please be sure to register (a household counts as 1 volunteer within the limit)

  • Cleanup continues rain or shine, so dress for the weather - masks and gloves required (gloves provided in case you don’t own a pair)

  • Also, if you miss this day, or if it’s already full of volunteers, take a look at other Tacoma park cleanup opportunities for a chance to lend a hand

9. Tacoma Rescue Mission - Serve Morning Coffee

425 S Tacoma Way, Tacoma

  • Tacoma Rescue Mission could use your help serving coffee during breakfast

  • Staff capacity and supplies have been lower during the COVID-19 pandemic, but people still need coffee to help start their day with some comfort and a boost, you can step in!

  • If you’d like to help by serving coffee at breakfast, by donating to-go coffee cups and lids, or both, send an e-mail to volunteer@trm.org or register to volunteer here

  • Follow Tacoma Rescue Mission on Instagram and Facebook to stay in the loop about items they need, or other ways they can use your help

10. Peace Community Center - Volunteer, Donate, Get Support

2106 S Cushman Ave, Tacoma

Peace Community Center, located in the Hilltop Neighborhood of Tacoma, supports students and families from elementary school through college graduation. With both in-school, after school, and summer programs, Peace creates relationships with students through wholistic one-on-one tutoring and mentoring, as well as social and group activities. As you can imagine, the structure of this support has changed with the closure of school buildings. Throughout this tough time of students and families trying to access education with distance learning, Peace has created internet hotspots in areas of need, loaned out computers, delivered food, hygiene, and supply kits, and offered hours and hours of tutoring online. If you’re interested in volunteering, donating, or accessing tutoring for your student (focus on the Hilltop Neighborhood and students historically underrepresented in higher education), take a closer look at Peace Community Center!

Keep in touch about Tacoma life, community, homes, and a bit about us

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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.