Fun stuff to do in the South Sound

With the opening of the newly renovated Pantages Theater, Symphony Tacoma will take the stage for its second concert of the season, “Symphonie Fantastique.” In addition to Hector Berlioz’s loosely autobiographical story, the orchestra will perform Emmanuel Chabrier’s “Espana” and Sergei Prokofiev’s “Piano Concerto No. 2.” The performance will be at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at the Pantages Theater, 901 Broadway, Tacoma. Tickets are $24-$83 and available by phone at 253-591-5894 or online at symphonytacoma.org

The Donkey Creek Chum Festival will celebrate the return of salmon to local waterways and showcase the need for clean water, habitat and the importance of salmon. Hosted by Harbor WildWatch and the Harbor History Museum, the free festival will offer family activities that include fish printing, touching sea creatures and salmon walking tours. It will be from noon-4 p.m. Saturday at the Harbor History Museum, 4121 Harborview Drive, Gig Harbor. For more information, call 253-514-0187 or go online to facebook.com/events/501623473593715

A tradition for more than 20 years, the Norpoint Turkey Trot brings the community together to run, walk or dash in the Thanksgiving spirit. Don your Thanksgiving costume and join the contest. Or you can bring out the strollers for the kids or leash up the dog and burn off some calories before the big feast. The kids’ dash will be on the Center Norpoint campus. They also can join in crafts and games in the gym as their parents walk or run the 5K or take the two-mile walk. Activities will begin at 9 a.m. Thursday at the center, 4818 Nassau Ave. NE, Tacoma. Registration is $25 online at metroparkstacoma.org/trot

David Sedaris, known for his mostly autobiographical and self-depreciating humor, will share his observations, humor and insight from his newest book, “Calypso,” at a 7:30 p.m. show Monday at Benaroya Hall, 200 University St., Seattle. Sedaris is the author of “Theft by Finding,” “Let’s Explore Diabetes with Owls, Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk” and “When You Are Engulfed in Flames,” as well as a regular contributor to the New Yorker and National Public Radio. Tickets are $50-$49 and available at seattlesymphony.org

To note the 100th anniversary of World War I, Tacoma Little Theatre will present “The Veterans Day Project.” The play uses fictional service members’ letters home to share personal wartime experiences over the last 100 years. Shows will be at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday. (The show is recommended for ages 13 and older.) The play will be at 210 N. I St., Tacoma. Tickets are $15 and free for veterans. For more information, call 253-272-2281 or go online to tacomalittletheatre.com

Military Appreciation Program: 100th Anniversary of World War I will fill in the gaps about the doughboys and what it meant to “bring home the bacon.” Hosted by the Buffalo Soldiers Museum, the Lewis Army Museum and the Tacoma Historical Society, the event will feature guest speakers Dr. Quintard Taylor and Col. (Retired) Steve Corbett. There will be food and jazz music. The event, free and open to the public, will be at 5:30 p.m. Friday at Amvet Post 1, 5717 S. Tyler St., Tacoma.

The holiday season will kick off this weekend with the Fantasy Lights Walk, the only night you can walk through the two-mile light display for a sneak peak. Hours are 5-9 p.m. Sunday. After the sneak preview, the display will be a drive-through-only exhibit, opening Thanksgiving and continuing through Jan. 1 at Spanaway Lake Park, 14905 Bresemann Blvd. S., Spanaway. Admission is $4; children 3 and younger are free.

Lusio Lights will transform the Seymour Botanical Conservatory, 316 S. G St., Tacoma, with a light installation to raise money for the conservatory. The display will be open from 6-9 p.m. Friday for the 21-and-older crowd, with music and refreshments. The all-ages family night from 6-8 p.m. Saturday will have free snacks, glow-in-the-dark face paint and music. Glowing costumes are encouraged for both nights. Admission is $25 at the door; family night is free to kids 12 and younger. Go to lusiolight.com for more information.