What’s Happening for Sept. 8

Saturday

Olympia poet laureate application workshop: The application deadline for consideration as the next Olympia poet laureate is at the end of September. To help poets prepare, the city is providing a workshop for interested applicants and for anyone curious about the process. The event starts at 2 p.m. at The Olympia Center, 222 Columbia St. NW, Room 100. The workshop will be conducted by Olympia’s current poet laureate, Amy Solomon-Minarchi, who will share her experiences. City arts program staff will be on hand to answer questions. Information: contact Stephanie Johnson at 360-709-2678 or sjohnson@ci.olympia.wa.us

Lacey Sunrise Lions Spaghetti and Bingo Night: Come to the Virgil Clarkson Senior Center at 6757 Pacific Ave. SE, Lacey for a 4:30 p.m. spaghetti dinner with Caesar salad, garlic bread, dessert and beverage, all cooked and served by Lacey Sunrise Lions volunteers. A no-host bar will serve beer and wine. Dinner is followed by bingo with cash prizes. Tickets are $20 and proceeds will support Lions projects, including building wheelchair ramps, flying flags on city streets on holidays, giving dictionaries to third-graders in the North Thurston Schools and scholarships. Information: bit.ly/2PYOAvs.

Mason County Solar Home Tour: South Sound Solar Inc. will provide a free tour from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. From 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., gather at the HUB for Skydive Kapowsin, 141 W. Airview Way, Shelton, for a short educational workshop on solar energy. From 1-3 p.m., you’ll be taken on a van tour to homes now using solar energy. For information and to RSVP, go to facebook.com/SouthSoundSolar.

Brats Brews and Bands: The Gateway Rotary Club will host the sixth annual fundraiser from 1 to 10 p.m. at The Hub, 676 Woodland Square Loop SE, Lacey. The event will feature music by 13 bands, plus 18 beers, five wines and three ciders. Tickets are $10 per person and are available at bit.ly/2QaABTq. 21 and older only.

Sea tour: The public is invited to the Sea Level Rise Walking Tour from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. to learn more about sea level rise in Olympia and potential adaptation strategies. The tour starts at the Port Plaza and ends at the Heritage Park Fountain. Three displays along the way provide background information and highlight possible responses to sea level rise. Project staff will be available at the Port Plaza booth to answer questions. Those who cannot attend the event can take the self-guided tour during September. Pick up a walking tour brochure at one of the displays along Percival Landing or at City Hall, The Olympia Center, LOTT WET Science Center or at the Sea Level Rise website, olympiawa.gov/sealevelrise.

Saturday & Sunday

NorseWest Viking Festival: Celebrate the world of Vikings at Wilkowski Park on Rochester Street in Rainier this weekend. The event includes a horse fighting display, round robin sword play, forged in fire forgers, period and nonperiod vendors, food, a costume contest and bounce house. Hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Information: nwvikingfest.com.

Saturday through Monday

Tugboat Comanche open for tours: Tug Comanche, a Navy World War II rescue tug (also known as an attack tug) is making an extended stay in Olympia after Harbor Days. In 1959, it became a Coast Guard marine cutter, and now is a certified museum showcasing WWII memorabilia. The ship will be moored at the Percival docks and is open for public tours from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily. A donation for touring is appreciated. For school group tours, contact Joe Peterson at 253-227-9678 to make arrangements. Information: bit.ly/2MWb3f9.

Sunday

Voices from the Past — Heritage Day in the Tumwater Historic District: The Olympia Tumwater Foundation is putting on a historic home tour complete with history re-enactors. At 1 p.m. at the Schmidt House, 330 Schmidt Place SW, storyteller Kristin Alana will portray Rebecca Groundage Howard, an African-American woman who operated the Pacific House, a restaurant and hotel in Olympia in the 1860s and ’70s. At 2 p.m. at the Crosby House, 702 Deschutes Way SW, re-enactor Karen Haas will portray Thea Foss, who bought a used rowboat in Tacoma and built a maritime empire on Puget Sound. Then at 2:45 p.m. at the Henderson House, 602 Deschutes Way SW, Ray Egan portrays pioneer Ezra Meeker and his first experiences working with oxen. All three homes will be open for tours from 1-4 p.m. Admission is free. Information: Contact Karen Johnson at karen@olytumfoundation.org or 360-890-2299.

