Latest news with #WashingtonStateSpringFair
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Yahoo
5 fun things to do on this (partly) sunny spring weekend in Pierce County
Tacoma has welcomed the spring season and with it, new opportunities for local fun. According to the National Weather Service, this weekend's weather forecast predicts temperatures around 60 degrees Fahrenheit with partly sunny weather on Saturday and occasional rain showers on Sunday, but there's plenty to do on a misty day. Here are some ideas as you plan your weekend: 1. Harbor History Museum & beach visit Gig Harbor's Harbor History Museum is currently hosting the Shenandoah Float Find — a treasure hunt inviting the community to search for a glass float hidden somewhere in the city each week until their Maritime Gallery grand opening on April 26. The gallery will feature the 100-year-old restored fishing vessel the Shenandoah. After the museum, head south to Fox Island and enjoy an afternoon on the beach at the family-friendly Tacoma DeMolay Sandspit Nature Preserve, where you can find gorgeous views, comb the sandbanks for local wildlife or take a walk. The beach is known for rare geological formations called clay babies which have been found on its shorelines. 2. Take a trip to the Washington State Spring Fair Check out the new goat playground, jumping DockDogs, local fair exhibits and new food options this weekend at the Washington State Spring Fair in Puyallup. The fair ends on Sunday, April 20. Visit from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Thursday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, or 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sunday. If buying online tickets, general admission on Thursdays and Fridays costs $13 for adults and $11 for children ages 6-12. On weekends, those prices are $15 and $12 respectively. Children 5 years old and under get in free any day and children under 18 get free admission on Thursdays. 3. Try a new brunch spot — and other local delicacies. Our food reporter recently compiled a list of the best Easter brunch specials around town — check out those special deals on April 20, or hit the classics with our recommendations from an investigation into brunch culture around Tacoma. After brunch, you can swing over for dessert at Johnson Candy, a store full of sweets that just celebrated 100 years at its Hilltop shop in Tacoma. The News Tribune has you covered for any food tips and future brunch needs — check out our food section, TNT Diner, for more. Speaking of Easter brunch, there are many egg hunts planned across Pierce County this weekend. Edgewood Mayor Dave Olson posted on Facebook that 'hundreds of kids will go home happy,' from one that starts at 10 a.m. Saturday at Edgemont Park. 'The well-controlled chaos and pandemonium is orchestrated by the good folks at East Pierce Fire and Rescue,' Mayor Olson's post read. 4. Visit the Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium See aquatic life exhibits — including shark dives by professionals — and rare land animals, including a polar bear, muskox, a young tapir and red wolves. The Point Defiance Zoo is part of a program to save red wolves from extinction and reintroduce them into the wild. 5. Do a tour of the best-voted ice cream spots in the area. Tacoma is a place of ice cream opportunity, and our readers let us know where you should go. Gig Harbor's Iscreamery and Tacoma's Ice Cream Social lead the list, both with over 160 votes. Or, take the day to do a full round-up — including one of Bliss Small Batch Creamery's Puget Sound locations, Olympic Mountain in Shelton, Lick Homemade Ice Cream in Puyallup, and Dreamer Ice Cream — a newly reopened spot with ice cream waffles and milkshakes in Tacoma.
Yahoo
12-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
What to do this weekend: Spring Fair, Packed Sports Weekend and Record Store Day
This story was originally published on The wonderful world of the weekend is back, and there's no shortage of things to do! It starts at the Washington State Spring Fair. If the sunshine already has you dreaming of summer days at the State Fair, good news—those dreams are springing to life at the Washington State Spring Fair! Now celebrating its 35th anniversary, the Fair has all your classic favorites plus high-octane fun like monster truck rides, demolition derby mayhem, and monster truck shows. There's also plenty of family-friendly entertainment, including rides, animal shows, and, of course, your favorite indulgent fair food. The Spring Fair runs this weekend and next. While the rain and wind might have impacted the cherry blossoms, that won't stop the Seattle Cherry Blossom and Japanese Cultural Festival. This free event is at the Seattle Center today through Sunday, and throughout the weekend, you'll see art, cooking demonstrations, Japanese Wrestling, and music. Check out the Seattle Center website for a schedule and more details. One surprising thing I learned after moving to Seattle? There's an entire city hidden beneath our streets! If you're looking to dive into some fascinating local history, the Beneath the Streets Underground History Tour is back in action. Guided walking tours have resumed, giving you the chance to explore Seattle's underground passageways while learning how the city has changed—and continues to evolve—through the eyes of a local expert. You can get tickets right here. We are still celebrating the spring flowers and Sunday in Tacoma you'll be able to see decorated boats and more as part of the Daffodil Marine Festival and Parade! The boats take off from the Tacoma Yacht Club and, from there, folks will be able to catch a view of the parade along Ruston Waterway and the Dune Peninsula Park. The parade starts at 11:30 AM and you can get more details here Speaking of flowers, the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival is also underway and runs through the month! The sports calendar continues to be jammed packed and we got a lot of home games this weekend. The Mariners have a