Fun things to do in Thurston County this week

Harlequin Productions’ “Love and Information,” in its opening weekend, tells not one story but more than 50. Caryl Churchill’s 2012 play examines people’s relationships with information and with one another as the ever-changing characters discuss dinner plans, natural disasters and the existence of God. Performances are at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday plus Wednesday-March 9 and March 14-16 and 21-23, with matinees at 2 p.m. Sunday plus March 10 and 17 at the State Theater, 202 Fourth Ave. E., Olympia. Tickets are $20-$32; for the Wednesday performance, pay what you can. Find out more at 360-786-0151 or harlequinproductions.org.

Read our story on Harlequin Productions’ “Love and Information.”

Lacey celebrates its diverse history and present with Saturday’s Lacey Cultural Celebration. Previously called the Ethnic Celebration, the event showcases food, music and dance performances, education and hands-on fun for kids, who are invited to track their progress on passports. The free festival happens from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Saint Martin’s University, 5300 Pacific Ave. SE, Lacey. Get details at 360-491-0857 or ci.lacey.wa.us/living-in-lacey/the-community/arts-and-events/ethnic-celebration/

Lovers of pie (not to be confused with pi, the mathematical constant beloved by nerdy types) are in for a treat. The Olympia Pie Fest is back with a baking contest, live music and, of course, plenty of pie for sale. Dig in from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday at the Olympia Senior Center, 222 Columbia St. NW, Olympia. Bakers must deliver their pies between 10:30 a.m. and noon. Get details at 360-586-6181 or southsoundseniors.org.

Read our story on The Olympia Pie Fest.

This weekend, Olympia-based chamber series Emerald City Music presents its most ambitious concert to date, a performance of Steve Reich’s minimalist masterpiece “Music for 18 Musicians.” (The Emerald City ensemble actually numbers 19.) Though it has legions of fans — including some who listen to it over and over — the 1976 classic is rarely performed live. Friday’s Seattle performances are sold out, and just a handful of tickets remain for the Olympia concert at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at The Kenneth J. Minnaert Center for the Arts, 2011 Mottman Rd SW. Tickets are $10-$43. Get yours at 360-753-8586 or washingtoncenter.org.

The 10th annual Olympia Dance Festival, happening Saturday, celebrates many forms of movement. Hip-hop dancer Sam Picart of Seattle, who won Ellen DeGeneres’ 2016 “Dance Off,” and Julia Erickson, a former principal dancer with Pittsburgh Ballet, will perform both separately and together. (Check out Picart’s moves at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IVYpE2x3E4Y.) Dancing by local troupes will range from Chinese to Irish and from ballet to ballroom and belly dance. The festival, presented by The Washington Center for the Performing Arts and Ballet Northwest, happens at 7:30 p.m. at the center, 512 Washington St. SE, Olympia. Tickets are $15. Get details at 360-753-8586 or washingtoncenter.org.

Just how good is folk stalwart John McCutcheon, playing Sunday in Olympia? The singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist is little known outside the folk world yet revered within it. Johnny Cash called him “the most impressive instrumentalist I’ve ever heard, and the late Pete Seeger described him as “one of the best musicians in the USA.” In January, McCutcheon released his 40th album, “To Everyone in All the World,” a tribute to Seeger, who’d been a close friend. Listen to the music at 7 p.m. at Nova Middle School, 2020 22nd Ave. SE, Olympia. Tickets are $18-$25. Learn more at arbutusfolkschool.org/mccutcheon

Seattle’s Caspar Babypants (aka Chris Ballew of The Presidents of the United States) will get the Olympia Timberland Library rocking Thursday. With such tunes as “Disco Hippo” and “My Lullaby Got Too Loud,” Babypants aims to inspire both kids and parents to sing and dance along. The free concert will happen from 10:15 to 11 a.m. at the library, 313 Eighth Ave. SE, Olympia. (Enter through the Adams Street entrance.) To find out more, call 360-352-0595.

This story was originally published March 1, 2019 at 2:49 AM.