What’s Happening for Sept. 30

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.

Capital City Newcomers Club: The club’s general meeting and luncheon will be from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Pellegrinos Event Center, 5757 Littlerock Road, Tumwater. The program speaker will be Debbie Spiller of Black Hills Flower Designers. Reservations are required. Cost is $17. Information or reservations: Anita Rose at 360-709-0707.

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.

Friday & Saturday

Fall Arts Walk: The semiannual community event celebrating the arts runs 5-10 p.m. Friday and noon to 5 p.m. Saturday throughout downtown Olympia. Free. Information: olympiawa.gov/city.

Friday & Oct. 7

African Children’s Choir performs: The choir will perform twice this week in Olympia, at 7 p.m. Friday at the Calvary Chapel, 919 Division St. NW, and at 9 and 10:45 a.m. at Hope Community Church, 2425 Black Lake Blvd. SW. The program features well-loved children’s songs, spirituals and Gospel favorites. Music for Life (the parent organization for The African Children’s Choir) works in Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda and South Africa, educating more than 52,000 children and helping more than 100,000 people through its relief and development programs. Admission is free, but donations are appreciated. Information: africanchildrenschoir.

Friday-Oct. 7

Girls joining Boy Scouts boot camp: The Pacific Harbors Council of the Boy Scouts of America is getting ready for an influx of girls wanting to join Scouts BSA after the first of the year. The Scouts will conduct their first BSA Boot Camp for girls ages 13-17 interested in joining Scouts BSA in 2019. The event will take place from 6:30 p.m. Friday to 11:30 a.m. Sunday at Camp Thunderbird on Summit Lake, just outside of Olympia. The camp is open to prospective members and their parents and guardians. There will be a combination of classroom learning and outdoor training. Information: 253-682-2217 or pacificharbors.org.

Saturday

October Book Sale at the Lacey Library: The sale will run 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the library, 500 College St. SE.

Shuruq IV — Olympia Arab Festival: Join the Rachel Corrie Foundation at The Olympia Center, 222 Columbia St. SW, Olympia, to celebrate and experience the food, culture, traditions and people of the Arab world. Free, and supported, in part, by grant funding from the Washington State Arts Commission and National Endowment for the Arts. Information: rachelcorriefoundation.org.

Olympia Fire Department open house: Activities run from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Fire Station 1, 100 Eastside St. NE. There will be demonstrations, chances to use real fire equipment, games and snacks. Free.

Test-drive an electric car: Test-drive electric car brands in one place at this Ride & Drive event from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Capital Mall, 625 Black Lake Blvd. SW, Olympia. You can test-drive multiple models of electric cars with no sales pressure. Energy advisers will be on hand to answer questions about set up and charging. Free.

Saturday & Oct. 7

Oysterfest: The festival that includes the West Coast Oyster Shucking Championship and Washington State Seafood Festival runs 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 7 next to the Port of Shelton Airport, 21 W Sanderson Way, Shelton. Admission is $5. Information: oysterfest.org.

This story was originally published September 30, 2018 at 7:10 AM with the headline "What’s Happening for Sept. 30."