What’s Happening for Sept. 28

Friday

Boys & Girls Clubs of Thurston County fundraiser: Enjoy a Chicago-themed evening at the Born to be Wild Dinner and Auction starting at 5:30 p.m. at Saint Martin’s University Marcus Pavilion, 5300 Pacific Ave. SE, Lacey. The event includes a live and silent auction. Tickets are $200 per person. Information: info@bgctc.org.

Author event with Craig Holt: Craig Holt will read from his novel “A Hard Dog to Kill” at 6 p.m. at Orca Books, 509 E. Fourth Ave. Olympia. The book, set in the Democratic Republic of Congo, won the 2018 Independent Publisher Book Awards Gold Medal for Suspense/Thriller. Information: orcabooks.com.

Bingo karaoke: Have some fun and raise money for the Mason County Senior Activity Association. The September theme is Western Days, so come in costume and enjoy bingo, a karaoke sing-along, 50/50 bingo games and prizes. Cash bar and food. Cost is $10 per person for eight games of bingo with $30 payouts. 21 and older only. Doors open at 6 p.m. at The Pavilion at 190 W. Sentry Drive, Shelton. Information: 360-426-7374.

Friday & Saturday

Victory Farm work parties: GRuB is leading the effort to create a Victory Farm to benefit veterans on the Martin Way site that will soon also be a Thurston County Food Bank location. It needs volunteers to join work parties this weekend at the site. From 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Friday, volunteers will help construct the meeting space and finish the fence. During the same hours Saturday, volunteers will work on the storage shed, paint and put any last touches on the meeting area. Volunteers should bring tool belts and water bottles, and dress for the weather. The farm is at 7027 Martin Way E., Lacey.

Saturday

Nisqually Watershed Festival: The annual festival will run 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge off Interstate 5 at Exit 114. The free event features art, music and family activities, including the “Insect Extravaganza,” a marine touch tank, a raptor show, stories in the Red Salmon Tent, a critter parade, a guided nature walk and a shuttle to the Nisqually Reach Nature Center to take a tour of the nearshore. The traditional salmon barbecue is back, along with a Hawaiian barbecue and shellfish tasting from Taylor Shellfish. Bring a T-shirt or use paper to make your own Nisqually salmon print. Visit the main stage to see the Nisqually Canoe Family drumming and dancing, and hear master storyteller Gene Tagaban. Free parking and shuttle to the festival will be available at River Ridge High School, 350 River Ridge Drive, Lacey. Information: bit.ly/2DlbPh2.

Sip, Savor & Stroll: Join the Olympia Downtown Alliance for a progressive dinner from 2-5 p.m. Meet chefs, brewers and restaurant owners as you get a peek behind the curtain into the Olympia culinary scene. The event will kick off at The Washington Center for the Performing Arts, and then guides will take participants to four restaurants to sip and savor small plates of signature dishes and drinks. The event ends with dessert at Rhythm & Rye. Tickets are $55 and are available at bit.ly/2QSG9CI.

35th Legislative District Democrats candidate forum, spaghetti feed: The 35th District Democrats will host this event from 6-8 p.m. at Skookum Hall, 3480 SE Lynch Road, Shelton. Tickets are $25 per person. All funds benefit district candidates. Tickets are available at bit.ly/2PZQwDq or mail your check to 35th Dems., PO Box 3212, Belfair, WA 98584. Information: 360-463-6319.

LBA Park work party: In partnership with REI Co-op and the United Way of Thurston County, City of Olympia Park Stewardship will celebrate the Day of Caring by removing invasive plants from LBA Park. The event will run 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the park at 3333 Morse Merryman Road SE. Park at Margaret McKenny Elementary School at 3250 Morse-Merryman Road SE. Tools, gloves, and light refreshments are provided. Register at olympiawa.gov/experienceitonline or by calling 360-753-8380. For more information, call 360-753-8365.

Wolves & Wine: Wolf Haven International’s annual fall fundraiser and annual meeting will be from 5-8 p.m. at Saint Martin’s University’s Worthington Conference Center, 5300 Pacific Ave. SE, Lacey. Tickets are $75 per person. Silent and live auctions, wine tastings, hors d’oeuvres. Guests will hear sanctuary highlights of the past year plus learn about plans. Register at wolfhaven.org or call 360-264-4695 ext. 210.

