Winter is here. What will you do to make it fun? Here are some options
The holidays are over, and the slog through winter — cold, wet, gray and stormy, with the possibility of ice and snow — has begun.
How’re you going to make it through?
Coffee, tea, hot baths and lots of layers will help. But so will continuing to go out, even when you have to push yourself a bit.
Here’s a sampling of winter events that will keep the holiday spirit alive, give you something else to think about, warm your heart and maybe even get you hot and bothered.
Take to the ice
Oly On Ice, Olympia’s seasonal outdoor ice-skating rink, isn’t closing with the end of the holiday season or the end of local students’ winter break. You can glide under the twinkling lights right up till Martin Luther King Day (Jan. 20). The rink is in Isthmus Park, 529 Fourth Ave. W., Olympia. Admission is $3-$12. Get details at olympiawa.gov/city-services/parks/recreation/oly-on-ice.aspx.
Play (and sing) Queen for a day
The Washington Center for the Performing Arts has moved its annual sing-along from the holiday high season to the depths of winter. This year’s offering — “Bohemian Rhapsody,” hosted by the supremely sassy Lauren O’Neill — offers the chance to not only sing like Freddy Mercury but also dress like him (or one of his bandmates, lovers, etc.) for a costume contest. The Oscar-winning flick screens at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 31 at the center, 512 Washington St. S.E., Olympia. Tickets are $17. Get details and tickets at washingtoncenter.org, or call 360-753-8586.
Check out some adult tricks and treats
The Naked Magicians are headed to Olympia, and the name pretty much says all you need to know about the attractive Australians, who’ll perform Feb. 8 in Olympia. The duo bills its act as “full frontal illusion” and sums it up with the line “Good magicians don’t need sleeves, and great magicians don’t need pants.” The show — for ages 18 and older only — begins at 7:30 p.m. at The Washington Center for the Performing Arts. Tickets are $25-$69. (If you’re snickering, this might be the show for you.) Get details and tickets at washingtoncenter.org, or call 360-753-8586.
Tap your toes or join a jam
With its lively mix of music and dance and its welcoming vibe, the 12th annual Olympia Old-Time Festival is anything but chilly, though the weather might well be. (Last year’s festival went on pretty much as planned despite snow that was cataclysmic by South Sound standards.) The festival’s big Friday concert features Ella Korth, The Humdingers and dancer/musician duo Evie Ladin & Keith Terry, with lounge acts including local faves Yodelady and The Sassafras Sisters. The festival — which also offers dances, workshops and jams — is set for Feb. 13-16 at the South Bay Grange, 3918 Sleater Kinney Road NE, Olympia, and Arbutus Folk School, 600 Fourth Ave. E, Olympia. Ticket prices haven’t yet been set, but workshops have always been free. Find out more at olyoldtime.org or olyoldtime@gmail.com.
See some skin — and skill
During the season when skies are mostly gray and people are mostly camouflaged under the layers and hidden under hoods, burlesque offers a refreshing dose of color, glitz and glamour and simply skin. At least two local troupes are offering special shows in an attempt to turn February from bleak to bodacious:
▪ The dancers of Rock Candy Burlesque, plus special guests, will strut their stuff in Feb. 1’s “Decadence,” a journey from traditional to modern burlesque. Shows will be at 7:30 and 10 p.m. at Rhythm & Rye, 311 Capitol Way N., Olympia. Tickets are $20-$25. Get details at rockcandyburlesque.com.
▪ Tush Burlesque’s “A Day Late and a Dollar Short” intends to offer post-Valentine’s Day comfort to the lovelorn and careworn. The show, featuring a pole dancer and a contortionist along with a buffet of burlesque, is set for 8 p.m. Feb. 15 at the Capitol Theater, 206 Fifth Ave. SE, Olympia. Tickets are $20-$30 and are available only in advance. Audience members must be 18 or older. Get tickets and info at olympiafilmsociety.org, or call 360-754-6670.
Catch a rising ‘Tide’
One of the strengths of good theater is its ability to transport audiences to a completely different time and place. Harlequin Productions’ “The Highest Tide,” based on the best-selling novel by Olympia’s own Jim Lynch, offers a ticket to a South Sound summer by the shores of Puget Sound. Explore the mysteries hidden beneath Puget Sound with 13-year-old Miles at performances Feb. 28-March 21 at the State Theater, 202 Fourth Ave. E., Olympia. Tickets are $20-$36. Get tickets and details at harlequinproductions.org, or call 360-786-0151.
