Not that you can count on the weather around here, but the forecast for this afternoon calls for showers and a high around 50.

That makes today a perfect day to spend some time indoors. And I’ve got just the place: a field trip to The News Tribune, where we’re hosting an open house to celebrate our 125th anniversary.

The doors are open to the public from 2 to 4 p.m. today at our headquarters, 1950 S. State St. in Tacoma. That’s two blocks west and one block south of the corner of 19th and Sprague. We’re offering building tours, cookies, barista bars and a 125th anniversary souvenir.

In each department, executives and staff members will be present to talk about what we do and how we do our jobs, in print and online, and to answer your questions.

We’re proud of the beautiful building in which we work, of the Chihuly chandelier in the lobby, of the work of our award-winning photographers that decorates the hallways, and of the community service that’s at the heart of our mission.

Come join us for the party. Just like the news, we look forward to sharing it with you.

TODAY’S FRONT PAGE

Today’s Page 1 is old-school in the extreme.

It’s the brainchild of David Montesino, our assistant managing editor for visuals. He supervises the people who produce the photographs, art and graphics for the paper and the Web site, and those who design the presentation of both.

We celebrate our 125th anniversary today because it’s the Sunday closest to April 7, the date when the Tacoma Daily Ledger, our oldest predecessor, first published in 1883. Our next oldest newspaper ancestor, the Tacoma Daily News, printed its first copy on Sept. 25 of the same year. The Tribune came along in the early part of the 20th century and bought both, creating The Tacoma News Tribune and the Sunday Ledger (the Ledger died in the 1930s).

David thought about designing today’s front page to mimic those earliest papers. Trust me, none of us would have liked that. They were devoid of photos and were mainly a full broadsheet of newsprint covered with small type.

But when today’s centerpiece story came into focus, David knew what style he wanted for the front page.

“Because the Daffodil Festival is celebrating its 75th anniversary, we thought it would be great to go back to 1934, its first year, for our front page,” he said.

So David went back to that year and borrowed the look and typography of that era. He and front-page designer Carmen Dybdahl executed the front with today’s news.

David also designed the pullout special section in the middle of today’s A section. The four-page pullout – with text by reporter Rob Carson and edited by Randy McCarthy – is a look at the development of the TNT’s flag (or nameplate) and design through the decades, focusing on notable news events.

DOONESBURY WILL BE BACK

Several readers have called to ask why Doonesbury isn’t on the Opinion pages these days.

Creator Garry Trudeau is on hiatus until June 16. He’s working on other projects, traveling and just taking a break.

Dave Zeeck: 253-597-8434

david.zeeck@thenewstribune.com

blogs.thenewstribune.com/editors