What’s Happening for Dec. 31
Wednesday
Polar Bear Plunge: This chilling annual ritual – when swimmers run into the water to start off the new year – will happen at 1 p.m. at Long Lake Park, 2790 Carpenter Road SE, Lacey, but arrive at noon for music and meeting fellow plungers. Information: Call Lacey Parks and Recreation at 360-491-0857.
Free day in state parks: Visitors to Washington State Parks won’t need a Discover Pass for day-use visits. (Note: The free days do not apply to Sno-Parks.) That gives visitors the opportunity to take part in a First Day Hike, a nationwide initiative that aims to get people outdoors on New Year’s Day. This year, more than 40 hikes are planned at dozens of state parks all over Washington, including at Millersylvania at 10 a.m., at Twanoh at 9 a.m., at Lewis & Clark at 10 a.m., and at 4 Grays Harbor parks. For more information on the Millersylvania hike, contact Ranger Lance Schlosser at millersylvania@parks.wa.gov or 360-753-1519, or to get more information on all the New Year’s hikes in Southwest Washington, go to https://www.adventureawaits.com/337/2020-Southwest-First-Day-Hikes-121019
Friday
Olympia Comic Creators Meetup: Olympia’s comic book artists and writers will meet from 5-7 p.m. every first and third Friday at Gallery Boom, 520 Adams St. SE, Olympia. The group will work on a comic anthology to be finished, printed and exhibited at the annual Olympia Comics Festival in June. If you are interested in drawing, writing or any form of comic book creation, you are welcome to join the group. Refreshments are often served but you are free to bring your own. All inquiries can be sent to Lorenzo Ross at zomatic1@gmail.com.
Saturday
Lacey’s Christmas Tree Round Up: Local Boy Scout Troops 222 and 101, with support from LeMay/Pacific Disposal, Thurston County Waste & Recovery Center, and Asplundh, will collect Christmas trees for residents who live in the Lacey city limits. Please remove all ornaments, lights, tinsel, stands, and other debris and place your tree on the curb by 8 a.m. (Trees with debris left on them cannot be composted and, as a result, will not get picked up.) The Boy Scouts accept donations for this community service at www.troop222wa.org or mailed to PO Box 5379, Lacey, WA 98509. Information: Call John from Troop 222 at 360-888-5215.
Poetry Open House: What’s the most poetic way to live in 2020? Explore this question with Olympia Poet Laureate Sady Sparks during the Poetry Open House from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the Harbor House on Percival Landing, 405 Columbia St. NW. Expect word games, poetry stations, warm beverages, and the Puget Sound. This is a casual, drop-in event. All ages encouraged to attend.
Pollinator Friendly Landscapes: The WET Science Center will host activities led by the Stream Team and guest speaker Mary Dessel. Participants will learn about the life history of bees, reasons for their decline, and how to support their health. Participants also can make a bee house to take home at a 10 a.m. workshop; register at www.streamteam.info. Admission is free.
Holiday Trees for Restoration Event: Did you purchase a live potted tree to decorate this holiday season? If so, you are invited to bring your family and your native, live tree to Priest Point Park for the first Holiday Trees for Restoration event, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Donated trees will be planted in a forested area that sustained damage in last winter’s storms. The park is located at 2600 East Bay Drive NE. Directional signs will be posted inside the park; meet just south of the playground. You must register online at http://volunteer.olympiawa.gov/ if you are bringing a tree to plant.
Want to submit a community event for inclusion in What’s Happening? Send it 10 days or more in advance, written in the format you see above, to news@theolympian.com. Pictures are appreciated.