What’s happening this week around Thurston County
Sunday, June 23
LoveOly SummerFest Diva Drag Brunch: The festival’s Diva Drag Brunch offers pop-up brunch options from Chicory, Dos Hermanos Mexican Kitchen and The Oyster Boys, with additional brunch menu items from participating food trucks. There will be a mimosa bar with classic and special mimosa drink options featuring Whitewood Cider and Three Magnets Farmhouse Ale in the LoveOly SummerFest biergarten. A drag brunch performance will feature Queens of Diva Drag Brunch. The festival is centered around Fifth and Washington in downtown Olympia.
Opera for the opera-curious: Here’s an opportunity for a short, sweet, and fun introduction to opera in Olympia. The Olympia Chamber Orchestra (OCO) and Olympia Opera Theatre (OOT) will come together to perform scenes from operas by Mozart, Bizet, Massenet, and Humperdinck. Eight singers from OOT will sing scenes from The Marriage of Figaro, Hänsel and Gretel, Carmen, Don Giovanni, The Magic Flute, and Cendrillon (Cinderella). These excerpts cover fantastical stories of magic and dreams, as well as real-world, gritty stories of love, passion, and forgiveness. The concert takes place at 2:30 p.m. Sunday, June 23, at the Capital High School Performing Arts Center in west Olympia. Tickets can be purchased at OlympiaChamberOrchestra.org on the “Performances” page. General admission is $25; seniors, students and military are $15; Children get in for $5. Family bundles are available on the website.
Monday, June 24
Red Cross blood drive: The American Red Cross stresses that blood donors are critically needed right now to combat a drastic shortfall in donations over the last several weeks. Donors of all blood types are needed, especially those with type O blood and donors giving platelets. Book a time to give now by visiting RedCrossBlood.org, calling 1-800-RED CROSS or by using the Red Cross Blood Donor App. Those who donate by June 30 will get a $15 e-gift card to a merchant of choice. See RedCrossBlood.org/DoGood for details. Blood donation stations will be set up in Olympia at the following times: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday, June 24, at the Capital Mall, 625 Black Lake Blvd., Olympia; 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday, June 26, at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Nisqually Building, 9341 Fourth Ave. NE, Olympia. A blood donor card or driver’s license or two other forms of identification are required at check-in. Individuals who are 17 years of age in most states (16 with parental consent where allowed by state law), weigh at least 110 pounds and are in generally good health may be eligible to donate blood. High school students and other donors 18 years of age and younger also have to meet certain height and weight requirements.
Wednesday, June 26
U.S. Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez holds mobile office hours: The congresswoman’s team will be available from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Salkum Timberland Library Meeting Room at 2480 US Highway 12, Salkum, in Lewis County. Residents of Washington’s 3rd Congressional District, which includes part of south Thurston County, will be able to walk in to get assistance with federal agencies like the VA, IRS, and State Department. Those not able to make it can reach out online, by phone at 360-695-6292, or in person at the Congresswoman’s Vancouver or Kelso offices.
Welcome to Medicare Zoom Presentation: This presentation at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday is an introduction to options for new Medicare beneficiaries. It covers Parts A and B, Medicare Advantage Plans, Part D Prescription Plans, Medicare Supplements, and programs available to limited-income beneficiaries. To get a link to register, email thurstonmasonshiba.volunteers@southsoundseniors.org or call and leave a message with your phone number and email address at Senior Services SHIBA program at 360-586-6181 ext 134. A registration link will be sent to you.
Friday, June 28
Capital City Pride Festival: Head to downtown Olympia for the annual Pride Festival. Events include a Pride Drag Block Party on Friday; a daytime music and art festival on Saturday with an After Party at the Capitol Theater; and the parade and Dyke Day in the Park on Sunday. For details, check out Capital City Pride’s website.
Shoestring Circus: Kids of all ages – and adults too – will enjoy the Shoestring Circus, a medieval fantasy spectacular full of human talent – no animals. The Bellingham-based troupe will be raising their tent in Swantown off Marine Drive and Market Street, and offering performances from June 28 through July 7. Tickets are $32 for those 13 and older, $16 for kids and $48 for front-row seats. Get tickets online on the Shoestring Circus website.
Saturday, June 29
Test your senses: Do you have strong eyesight? A keen sense of smell? Powerful hearing? Put your five senses to the test with interactive experiments and find out just how perceptive you are. All ages are welcome to participate at the WET Science Center, 500 Adams St. NE, Olympia. Hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and admission is free.
Summer Nights at the Port with Queen Mother: Seattle band “Queen Mother” pays tribute to Queen’s music live on an outdoor stage at the Port of Olympia’s Northpoint, 1210 Marine Drive NE. Admission is free. Gates open at 5 p.m. and the concert begins at 6 p.m. A beer garden and food vendors will be on site until 8 p.m.
JBLM Freedom Fest celebration: Joint Base Lewis-McChord’s Freedom Fest celebration will be at Cowan and Memorial stadiums on Lewis Main from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday, June 29. This is the first year the event is not being held on July 4. It’s free and open to the public. Freedom Fest offers fair food, the Freedom Wheels Auto Show, carnival rides, games, stage entertainment and kids’ stage acts, games sponsor booth giveaways, roving entertainers and more. Switchfoot will headline a concert that begins at 7 p.m. The fireworks display will begin around 10:15 p.m., or as soon as it’s completely dark. To see a complete list of scheduled events and additional information, visit JBLMfreedomfest.com. All non-Department of Defense ID cardholders 18 and older without a DOD sponsor in the vehicle must register online before entry. All non-DOD ID card holders ages 18 and older must present ID at the gates.
Would you like to have your event included in our weekly What’s Happening listing? Email the details to news@theolympian.com at least 10 days before the event. Please put What’s Happening in the subject line.