weekend series against the Texas Rangers, there's a promo item for EACH game this weekend, so check out the team's website and pick your favorite. The Kraken take on the St. Louis Blues Saturday at 7, The Seattle Reign have a home match tonight at 4:30, but if pro sports aren't your thing WWE Friday Night Smackdown is tonight at Climate Pledge arena. Tickets are still available for all of these events! If you are someone who collects records or has their eyes on a special record, you'll want to keep an eye out on all the Record Store Day deals! There are TONS of awesome shops to check out around our region, my recommendations are Easy Street Records in West Seattle and Sonic Boom in Ballard. Plan ahead and make sure you know when and where to get those special items! Record Store Day is Saturday and you can find information about record store day right here If arts and crafts are your thing, Hanger 30 at Magnuson Park will be the place you want to be this weekend. Best of the Northwest has returned and here you will find over 100 artists showing off their work, workshops, food trucks and plenty more. Show off your work, or learn a new skill Saturday and Sunday from 10-5. Lots of things to do this weekend and only so much time… what do you have going on? Let me know at pholden@
Yahoo
10-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
The Spring Fair has arrived in Puyallup. Here's your guide to parking, tickets
It's time to celebrate spring. The annual Washington State Spring Fair has arrived — and this year, it has some new surprises. Residents can go to the fair from Thursday, April 10 to Sunday April 13 and again from Thursday, April 17 to Sunday, April 20. The Thursday hours are 2 p.m. to 10 p.m., the Friday and Saturday hours are 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., and the Sunday hours are 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. If you're buying tickets online, general admission on Thursdays and Fridays costs $13 for adults and $11 for children between 6 and 12 years old. On weekends, those tickets are $15 and $12 respectively. Children 5 years old and under are admitted for free, and on Thursdays, all children under the age of 18 get free admission. If you plan to buy tickets at the gate, adults can get in for $14 on weekdays and $17 on weekends. Children between 6 and 12 can get in for $12 on weekdays and $13 on weekends. 'Another way to save is if people come on opening day, they can get in for free from 2 to 4 p.m. by bringing a food donation,' fair spokesperson Stacy Van Horne told The News Tribune. General parking in the Gold, Blue, Red and Green lots is free on Thursdays and $15 on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Guests can also splurge for reserved premium parking in Lot B (across from the Red Gate) which is $25 on Thursdays and $30 on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Several projects are underway at the fairgrounds ahead of the 125th Washington State Fair this fall — including a renovation of the M Barn, a new rooftop bar and a new festival street along Ninth Avenue Southwest. Van Horne said that the construction projects for the State Fair won't impact the Spring Fair — but it will take a few extra minutes to walk from the Red Lot to the Red Gate. 'Ninth Avenue is closed right now,' Van Horne said. 'Red Gate will be open — all four of our gates are open — but the only access to Red Gate is off of Fourth. So, people can still park in the Red Lot, they just have to walk around and there will be lots of detour signs that the city is putting up.' Van Horne said one of the Spring Fair's new projects is a goat playground. There will be 12 to 15 goats, including two babies — known as 'kids.' 'That kind of celebrates spring, and that's what Spring Fair is about,' Van Horne said. 'There will actually be 'kids' on the playground! I've seen it, it's amazing — there's swings, there's teeter-totters, all kinds of things.' The goat playground is a free exhibit, Van Horne said. There is also a new restaurant called Miss C's Chicken Shack, where guests can get biscuits, fried chicken, chicken and waffles and more. Van Horne also brought up 'The Collection,' a new shop near the Gold Gate that honors the State Fair's 125th anniversary. Guests can buy clothing, candles and more — almost all of them emblazoned with the 'Do the Puyallup' slogan. 'It benefits our Washington State Fair Foundation, which benefits scholarships for students all over the state,' Van Horne said. 'You go in there, you want to shop, you can shop the nostalgia.' The best weekend to visit depends on what you want to do. The BBQ Playoffs are this weekend only. Roughly 35 teams will be competing for $25,000 in prize money — and guests will be able to taste all the flavors of spring. On the second weekend, The Fair is shedding light on its future. 'We actually have an exhibit called 'Building the Next 125 Years' and we will have big pieces of equipment and photo renderings and things like that,' Van Horne said. Guests will be able to get an in-depth look at the construction projects happening, Van Horne said. The event will also have a sand sculpture artist. Van Horne said that most exhibits will be available for both weekends, though there may be different animals on display or different exhibits in the grandstand. For more information, visit The Spring Fair will have rides, various restaurants and cute animals to meet. Guests can watch racing pigs or DockDogs, dogs that jump remarkable distances. '[The pigs] are so cute — they run around the track and they get fed at the end,' Van Horne said. 'DockDogs is another fun animal adventure, where dogs run around a dock and jump as far as they can or as high as they can. These dogs go far — some jump almost over 30 feet. That's done around the country and it's fun to see the champions out here.' The Dinosaur Exhibit is open for all ages, with tickets costing $8. Residents can also celebrate Easter with a Golden Egg Scavenger Hunt or take a ride on a Monster Truck (tickets are $10).
