May 16 celebration of Syttende Mai

Syttende Mai actually means May 17, but since that is a Sunday, the Scandinavian Cultural Center (SCC) at PLU will hold their annual celebration on Saturday, May 16. Due to the weather predictions, the event will not be held outdoors in Red Square. Plan to be inside the SCC at 9:30 a.m. The SCC is…

Saturday, March 14, Nordic Heritage Festival at PLU!

It is the best celebration of Norwegian Heritage of the year. Booths of Norwegian sweaters, rosemaling, wood carvings, jewelry. plates, and books. There is Romegraten, waffles, krumkake, and other pastries. Musicians and dancers will fill the room with lively motion. Get a T-shirt that says how you feel about lutefisk, or being Norwegian. It is…

PLU Health Center and the Land Use Advisory Commission

The first Wednesday evening of the month is the Parkland-Spanaway-Midland Land Use Advisory Commission. This evening, Pacific Lutheran University brought a concept of their new medical facilities. This Planned Unit Development (PUD) includes a health center for teaching with real patients, an office building, and a hospital. The team brought in a packet of information…

Two meetings, two critical purposes

The Bethel School District, under the leadership of Tom Seigel several years ago, began having meetings with key leaders in the community. These meetings are held three times a year and they help steer the district in a direction compatible with sensitivities of the public. The most recent Mid- County Leadership meeting was October 22….

Pierce County hosts free resource fairs and film screenings in honor of Community Action and Older Americans Month

In celebration of Community Action Month and Older Americans Month, Pierce County Human Services will host two free events this May, featuring resource fairs and public screenings of the award-winning documentary, “Cooked: Survival by Zip Code.”The events aim to spark community dialogue around poverty, racial disparities, and disaster preparedness. Both gatherings will feature a robust…

April 12 – the Art of Weaving

On April 12, the Scandinavian Cultural Center (SCC) will present an event called Cultural Footprints, featuring historical and present-day weaving, colors, and textiles. The event will be held at the SCC in the Anderson University Center from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and is free to the public. The Center will feature displays of textiles…

These Orgs Make Parkland-Spanaway Healthier!

BLUE ZONES — We’re excited to announce that Pacific Lutheran University and Collins Elementary School have officially become Blue Zones Project Approved — joining a growing movement of schools and worksites committed to supporting healthier choices and better, longer lives! For their efforts in making their campus a healthier place to work, Pacific Lutheran University has earned the designation as Pierce County’s first Blue Zones Project…

Norwegian Heritage Festival March 15

The annual Norwegian Heritage Festival at the Scandinavian Cultural Center at PLU will be held Saturday, March 15 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. this year. The event will take place in the Anderson University Center on Park Avenue. Remember to bring cash as there is no ATM on campus. The Norwegian Heritage Festival is…

Swedish Sankta Lucia at PLU Dec 8

Sankta Lucia is a tradition at Pacific Lutheran University. Not only do they sing songs and put on a wonderful student led program, there is actually a Lucia Bride chose who wins a scholarship. The scholarship portion is based on essays written by the participants and evaluated by a team from the Scandinavian Cultural Council….

Sylvsmidja at the Scandinavian Cultural Center

Sylvsmidja (Silversmiths from Norway) is/are coming to the Scandinavian Cultural Center (SCC) at PLU in Tacoma, Washington on Tuesday, November 19th, from Noon to 4 p.m. A considerable number of Norwegian Bunads are adorned with emblematic silver and gold jewelry that Sylvsmidja is capable of locating or producing for customers. They have examples they bring with…

Mid-County Leadership met Wednesday

By Marianne Lincoln The Parkland-Spanaway-Midland Community Plan Area is an unincorporated part of Pierce County, but it is growing by leaps and bounds due to the housing shortage. The worst of it all, is that the three are older communities and lack the infrastructure to deal with the new growth. Sidewalks streetlights, traffic signals, doctors,…

Weigh in on ideas for the medical center at PLU

UPDATED locations! Saturday is at Keithly Middle School. A chance to weigh in with your ideas and partner with Multicare and others on October 24 and 26. • October 24, 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. at PLU’s Anderson University Center Regency Room on the main floor.• October 26, 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at the…

U.S. Premiere of – Being Ola, Sept 29

Please come join us at Pacific Lutheran University at 3:00 p.m. and meet the Producer in person. This is the US premiere of this award-winning documentary. The film will be shown in the Anderson University Center Regency Room and there will be a reception in the Scandinavian Cultural Center afterwards. From Janet Ruud of the…

Local author to receive PLU Honorary Doctorate

By Marianne Lincoln Hope Cecilia Svinth Carpenter wrote several books about the experience and lives of the Nisqually people, When I met her, she was part of the Descendants of Fort Nisqually Employees Association. Her maternal great-great grandparents were Charles and Isabella Ross, who came to the Pacific Northwest to work with the Hudson Bay…

Have a great first day of school!

August 27, Franklin Pierce school age children will be returning to school. On August 28, Bethel students will do the same. Please drive safely, slow down in school zones, and watch out from darting children! There is a link at the top of the page for school schedules, but here are the basics: Franklin Pierce…

We did it!

The Parkland community raised enough money through grants, donations, and a state allocation to make the earnest money and now, the down payment on the Parkland School! With that, PLU has agreed to hold a contract for the balance of the funds at 0% interest. On May 10, the transaction closed and Parkland Community Assn….

Frederickson Resource Fair, June 6

The Pierce County Thriving Together Resource Event is a free event that’s ideal for local small business owners and entrepreneurs to network and learn about free resources available to help businesses thrive in Pierce County. We’re sending you this information to make sure you know about the event and can help to share with your…

Saturday, April 6, Daffodil Parade

It’s in Tacoma, Puyallup, Sumner and Orting this weekend, the Annual Daffodil Parade is back to cheer us up for Springtime! As usual in the Spring, the weather will be 50 degrees F with intermittent rain showers, so bring your umbrella or rain hat. If you watch the weather report, you can now choose which…

PLU announces education and care district in Parkland

Today, February 6, 2024, Pacific Lutheran University announced a partnership with Washington State University’s Elson S. Floyd College of Medicaine, and MultiCare. They plan to address health care provider shortages in Pierce County and other areas beyond. Here is the announcement: Today marks an exciting day for PLU’s future, and I want you to be among the…