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📆 Tacoma Area Events

🦤Three Puffins Die at Zoo

🚘Free Car Giveaway Saturday

🎶Porchfest Takes Over Tacoma This Weekend

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Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium has temporarily closed its outdoor puffin habitat after three tufted puffins died over the past month from a suspected avian disease.

The zoo says the deaths may be connected to avian psittacosis, also known as parrot fever, though lab confirmation is still pending. Zoo officials are investigating the source of the illness, which may have come from exposure to wild birds. The remaining puffins are being treated with antibiotics, and animal-care staff are using enhanced protective equipment as a precaution.

Zoo officials say the risk to visitors is believed to be low, and no human cases connected to the zoo have been reported. Guests who visited the outdoor puffin exhibit in recent weeks are advised to monitor for symptoms such as fever, chills, headache, fatigue, dry cough, shortness of breath, or pneumonia, and to contact a healthcare provider if symptoms develop. Visitors can still view the puffins and sea lions from the underwater viewing area while the outdoor aviary remains closed.

The News Tribune has the full story on the puffin deaths, the zoo’s response, and the suspected illness here:

Center Collision is giving away a car this Saturday to a Pierce County resident who has been serving others in the community.

The giveaway is part of Wheels to Prosper, a national program created by auto shop owners who wanted to make a positive local impact. Center Collision has brought the program to Tacoma for nine years, selecting a deserving recipient who could benefit from reliable transportation. This year, the community submitted 20 applications, and a committee of 10 selected the winner.

The recipient will be surprised at the event, which takes place Saturday, July 18, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Center Collision’s EV Center, 3723 S. 58th St. The event will include food, face painters, a magician, raffles, and family-friendly fun.

Tacoma Porchfest returns this weekend, bringing free live music to neighborhood porches across Central and North Tacoma.

The all-ages festival takes place over two days: Saturday, July 18 south of 6th Avenue and Sunday, July 19 north of 6th Avenue. Instead of one big stage, residents host performers on porches, yards, and other small neighborhood spaces, creating a walkable music festival spread across the community.

Porchfest is free to attend and designed to be casual, local, and neighborly. Visitors can walk, bike, or roll between porch stages, catch different performers throughout the day, and enjoy one of Tacoma’s most distinctive summer music events. More details, including maps and schedules, are available through Tacoma Porchfest..

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