There’s plenty of ghoulish entertainment happening this weekend in Thurston County
Halloween happenings
In the spooky spirit? Here are just a couple of options for those wishing to celebrate:
• Boo Bash, the Hands On Children’s Museum’s annual Halloween party, offers a wide array of seasonal treats, from cider making and pumpkin pounding to a straw-bale maze and science demonstrations — and, of course, a chance for kids to put on costumes. The bash stretches from Friday, Oct. 25, to Thursday, Oct. 31, at the museum, 414 Jefferson St. NE, Olympia. It’s free with museum admission, and online reservations are recommended.
• Boo-Coda Spook-Tacular, the town of Bucoda’s monthlong celebration, offers daily trick-or-treating, two haunted houses (a scary one and a family-friendly option), costume contests and more. On Saturday, Oct. 26, the town participates in Thrill the World, a recreation of the zombie dance to Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” that is done worldwide. Most events are free; prices vary for the haunted houses.
Ghostly goings-on
Olympia Little Theatre is really in a spirited mood, it seems. In September, the company staged the farcical “Ghost of a Chance,” about a woman being pestered by a ghost that only she can see, and on Friday, Oct. 25, the theater opens the drama “To Gillian on her 37th Birthday,” in which the grieving David withdraws from the world to spend time with his late wife’s ghost. (Or so it would seem, anyway: Descriptions of the plot tend to put the word in quotation marks.) Though the 1996 film adaptation, starring Michelle Pfeiffer, took a critical drubbing, the 1983 play won the 1983 Oppenheimer Award for Best New Play. The Olympia production features Todd Russell as David and Keadrin Cain as Gillian. Also in the cast: Tom Sanders, Jilyna Layne, Eleanor Kinn, Annabeth Collett and Sarah Forbes. Performances are at 7:25 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Oct. 25-26, plus Nov. 1-2, and 7-9 and 1:55 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 27, plus Nov. 3 and 10, at the theater, 1925 Miller Ave. N.E., Olympia. Tickets are $10-$16.
Villainous vixens
Pacific Northwest Burlesque “Once Upon a Tassel” takes inspiration from Disney, but it would appear that the princesses are in short supply. The event poster features — along with a voluptuous bearded redhead — takes on Ursula (the monstrous octopus-like entity from “The Little Mermaid”), Maleficient (Sleeping Beauty’s nemesis) and Cruella de Ville (the one who thought a Dalmatian fur coat was the height of fashion). The show also features aerial and acrobatic performers and a costume contest. It’s all happening at 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 26, at The Washington Center for the Performing Arts, 512 Washington St. SE, Olympia. Tickets are $25-$45.
Freelance writer Molly Gilmore talks with DJ Kevin the Brit about what’s happening around town on KGY-FM’s “Oly in a Can,” airing at 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. Fridays.