Monday-Friday

Hands On Children’s Museum closed: The museum at 414 Jefferson St. SE, Olympia, will be closed Monday through Friday for cleaning and maintenance. It will reopen Saturday, Sept 15. Information: 360-956-0818 or hocm.org.

Tuesday

Stonecroft’s Christian Women’s Connection: The group will host its regular luncheon at noon at Panorama’s Gallery, next to the Seventeen 51 Restaurant, 1751 Circle Drive SE, Lacey. Guest speakers will be Douglas Boling, manager and buyer for Shipwreck Beads in Lacey, and Heather Senges from Vancouver, British Columbia. Cost is $16, which includes lunch, dessert, coffee/tea and patriotic music. For reservations, call Sylvia at 360-943-0627 by Friday.

Democratic Study Group at Panorama: The group will host a Democratic candidate forum that will include U.S. Rep. Denny Heck, state Reps. Laurie Dolan and Beth Doglio, Thurston County Auditor Mary Hall, Thurston County commissioner candidate Tye Menser and Thurston County prosecuting attorney candidate Victor Minjares. The forum will run from 1:30 to 3 p.m. in the Quinault Auditorium (lower level), 1835 Circle Lane SE, Lacey. Free. All are welcome. Information: Go to the group’s Meetup page or call 360-438-5454.

Fall Life-Long Learning kick-off: From 4-5:30 p.m. at the Olympia Senior Center, 222 Columbia St. NW, you can meet and mingle with Senior Services for South Sound faculty and other adult learners, learn about fall class offerings and ask questions. John Dodge, known for his Soundings columns in The Olympian before retiring in 2015 after 40 years in the newspaper business, will be the guest speaker. Wine, cheese, and other refreshments will be available. The event is free and open to those 21 and older. Information: 360-586-6181 or SouthSoundSeniors.org.

Thursday

Tumwater History Talk: A new season begins at noon with Olympia Tumwater Foundation’s Public History Manager Don Trosper presenting an illustrated talk highlighting the darker side of Tumwater’s history. He’ll talk about how newspapers of the day reported on murder, political intrigue, scandal, immorality, tragedy, racism, conflict and Trosper’s favorite, “strange events.” Doors open at 11:30 a.m. at the Schmidt House, 330 Schmidt Place SW, Tumwater. Free. Information: olytumfoundation.org, or contact Trosper at history@olytumfoundation.org or 360-786-8117.

Olympia Genealogical Society meeting: Hear about upcoming special interest groups on ancestry, DNA, family tree maker, legacy, RootsMagic and FamilySearch at 7 p.m. at Thurston County Courthouse, Building 1, Room 152. To join the society, go to OlyGenSoc.org. Information: 360-451-1059.

Author talk with Alec Clayton: Alec Clayton will talk about his new book, “This Is Me, Debbi, David,” and autograph copies at his first reading at 7 p.m. at Browsers Bookshop, 107 Capitol Way N., Olympia. Actor Amanda Kemp will read the part of Debbi at the reading. Information: bit.ly/2QaDhAw,

REBOOT combat recovery course kickoff: REBOOT Combat Recovery, a nonprofit that focuses on healing the spiritual and moral injuries of war, is launching its free combat trauma recovery course from 6-8 p.m. at River Ridge Covenant Church, 7945 Steilacoom Road SE, Lacey. Free for service members and their families to work through post-traumatic stress. The weekly course lasts 12 weeks. Child care and dinner will be provided. Register at rebootalliance.com/reboot#join or by emailing Eric Scott at Reboot-Lacey@comcast.net.

Antiquated Technologies Series: The Lacey Timberland Library will host “Moving Pictures” with Devon Damonte from 7-8:30 p.m. See 16 mm and 35 mm movie viewing and projecting apparatus, including a running upright Moviola editing machine. Also, help celebrate Damonte’s latest acquisition: a Tagarno 35 mm medical viewer that plays both in high speed and in super slow motion. Free. The library is at 500 College St. SE. Information: trl.org.

Friday and Saturday

Girlfriends Fall Market: The vintage market will run 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at the Thurston County Fairgrounds, 3054 Carpenter Road SE, Lacey. It will feature vintage, midcentury, antique, refurbished, upcycled, industrial, farmhouse and crafted items. Food trucks and drinks available. Admission is $5 per person; kids and parking are free. Information: 360-791-7632.

This story was originally published September 8, 2018 at 5:25 AM with the headline "What’s Happening for Sept. 8."