LoveOly Summer Fest wraps up -- at least for now

EDITOR’S NOTE: Musician Jonathan Richman won’t perform Saturday in Olympia after organizers scammed. See related story here.

The Olympia Downtown Alliance’s LoveOly Summer Fest — an eight-week festival of music, art and activities for kids — wraps up on Saturday, Aug. 28, with a performance by counterculture icon Jonathan Richman.

It wraps up for this year, that is.

Originally intended to welcome the community back downtown when COVID-19 restrictions ended, LoveOly is looking a little different now.

The coronavirus is back in a big way, and the festival, which drew an estimated 1,000 people downtown each Saturday since it launched July 10, is something the alliance hopes to bring back in 2022.

“Maybe next year it will be a post-COVID celebration, too,” ODA executive director Todd Cutts said wryly, adding, “I’m optimistic that we’re going to be able to bring it back and that we’re going to be able to do it bigger and better.”

LoveOly’s future depends on the support of the city and of community partners including the Olympia Film Society, which has produced a free outdoor concert each week, and the Hands On Children’s Museum, which offered children’s activities.

Cutts is particularly pleased by the festival’s economic impact; downtown restaurants and other businesses have benefited. “Our organization has been thrilled,” he said.

The community has been buzzing about the festival, which each week has showcased street performers, artists and community groups and culminated in concerts from 4 to 6 p.m. in front of the Capitol Theater.

Those concerts have provided many of the highlights of the festival — including Cutts’ own fondest memory, of Seattle’s The Black Tones headlining the concert at the first Summer Fest.

“I had the family down there, and I have younger kids,” he said. “Them having the ability to see a live show was really cool for me, and that day was the culmination of all of our work. I kind of had a permagrin on my face.”

Richman of Boston will perform at 5 p.m. Saturday, making him the last performer in the series. It’s a fitting position for the playful punk pioneer, who’s likely best known for his appearance in the 1998 comedy “There’s Something About Mary” and who’s played regularly in Olympia since the late ’90s.

“Olympians have had many dance-filled evenings with Jonathan,” said Audrey Henley, executive director of the film society. “He’s an honorary member of the Olympia music scene.”

Opening for Richman at 4 p.m. is Olympia’s Oh, Rose, whose songs tell complex stories about love, friendship and adversity.

Also on tap for Saturday: a performance by Illusion of Elvis at noon, drumming and dancing by Samba Olywa at 4:45 p.m., street performers including a stilt walker and a balloon twister, and an Olympia Historical Society display highlighting maritime history.

LoveOly Summer Fest

• What: The Olympia Downtown Alliance is welcoming the community downtown with music, art, activities for kids and more.
• When: Noon-6 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 28
• Where: Fifth Avenue and Washington Street, Olympia
• More information: https://downtownolympia.org/Events/LoveOly-Summer-Fest

This story was originally published August 26, 2021 at 5:00 AM.