FREE s Friday, July 13, 2012 MMA FIGHTER
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TACOMAWEEKLY 24 YE A R S O F SE R V I C E BE C A U S E CO M M U N I T Y MAT T E R S
ARTISTS HELP BRING FRESH PRODUCE TO FOOD BANKS
TEEN’S DISAPPEARANCE
REMAINS MYSTERY
PHOTOS COURTESY OF PROCTOR ART GALLERY
FRESH PAINT. Proctor Art Gallery owner Carolyn Burt leads the charge every year to produce the Art-a-
Thon, which she also participates in. Here, she paints red cherries at last year’s event, inspired by what’s for sale at the produce market.
See live painting, make a donation and win prizes at Proctor Farmers Market Art-a-Thon By Matt Nagle mnagle@tacomaweekly.com
There’s always something interesting going on at Proctor Farmers Market, but on July 21 something extra-special will be happening when more than a dozen artists set up their easels for the fourth annual Food Bank Art-a-Thon, taking place from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Organized through a partnership between the market and Proctor Art Gallery, the art-athon raises money for the Northwest FISH Food Bank to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables from the market to distribute to food bank clients. As shoppers stroll through the market that day, Proctor Art Gallery artists and invited guest artists will be scattered about creating works inspired by the bounty of colors, shapes and textures found among the farm-fresh market goods. Donation buckets will be at each artist station for shop-
pers to drop contributions into. Each year the art-a-thon raises about $1,000 and organizers hope to meet that goal again this year. To date, because of the art-a-thon the food bank has purchased $2,789.50 worth of local produce from the Proctor Farmers Market over the last three years. As of this May, the FISH Food Banks of Tacoma have served more than 231,000 Pierce County residents, an increase of 39 percent during this same time last year. The Northwest Tacoma FISH Food Bank, adjacent to the Proctor Farmers Market, now is serving approximately 4,500 individuals each month. While canned goods are a blessing for those in need, fresh produce and the nutritional value it provides is also needed. The art-a-thon was designed to fill in the gap and raise money specifically for this purpose. Artist Carolyn Burt is owner of Proctor Art Gallery. “We’re a
PHOTO COURTESY VIRDELL FAMILY
MYSTERY. Christopher Virdell has been missing since Feb. 9.
By Steve Dunkelberger stevedunkel@tacomaweekly.com
PHOTOS COURTESY OF PROCTOR ART GALLERY
WORK OF ART. This watercolor entitled “Market
Discussion” by Carolyn Burt shows how artists paint what they see at the farmers market during the Art-a-Thon. community gallery of all local vendors get sales and the artists artists and this is our community get exposure and a chance to food bank and farmers market show off what they can do.” so we’re working as a team,” Several new things are on tap she said. “We’re really grateful for this year’s art-a-thon, includto the market that they’re will- ing jewelry artists. Proctor Art ing to let us do this. It’s a win/ Gallery artist Leslie Thiel will win all way around – the market See ART / page A7
METRO PARKS POISED TO CHANGE BILLBOARD POLICY By John Larson jlarson@tacomaweekly.com
Metro Parks Commission is poised to revise its policies on billboard advertising. During its July 9 meeting, it heard the first reading of a resolution that would have the agency no longer put ads on billboards that are considered non-conforming by the city of Tacoma. The proposed change is related to a long-running legal feud between the city and Clear Channel, the media giant that owns the majority of billboards in Tacoma. Some billboards are considered to be out of compliance with the city’s sign rules, as a result of the location, size or condition. Commissioner Erik Hanberg proposed the commission take this action. Metro Parks has at least one sign deemed to be out of compliance, at the intersection of 6th and Sprague avenues. Commissioner Aaron Pointer asked how many other signs the agency is advertising on that are non-conforming. Hanberg said Metro Parks is waiting for an answer to this from
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SPIRIT STORIES: History will come alive at Tacoma Cemetery. PAGE C1
PHOTO BY MATT NAGLE
SIGN POLICY. This billboard at 6th and Sprague avenues is deemed
non-conforming. Metro Parks has advertised on this particular sign. the city. Metro Parks has a contract to have the current advertisements on billboards through this summer. Other ads to promote Zoolights at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium will be running during the holiday season at the end of the year, but the agency has no contracts to run billboard advertising after that.
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Hanberg said he would be interested in Metro Parks having billboard ads on signs outside the city limits that conform to local sign codes, or perhaps placing ads on transit busses. “We can find other means that conform with the law,” he remarked. The commission is scheduled to vote on the resolution during its July 23 meeting.
Five months have come and gone since Christopher Virdell, 19, a Bethel High School graduate, walked to catch a bus to his job at a grocery store across town. He was never seen again. Theories and rumors pop up on a Facebook page dedicated to finding him. But there are no answers. His birthday came and went late last month. Virdell was last seen around 10 a.m. on Feb. 9 when he was leaving a friend’s house along 223rd Street East in Spanaway. He was on his way to his job at the South Hill Safeway. He was reported missing later that day when he failed to show up for work, something he had never done in the more than two years he worked there. Pierce County Sheriff ’s Department detectives are still investigating the disappearance but have little information, after days turned to weeks and weeks turned to months. Detectives have apparently interviewed some 125 friends, family and co-workers with little success, Sheriff ’s Department spokesman Ed Troyer said, noting that he could not go into specifics because the case is under investigation. Tracking dogs reportedly followed Virdell’s scent from the house along the route to the bus stop early in the investigation only to stop along the roadside, suggesting he got into a car on his way to the bus stop. Virdell is 5 feet, 8 inches tall and weighs 145 pounds. He has brown eyes and brown hair. He was last seen in an orange hunting hooded jacket with black pants and black shoes with glow-in-the-dark laces. He was considering a career as a Coast Guard helicopter pilot. Postings of theories about Virdell’s disappearance range from him simply running away with possible sightings in Seattle
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Sports ......................B1 A&E ....................... ..C1
See MISSING PERSON / page A8
Make A Scene ........C5 Calendar ................. C6
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