Weekend Preview: Water world

With the arts and music venues around the 253, it is easy to forget that Tacoma is a port city. But it is. And that fact will be front and center this weekend.

The Foss Waterway Seaport’s new exhibit grand opening celebration, “Wheels, Whistles and Wonder: the Extraordinary Maritime Collection of Bill Somers,” will be held Saturday at the site along the Foss Waterway. The display showcases about a quarter of the 1,500 pieces the Seaport acquired last fall from the largest known private collection of maritime artifacts related to Puget Sound’s history. Included in the collection’s showcase will be the sights and classic beauty of Puget Sound’s historic “Mosquito Fleet” alongside live music reminiscent of the steamboat era, food, docents presenting “then and now” interpretations of maritime artifacts, storytellers reenacting characters from the glory days of steamboats, and children’s hands-on activities. Visitors will see the Seaport’s active wooden boat shop staffed by expert boat builders, and heritage vessels such as the M/V Westward, built in 1923 and one of the last boats built at the Martinolich Shipyard. The Westward and Odyssey will be offering dockside tours.

The Foss Harbor Marina will offer Salty Dock Day, its own water fest that will come complete with boater education classes, a “Salty Dog” Contest for canine “First Mates,” games, safety demonstrations, a Saturday Night outdoor movie and other entertaining activities celebrating the recreational opportunities marinas provide.

For something inside, Tacoma Little Theatre is staging “Proof,” a story of a young woman named Catherine, who is the daughter of a brilliant mathematician, who has misplaced both his brilliance and his sanity in his later years.

A movie option can be found at the Acme, where the Tacoma Cult Film Club will show “The Doctor Is In (and out of his mind!)” Sunday night.

Inside or out, activities abound this weekend.