Get out the hairspray! OFS throws neon dance party to raise needed funds

The Capitol Theater dates back to 1924, but Saturday night, the theater will visit a different decade: the 1980s, known for its big hair and booming economy.

The Aqua-Nets — a Seattle cover band specializing in that long-gone preppy time when a political candidate first took the White House with a promise to make America great again — will play at a fundraiser for the Olympia Film Society, which owns the theater. It’s the band’s first Olympia gig, though half of its members have roots here.

The all-ages event is one of the society’s periodic fundraisers, like the annual Repeal Day Celebration, another celebration of period culture and fashion.

“It’s another fun dress-up party,” said OFS executive director Audrey Henley. “Olympia loves a good dress-up party.”

This party also serves as a ramp-up to a capital campaign aimed at helping the film society preserve the historic theater, which began as a vaudeville house.

“We’re raising these funds to carry us through the slow summer months,” Henley told The Olympian. “The goal for this event is to raise awareness and to raise at least $4,000. We want people to know about the future of the Capitol Theater.

“We’re working on getting new faces into the theater and connecting with new partnerships, and this is the launch.”

For the next phase of the project, which will include replacing the roof and many windows and restoring the awning, the society has received a $118,000 grant from the Washington State Heritage Capital Projects Fund, but more funds are needed — and restoration and upgrades will continue well into the future.

“Over the next eight to 10 years, we’re looking to invest $5 million into downtown Olympia,” Henley said. “We need the entire city, the entire community, the entire county to come down and support what it is that we’re doing.”

Running a theater has become more challenging in this era of online media and cinemas outfitted with everything from espresso to recliners, she said, and part of what the film society offers is a commitment to the community.

“From kids’ movies on Saturday to films you don’t see anywhere else and live events, the film society plays a unique role,” board member Bruce Botka told The Olympian.

“The location of the Capitol Theater relative to the State Theater and the Washington Center gives downtown Olympia a pretty amazing core of arts and entertainment venues,” he added. “I think that’s a huge competitive advantage for this town.”

Henley said she’s excited to see new people showing support for the theater — by volunteering, donating or, as The Aqua-Nets are doing, throwing a benefit.

“I actually saw ‘Star Wars’ there for the first time in August of 1977 as well as the first ‘Star Trek’ movie,” said Chris Cullen, The Aqua-Nets’ leader and drummer (and a self-described sci-fi nerd).

Cullen of Seattle — who lived in Olympia until 1980, when he moved with his mom, Janet Tanaka, to Issaquah — is happy to be helping the theater of his youth, although he has more personal reasons for wanting to bring his band to his hometown.

“I really wanted to put something together because my parents are getting older and they’ve never really seen me perform,” he told The Olympian. “Playing the drums makes a lot of racket, and my parents were very patient.”

Tanaka now lives in a memory-care facility in Olympia and will be at the show with her husband, Mike Tanaka. Cullen’s father, Bill Cullen of Olympia, will be there, too.

Lead singer Gretchen (Grawet) Lemon spent much of her youth in Olympia as well, attending Jefferson Middle School and Capital High School before transferring to Bellarmine Preparatory School in Tacoma. Brian Lemon, her husband and the band’s bassist, grew up here, too, graduating from Capital High School in 1992.

The band will be shooting videos at the show. That, along with a photo booth, means partygoers will have plenty of opportunities to show off their retro garb. (Neon, anyone?)

“I’m really scouring the closet for ’80s apparel,” Botka said.