Out and About: Explore the arts, hear music in the park and watch a ‘Dragon’
LoveOly shows love to Procession
The Olympia Downtown Alliance’s LoveOly Summer Fest pays tribute to Procession of the Species on Saturday, Aug. 21, with a display of some of the parade’s perennial favorite creations, including the lion, the rhino and the beaming sun. Also on tap this week: music by Cedar Teeth (5 p.m.) and Golden Ruins (4 p.m.), a partner acrobatics show (4:45 p.m.) and a touch tank provided by the Puget Sound Estuarium (3-6 p.m.). The free festival happens from noon to 6 p.m. Saturdays through Aug. 28 at Fifth Avenue and Washington Street in Olympia. While you’re downtown, check out Harlequin Productions’ Costume Sidewalk Sale. The company will be selling clothing, shoes and accessories from noon to 6 p.m. outside the theater, 202 Fourth Ave. E., Olympia.
Musical mix
Olympia’s West Central Park is a hub for music this summer. The community-funded nonprofit park, at 1919 Division St. NW, Olympia, has multiple concerts happening every week through Sept. 26. From 7 to 10 p.m. Friday, Aug. 20, the park will be filled with the sweet harmonies of Olympia psychedelic folk duo The Hinges, a collaboration between longtime Northwest musicians Danny Kelly and Karen Hancock. Sunday afternoon’s show, beginning at 2 p.m., features the retro pop sounds of Black Satin, jazz by Vendredi’s Bag and a community drum circle. Rounding out the week’s offerings is a Grateful Dead Dance Party from 7 to 10 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 26. The shows are all free, with donations to the bands encouraged. Find out more about the park’s upcoming concerts at http://www.aparkforus.org/music.
Catch ‘Last Dragon’
The Port of Olympia’s Movies at the Marina wraps up Saturday, Aug. 21, with “Raya and the Last Dragon,” a film that pleased both critics and audiences by following Disney’s classic formula — action, adventure, adorable animal sidekicks and a moral, this time about the power of forgiveness. The film begins at 8:45 p.m.; come early to listen to Jake Grantham & Kieran Lynch featuring Wade Cota, who’ll take the stage at 5. The free entertainment is in the lower parking lot at NorthPoint, next to Swantown Marina’s boat trailer parking lot. The port’s website suggests bringing a chair and/or a blanket, and unvaccinated moviegoers must wear masks and practice social distancing.
Freelance writer Molly Gilmore talks about what’s happening in Olympia and beyond with 95.3 KGY-FM’s Michael Stein from 3 to 4 p.m. Fridays.
This story was originally published August 20, 2021 at 5:00 AM.