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Puyallup Food Bank urges support at Washington State Fair food drive as shelves hit ‘all-time low'
The Puyallup Food Bank says they are facing an unprecedented crisis, calling on the community to come together for a critical food drive on April 10 at the Washington State Spring Fair. 'Our shelf-stable food is at an all-time low. We've cut back on the average distribution our clients receive, and we're at maximum capacity for serving our neighbors,' said Shawn Manley, CEO of the Puyallup Food Bank. 'We used to serve a dozen or so families each day, but now we're regularly serving more than 60 families daily. This dramatic increase shows just how many people are struggling to put food on the table.' According to organizers, the food bank's volunteers are seeing the human toll of this crisis firsthand. 'We're encountering so many first-time visitors, especially people on fixed incomes who simply cannot survive in this economy,' Manley shared. 'One elderly woman told us she had to choose between paying her heating bill and buying groceries. Thanks to the Food Bank, she didn't have to make that choice.' The Spring Fair Food Drive is on Thursday, April 10, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. 'This drive is one of the biggest of the year, but it comes at the lowest time for food drives. Most people think of giving around Thanksgiving and Christmas, not in the spring,' Manley explained. 'The Spring drive meets a critical need at a critical time. If we exceed our goals, we can ensure no family goes hungry right now.' Organizers add that non-perishable items like soup, pasta, rice, peanut butter, and canned meat are urgently needed, along with donations to sustain operations. Regarding cash donations, Manely shared, 'We can convert $100 into 500 meals. Our operational budget is 100% funded by our local community.' For Manley, this mission is deeply personal. 'I've lived in Puyallup for most of my life, and my grandchildren are sixth-generation Puyallup residents. I've never seen our community face hunger like this,' he said. 'I'm asking my neighbors to dig deep and give what they can. Together, we can show every family in Puyallup that they're not alone in this fight.' To learn more or volunteer, visit the Puyallup Food Bank website, contact the Puyallup Food Bank at (253) 350-9303, or email ceo@ The days are getting longer, the flowers are blooming, and the Washington State Fair Spring Fair starts Thursday! All... Posted by Puyallup Food Bank on Tuesday, April 8, 2025
Yahoo
07-04-2025
- Yahoo
Seattle driver plummets off multi-story parking garage, 77-year-old rescued
The Brief A man in his 70s is recovering from a rare type of crash in Seattle Sunday. This morning, police say he drove off a parking garage, landing in his neighbor's patio. Investigations continue as to the cause of the crash. SEATTLE - A 77-year-old man is in the hospital on Sunday after crashing onto someone's patio at a Lower Queen Anne apartment complex. First responders rescued the elderly man from his vehicle after it went over the edge of a multi-level parking structure in Seattle, calling this type of crash "rare." Just before 10 a.m. on Apr. 6, authorities announced they were responding to the scene in the area of Valley Street and 1st Ave. North. "We know there was a significant amount of speed because he went over a low barrier and then a railing before he flipped his vehicle onto the patio," said Detective Bruan Pritchard with the Seattle Police Department. The man, a resident of the building where the crash happened, was transported to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle with serious injuries. The Source Information for this article comes from the original FOX 13 Seattle reporting and the Seattle Police Department. ICE arrests 37 people at Bellingham, WA roofing company 7 million pounds of WA food at risk as federal cuts loom 1 juvenile dead, 2 in critical condition in Skyway, WA New study reveals you need $169K to be financially happy in Seattle 12 WA residents made Forbes's list of 2025 billionaires Everything to know about the Washington State Spring Fair Seattle Restaurant Week 2025 by neighborhood To get the best local news, weather and sports in Seattle for free, sign up for the daily FOX Seattle Newsletter. Download the free FOX LOCAL app for mobile in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store for live Seattle news, top stories, weather updates and more local and national coverage, plus 24/7 streaming coverage from across the nation.
