Planner: Your guide to fun in the South Sound
Friday (Sept. 11)
Happy Orchestra will make you move your feet
Bringing together some of the Northwest’s best funk, jazz and soul band members, Happy Orchestra is a band that puts a smile on your face and make you want to dance. Formed with a 4Culture Arts Project grant, the band will be recording and performing around the Northwest. See them live at 9 p.m. Friday (Sept. 11) at Rhythm and Rye, 311 Capitol Way N., Olympia. Cover for the 21-and-over event is $10.
Friday (Sept. 11) — Sunday
Blues at the beach
With the billing, “Where the blues meet the beach,” the Westport Blues Festival will happen this weekend on the grounds of the Westport Marina Cottages, 481 Neddie Rose Drive. The festival will feature 15 performers plus a blues jam dance Saturday night. The rain-or-shine affair is 2-9:30 p.m. Friday (Sept. 11), 11 a.m.-8:30 p.m. Saturday and noon-4:30 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $55 for a three-day pass, $20 for Friday, $30 for Saturday and $15 for Sunday. Get your tickets online at westportblues.com or at the gate.
Saturday
‘Vision’ and art of Sue Coleman
Come out to meet artist Sue Coleman at the State of the Arts Gallery, 500 Washington St. SE, Olympia. The artist’s reception from noon-3 p.m. Saturday, brings Coleman to talk about her artwork on display at the gallery. The award-winning artist is known for her distinctive watercolor paintings of Northwest First Nations images and her book, “An Artist’s Vision.” The reception is free to public. For more information call 360-705-0317.
Sunday
Come share in the ‘Dance of the Bones’
Local author and New York Times best-selling mystery novelist J.A. Jance will stop locally in support of her latest novel, “Dance of the Bones.” Come out to meet her Sunday at Centralia’s Fox Theatre, 123 S. Tower Ave., Centralia. If you’re a fan, then you’ll want to join in the VIP experience, starting at 12:30 p.m., and receive a signed copy of the book and an up-close and personal meet and greet with Jance. The free (ticket required) event is at 2 p.m. Tickets are available through Book ’n’ Brush in Chehalis and Holley’s Place in Centralia. For more information call 360-623-1103.
Saturday
‘King Greasy’ and the band
Closing out the Waterstreet Café’s Summer Jazz Series, Jim ‘King Greasy’ Pribbenow will perform at 9 p.m. Saturday. He will be joined by his band: Portland’s Marc Simon on piano, Steve Lucerno on bass and Michael Olson on percussion. For reservations, call 360-709-9090.
Monday — Oct. 30
Faculty show begins
Opening the new fall season at The Gallery, the group exhibition by South Puget Sound Community College faculty opens Monday. It will feature works by faculty and staff, including Dan Meuse, Liza Brenner, Nicole Gugliotti, Lisa Mellinger, Colleen Gallagher, Nathan Barnes, Joe Batt and Jane Stone. Works will include paintings, printmaking, photography, pottery, ceramics, sculpture and drawings, and will continue through Oct. 30. The gallery, located on campus, 2011 Mottman Road SW, Olympia, is open noon-4 p.m. Mondays-Fridays. For more information call 360-596-5527.
Saturday
What’s better than Brats, Brews and Bands?
Enjoy some beer, listen to some music while eating bratwurst and help support local charities at the Brats, Brews and Bands Festival on Saturday. It is 1-10 p.m. on the South Puget Sound Community College, 2011 Mottman Road SW, Olympia. Bands performing include Jeff Ott, Backlash, The Outlanders, Lott Troubadours and The Green Room to name a few. Try up to 15 different brews, and chow down on brat sandwiches. The festival is sponsored by the Gateway Rotary Club. Tickets are $15 and are available online at bratsbrewsandbands.com.
This story was originally published September 10, 2015 at 11:00 PM with the headline "Planner: Your guide to fun in the South Sound."