National Ballroom Dance Week dance: Musicians Michael & Leslie will perform from 8-11 p.m. at the Olympia Eagles Grand Ballroom, 805 Fourth Ave. E., Olympia. Admission is $10 per person, and all ages and skill levels are welcome. This is a fundraiser for new windows in the Olympia Eagles Ballroom.

Emergency Preparedness Expo 2018: Find the tools, tips and information you need to get your household ready for emergencies and disasters at this event from 10 a.m. to 2. p.m. at Heritage Baptist Church, 1315 Sussex Ave. E., Tenino. Admission is free. Every attendee will receive a free Kit-Man safety bag with instructions on how to create an emergency-response kit. Dozens of vendors also will provide information and demonstrations. Information: bit.ly/2zB2zBv or facebook.com/ThurstonEM. To schedule a training or presentation for your community or neighborhood group, contact Vivian Eason at Easonv@co.thurston.wa.us or 360-867-2825.

Monday

Ranked Choice voting and other election changes: Thurston County Auditor Mary Hall will speak from 7-8:30 p.m. at the Olympia Unitarian Universalist Congregation, 2315 Division St. NW. She will describe Pierce County’s experiment with ranked choice voting several years ago, and about the results of other election changes in place in other parts of the country. Information: Harmon Eaton at h.eaton@comcast.net.

Tuesday

Thurston Chamber’s October Morning Mixxer: The Rants Group will host the gathering at 7:30 a.m. at 724 Columbia St. NW, Olympia. Free. Breakfast treats and coffee will be provided for the networking event.

Wednesday

Olympia Mountaineers Adventure Speaker series: The Mountaineers invite members and nonmembers to gather at the Friends Meeting House, 3201 Boston Harbor Road NE, to hear Olympia Mountaineer Marko Pavela talk about his recent adventures in Mexico, which included climbing Pico de Orizaba, a descent into the Chorreadero, an underground river canyon/cave, and packrafting the Rio La Venta. He will offer insights into planning self-supported international adventures, and beginner packrafting and canyoneering. Door opens at 5:30 p.m., potluck dinner starts at 6 p.m. Bring a dish to share, plate and flatware. Branch announcements are at 6:45 p.m. and the speaker starts promptly at 7 p.m.

Thursday

Panorama Republicans host Bud Blake: Bud Blake, the Thurston County commissioner running for re-election, will address the Panorama Republicans at 2 p.m. in the Quinault Auditorium on the Panorama Campus, Lacey. Information: doddsbpan@gmail.com.

Thurston Young Professionals After Hours: Thurston Young Professionals will host their networking event from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Schmidt House, 330 Schmidt Place SW, Tumwater. Attendees will enjoy Olympia Beer, a taco bar and appetizers, and a chance to enjoy a spooky Schmidt House. All 21- to 35-year-olds are welcome. You do not have to be a member of the chamber to attend; no cover charge. The host provides appetizers.

Poet speaks at Saint Martin’s University writers series: Poet Kathleen Flenniken will present a lecture for Saint Martin’s Les Bailey Writers Series titled “A Case of — and for — Poetry.” Free and open to the public. Flenniken’s collection “Plume” is a meditation on the Hanford Nuclear Site and her home town of Richland. The collection won the Washington State Book Award and was a finalist for the William Carlos Williams Award from the Poetry Society of America and the Pacific Northwest Book Awards. She was the 2012-2014 Washington State Poet Laureate. The lecture begins at 7 p.m. at the university’s Worthington Conference Center, 5300 Pacific Ave. SE, Lacey.

The Wisdom of the Drum: Javoen Byrd — also known as Ayanwumi, in Oyo, Nigeria — will host a drum demonstration at 7:30 p.m. at the Olympia Timberland Library, 313 Eighth Ave. SE. Yoruba drums are used to speak the language and spread messages across townships in Africa. Byrd divides his time between pursuing a graduate degree in ethnomusicology and Ile Ife, Nigeria, where he travels to study Yoruba language, traditional Yoruba religion and drum. This program will occur after regular library hours, no other library services will be available. Free and open to the public. Information: 360-352-0595 or TRL.org.