What’s Happening for Nov. 28

Thursday

Community Care Center open house: Come inside the Providence Community Care Center and meet service providers from 6 to 8 p.m. Donate cold-weather offerings including socks, gloves, hats and hand warmers. 225 State Ave. NE, Olympia.

OIC presents Pass the Gravy: Olympia Improv Collective improvises never-seen-before scenes from audience input, from 7 to 9 p.m. at Octapas, 414 Fourth Ave. E, Olympia. All ages. Tickets are $5 and go on sale at 6:30 p.m.

Friday

Handbell concert: Olympia First Christian Church presents Alleluia! Handbell Ensemble in concert, the first event in its “Fridays at the First” winter concert series, 701 Franklin St. SE. Program includes folk, rock, gospel, hymn tunes, jazz and Broadway. Guest musicians are Lyall Smith on percussion and Daryl Yager on keyboard and guitar. Church opens at 11:30 a.m. for complimentary coffee and cookies and the concert starts at 12 p.m. Free, contributions for the musicians accepted. Information: 360-943-8025.

SPSCC presents ‘Winter Roses’: South Puget Sound Community College’s chorus and chamber choir will perform “Winter Roses,” an eclectic mix of winter and holiday repertoire, featuring the works of Bach, Sibelius, Mendelssohn, Whitacre and Gjeilo, at 7:30 p.m. at the Kenneth J. Minnaert Center Main Stage, 2011 Mottman Road SW, Olympia. Tickets: washingtoncenter.org.

Buddhist teachings for the times: The Olympia LBGTQ Meditation group will host Arinna Weisman, a Buddhist teacher, from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Olympia Friends’ Meeting House, 3201 Boston Harbor Road NE, Olympia. Weisman will discuss activism, overcoming ignorance and principled action. How can the Buddha’s teachings guide us through these political times? Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Suggested donation is $5 to $20. All are welcome regardless of the ability to pay. Information: arinnaweisman.org.

Saturday

Parade of Lighted Ships: The Olympia Yacht Club’s annual parade of ships on Budd Inlet starts at 6 p.m. For the best view, arrive early at Olympia’s Port Plaza Park, 701 Columbia St. NW, to see all the decorated boats as they parade by. Starting at 5:15 p.m., Santa and Mrs. Claus will appear at Port Plaza Park and carolers from the Capital High School Chamber Choir will sing at 5:30 p.m. Batdorf & Bronson Coffee Roasters will pour out complimentary hot cocoa. Information: olympiayachtclub.org.

World AIDS Day: Mpowerment Washington will have an event starting at 5:30 p.m. at the Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd, 1601 North St. SE, Olympia, to mark World AIDS Day. Guest speaker will be Washington Secretary of Health Dr. John Wiseman. Silent auction, dinner at 7 p.m. Tickets are $40 or $70 per couple at mpowerwa.org or by calling 360-754-8888.

Holiday homeless art: Creations and State of the Arts Gallery are having an auction and an art contest with prizes from 6 to 10 p.m. at the Governor Hotel, 621 Capitol Way S, Olympia. All art will be auctioned by Cory’s Sound Auctions. Bring a new winter clothing item for Olympia’s homeless and be entered to win a home decor item from Selden’s of Olympia. The event is catered and will feature comedy by Sam Miller and music. Free parking at rear of hotel. Information: 360-706-9422.

South Puget Sound College Orchestra: Old, new and seasonal favorites is the theme for a night of music starting at 7:30 p.m. at the Minnaert Center for the Arts, Main Stage, 2011 Mottman Road SW, Olympia. The orchestra opens its 2018-19 season with Beethoven’s Egmont Overture, Dvorak’s Noon Witch and the premiere of Northwest composer Carolyn Quick’s “Through the Haze.” Troy Fisher and Kids in Concert join the orchestra after intermission to help set the holiday mood. Tickets:bit.ly/2Bvt3Fu.

Author visit: Kim Fu will read from and discuss her new novel, “The Lost Girls of Camp Forevermore,” from 2 to 3:30 p.m. at the Olympia Timberland Library, 313 Eighth Ave. SE. The novel follows a group of young girls who descend on Camp Forevermore, a sleep-away camp in the Northwest, where their days are filled with swimming lessons, friendship bracelets and camp songs. They set off on an overnight kayaking trip to a nearby island, and before the night is over, they’re stranded, without adults to help them survive or guide them home. For adults and teens. Information: 360-352-0595.

Sunday

Tour of historic homes: The Olympia Historical Society and Bigelow House Museum will host the annual Holiday Tour of Historic Homes from 12 to 4 p.m. This year’s tour features seven properties in west Olympia that are examples of architectural styles and represent important periods of Olympia’s history, including the original St. Peter Hospital Chapel at Capitol House Apartments. Also open will be Bigelow House and Woman’s Club of Olympia with special holiday décor, music and refreshments. Tickets are $20 per person and are available in advance at Drees, Childhood’s End Gallery and Thompson’s Furniture and online at olympiahistory.org; on the day of the tour, tickets will be available at both Bigelow House (918 Glass Ave. NE, Olympia) and Capitol House Apartments (420 Sherman St. SW, Olympia). Net proceeds of the tour benefit the preservation and interpretation of Bigelow House and the Olympia Historical Society.

Monday

Civic engagement and business: Saint Martin’s University School of Business and the Washington Center for Women in Business present “Civic Engagement as Business Leaders and Why it Matters,” the next lecture in the Wisdom & Chocolate Series, from 7 to 9 p.m. at Saint Martin’s University Worthington Center, 5000 Abbey Way SE, Lacey. Renee Radcliff Sinclair, president and CEO of Washington’s public affairs media network TVW, will address the importance of policy engagement by business leaders. Free. Information: www.thurstonedc.com/event/wisdom-and-chocolate or 360-754-6320.