Out & About: Rock with Melissa Etheridge, put Peeps to good use, plus more art and music

Etheridge returns

Rocking singer-songwriter Melissa Etheridge is performing on Monday, April 4, in Olympia — and it’s not too late to get tickets, although her last Olympia show, in July 2018, came close to selling out. The Grammy- and Academy Award-winning musician, whose biggest hits include “Come to My Window” and “I’m the Only One,” is also a passionate activist, working on issues including LGBTQ rights, environmental issues and opioid addiction. ““I never to try to preach anything,” she told The Olympian in 2018. “My activism really came from speaking truthfully about who I am.” Her Olympia concert begins at 7:30 p.m. at the Washington Center for the Performing Arts, 512 Washington St. SE, Olympia. Tickets are $49-$129.

Play with Peeps

One reliable sign of spring in South Sound is the return of the Timberland Regional Library’s annual Peeps diorama contest. The Peep Into My Favorite Book Contest puts the colorful marshmallow bunnies and chicks to what many consider to be their best use — as art rather than food — with the cute, puffy critters depicting literary characters in scenes from favorite books. The contest is happening virtually again this year, and diorama kits will be available at the Olympia, west Olympia, Tumwater, Yelm, Chehalis, Elma and Montesano branches of the library April 2-22, or while supplies last. To enter, email a photo of your creation to contests@trl.org no later than April 22. Voting will take place April 23-30 on Facebook and Instagram, and winners will be announced May 3.

Singing in spring

Masterworks Choral Ensemble celebrates spring — and the group’s return to the stage — with a free concert happening Saturday, April 2. “Spring Into Song” will feature such seasonal selections as “We Sing of Golden Mornings,” “Now Is the Month of Maying” and “It Might as Well Be Spring.” The concert will begin at 7:30 p.m. at the Washington Center for the Performing Arts, 512 Washington St. SE, Olympia. Tickets are free.

Juror’s Invitational

South Puget Sound Community College’s Juror’s Invitational, an art exhibition on view through April 29, features new work by award-winners from the college’s 2021 Southwest Regional Juried Exhibition. The featured artists, selected by juror Aisha Harrison, are collage artist Teri Bevelacqua, digital artist Doyle Fanning, painters Karla Fowler and Jennifer Lauer, mixed-media artist Carrie Larson and weaver Susan Pavel. There’s an opening reception at 6 p.m. Friday, April 1, at the Leonor R. Fuller Gallery, 2011 Mottman Road SW, Olympia, which is open from noon to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday. The work also can be seen online.

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 March 31, 2022 at 5:00 AM.