Out and About: Jump into Lakefair, see local’s ‘Life’ or catch al fresco flick

All’s fair

Lakefair, that is. The traditional summer festival is back for the first time since, well, you know when. Happening through Sunday, July 17, the fair, centered in Heritage Park in downtown Olympia, offers rides, food, shopping opportunities and live entertainment, including the Elvis tribute act Alive 85, playing as part of a free mini music festival starting at 5 p.m. Friday, July 15. Among the highlights of the fair’s big weekend are the Grand Parade (beginning at 5 p.m. Saturday, July 16, and running north along Capitol Way) and the Grand Finale Fireworks (bursting and booming over the lake at 10:15 p.m. Sunday, July 17). Coinciding with Lakefair is the Capitol Lake Pub Crawl, a benefit for the American Cancer Society that will run from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday, July 16. (Note for newcomers to town: Capital Lakefair happens on the shores of Capitol Lake, but since Olympia is the state capital, both spellings are arguably correct.)

‘Complicated’ romantic comedy

Olympia Little Theatre’s “Life Is Complicated” — the first play by the theater’s artistic director, Kendra Malm — is a traditional romcom with a twist inspired by Malm’s life: Both she and the play’s protagonist are transgender women. The company produced a staged reading of “Life” in 2016, and Malm told The Olympian that she’s made a few changes to the script since then. This time around, she’s directing the play, which opens Friday, July 15, and she’s relishing the experience of producing a full version. “It does seem odd to watch my words come to life on stage,” she said. “(It’s) almost as if I’m amazed that I wrote the play in the first place.” Performances are at 7:25 p.m. July 15, 16, 22, 23 and 28-30 and at 1:55 p.m. July 17, 24 and 31 at the theater, 1925 Miller Ave. NE, Olympia. Tickets are $9-$15. Proof of vaccination or a negative test result is required, as are masks.

Movies in the park

Lacey in Tune gets in the full swing of summer on Friday, July 15, with its first entertainment doubleheader of 2022. Neil Diamond tribute band Cherry Cherry kicks things off at 7 p.m. in Huntamer Park, 618 Woodland Square Loop SE, Lacey. At dusk, the city will screen the 1993 sports comedy “The Sandlot,” which Rotten Tomatoes summed up as derivative yet genuinely sweet and funny, kind of like the film version of a beach read. The movie, rated PG, is set in 1962 — the same year Diamond signed with Columbia Records. And though you can see it on Amazon Prime, is the movie going to make the same impression on the kids — or on your sweetie — as if you watch it while sitting on a picnic blanket sipping lemonade? Lacey Parks, Culture & Recreation’s free Friday music-movie combos continue through Aug. 5.

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.