Start 2025 off with Pee-wee, live bluegrass or some teeny, tiny art
‘Pee-wee’ on the big screen
“Pee-wee’s Big Adventure,” in which Paul Reubens’ childlike Pee-wee sets off to find his stolen bicycle, is back on the big screen. The Olympia Film Society is presenting the manic 1985 comedy — the first feature film directed by Tim Burton — as its January Kids Club selection. Reubens, who died in 2023, suffered a tarnished reputation following a 1991 arrest for indecent exposure, but the nerdy charm of Pee-wee lives on. “Pee-wee’s Playhouse,” which aired from 1986 to 1990, was rerun on late-night TV in the 2000s. In 2004, TV Guide included the program in a top-10 list of cult classics, and Time magazine included it on a 2007 list of the 100 best TV shows. “Big Adventure” will be on screen at 1 p.m. Sundays in January at the film society’s Capitol Theater, 206 Fifth Ave. SE, Olympia. Those 12 and younger are admitted free; regular tickets are $9-$12.
Oly Mountain Boys at Ilk Lodge
The Oly Mountain Boys, whose website bills the group as a local “bluegrass institution,” are playing Sunday, Jan. 5, at the Ilk Lodge. The lodge opened in April in the former Fish Tale Brew Pub, long a mainstay in the Olympia brewing scene and a frequent haunt for the band, which started playing both original and traditional bluegrass tunes in 2008. The show is from 6 to 9 p.m. at the lodge, which specializes in beer and smash burgers and is located at 515 Jefferson St. SE, Olympia.
‘Conversations’ in art
South Puget Sound Community College’s annual Fine Art Postcard Exhibition, an open-to-all show of postcard-sized pieces, opens Monday, Jan. 6. This year’s show, the 14th, includes 227 two- and three-dimensional works on the theme “Forgotten Conversations.” All of the works — by 100 artists both well-known (including Joe Batt, Lucy Gentry and Rene Westbrook) and not — will be auctioned off as a fundraiser for the college’s Leonor R. Fuller Gallery. “We are loving the exhibition this year,’” said gallery manager Sean Barnes, who also has work in the show. “Every year draws in a surprising return, and the theme this year inspired work that is especially vibrant with colorful, eclectic mixes of materials and nostalgic subjects.” The gallery, in the Minnaert Center for the Arts at 2011 Mottman Road SW, Olympia, is open from noon to 6 p.m. Monday-Friday. There’ll be a closing reception from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 7.
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.