What’s Happening events calendar for Jan. 20, 2020 in Olympia

Monday

SPSCC MLK Day Lecture by Rich Benjamin: South Puget Sound Community College continues its Artist & Lecture Series with the first event of 2020, a Martin Luther King Jr. Day lecture with Dr. Rich Benjamin. The lecture will be held at 7 p.m. in the Minnaert Center for the Arts at the Olympia campus, 2011 Mottman Road SW. Tickets for the lecture titled “King and ‘The More Perfect Union”’ are available through The Washington Center for the Performing Arts for $15 or less. The lecture is free for SPSCC students, staff, and faculty.

Olympia Indivisible meeting on 2020 election: The theme is “2020: It’s Up To Us” for the meeting from 1 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. at St. John’s Episcopal Church, 114 20th Ave. SE, Olympia. Doors open at 12:30 p.m. with live music from Artesian Rumble Archestra. Free child care available. For more information and to register, visit https://www.olympiaindivisible.org/

Martin Luther King Jr. Day Celebration: The Commission on African American Affairs is hosting this event from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Columbia Room, Rotunda, and Room 112 of the Legislative Building.

Candlelight rally to end mass incarceration: Prison Voice Washington is organizing this rally from 5 to 6:30 p.m. at the north steps for the Legislative Building on the Capitol Campus. Flameless candles will be provided to represent the 1,300 men and women who will die in prison because their sentences are so long.

Tuesday

Diabetes Wellness Classes: The Mason General Hospital Diabetes Wellness Center is starting a new series in the Diabetes Prevention Program. These classes are in addition to the regular support group meetings held in Shelton and Allyn. Orientation for the program will be offered from 2 to 3 p.m. in the Washington meeting room, and again from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. in the Pershing meeting room, both at Mason General Hospital, 901 Mountain View Drive, Shelton. Classes will then continue for six months at those designated times.

JBLM Veterans Job Fair: The Disabled American Veterans (DAV) and RecruitMilitary are joining forces to attract, hire and retain military veterans and military spouses in the JBLM area. This free hiring event from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at American Lake Conference Center, 8085 NCO Beach Road on Joint Base Lewis-McChord, is for veterans, transitioning military personnel, National Guard members, Reserve members and military spouses. Register at http://bit.ly/JBLM012120

March for Life: The annual rally opposing abortion is scheduled from noon to 1:30 p.m. at the north steps of the Legislative Building and the south steps of the Temple of Justice. Rally organizers estimate that roughly 5,000 people will attend. March for Life participants will begin gathering at about 11 a.m. near the Winged Victory Monument, the statue located in the traffic circle near the Legislative Building.

Wednesday

Springwood Parcel Volunteer Work Party: From 9:30 a.m. to noon, volunteers and staff will remove invasive plant species, including yellow archangel, which must be bagged before it heads to the dump to keep the underground rhizomes from taking hold in new soil. The parcel, formerly known as Zabel’s Rhody Garden, is at 1500 Springwood Ave NE. Parking is only allowed on Devon Drive Northeast. After parking, follow the signs to the entrance to the parcel. Meet just inside the gate. Visit http://volunteer.olympiawa.gov/ for more information and to register for work parties in advance.

Thursday

Lewis Mason Thurston Area Agency on Aging Council of Governments meeting: The meeting will be at 2 p.m. in the Olympia agency office, 2404 Heritage Court SW, Olympia. Information: Contact C. Warriner at 360-664-2168.

History Talk at Schmidt House: Kristin Fabry, the former director of the Mason County History Museum in Shelton, will speak about the history of Mason County with stories brought to life in their museum. Her talk begins at noon at the Schmidt House, 330 Schmidt Place SW, Tumwater; doors open at 11:30 a.m. and close at capacity. Free, but donations welcome. Information: Contact Don Trosper at 360-786-8117 or email history@olytumfoundation.org.

Downtown Design Guidelines Open House: The city of Olympia will host an open house from 5:30-7 p.m. in Council Chambers at City Hall, 601 Fourth Ave E., on proposed new downtown design guidelines. The guidelines are being updated to reflect the Downtown Strategy that was adopted in 2017. The guidelines will apply to new downtown development and redevelopment projects. The draft and more information is available at olympiawa.gov/designguidelines. Information: Contact Joyce Phillips, Senior Planner, at jphillip@ci.olympia.wa.us.

Friday

SPSCC Gallery Dedication: The South Puget Sound Board of Trustees unanimously voted in December to formally dedicate the Olympia campus art gallery as the Leonor R. Fuller Gallery after its longtime trustee. SPSCC will host a reception to celebrate Fuller and her legacy of service and support to SPSCC from 5-7 p.m. at the Minnaert Center for the Arts lobby, Building 21, at 2011 Mottman Road SW., Olympia. Those wishing to attend should RSVP via this form or by emailing ssantos@spscc.edu.

Friday and Saturday

Tumwater City Council retreat: The retreat will start at 5:30 p.m. Friday and at 8:30 a.m. Saturday at Camp Solomon Schechter, 1627A 73rd Ave. SE, Tumwater. The public is welcome. Information: contact John Doan, City Administrator, at 360-754-4120.

Saturday

Ballet Northwest’s 50th anniversary gala: Ballet Northwest celebrates its 50th anniversary with a gala featuring professional dancers from American Ballet Theatre, New York City Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, Boston Ballet, and National Ballet of Cuba. The performance will be at 8 p.m. at the Washington Center for the Performing Arts, 512 Washington St. SE, Olympia. Tickets are $45. The event will feature memorabilia displays and video interview clips from throughout BNW’s 50 years, and raise funds for BNW’s costume and scholarship funds. The evening will culminate with desserts and dancing in the black box. A limited number of VIP tickets are available for $95, which include a 6:30 p.m. pre-show reception in the black box with dinner appetizers and drinks.

Priest Point Park Volunteer Work Party: From 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., volunteers and staff will continue restoration work focused on mulching around still-developing, young native plants and pulling invasive English ivy. The park is at 2600 East Bay Drive NE. Directional signs will be posted inside the park. The group will meet just south of the playground. Visit http://volunteer.olympiawa.gov/ for more information and to register for the work party.

Olympia Historical Society and Bigelow House Museum annual meeting: The meeting will be from 1-3 p.m. at the Olympia Odd Fellows Lodge No. 1, 405 Columbia St. SW, in downtown Olympia. There will be a program celebrating the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which empowered women to vote nationally. The public program is entitled “Olympia’s Role in the Women’s Suffrage Movement.” The Olympia Lodge of Odd Fellows No. 1, The United Churches of Olympia, and the Ira L. Cater Post 318 of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) will be recognized for 100 or more years of service to the Olympia community. Those gathered also will celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Bigelow House designation on the National Register of Historic Places. Information: https://olympiahistory.org

Sunday

Winter Twig Identification with Native Plant Salvage Foundation: Join local plant experts to discover the subtle beauty and learn the secrets to identifying 25 local shrubs and trees without their leaves. Two sessions of this 2-1/2-hour field class will be conducted, from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. or 1 to 3:30 p.m., at a west Olympia nature trail. Cost is $20, but scholarships also available. Advanced registration is required by visiting www.nativeplantsalvage.org/winter-twig-id Information: info@nativeplantsalvage.org.

A presentation on DispatchHealth: First United Methodist Church of Olympia, 1224 Legion Way SE, will host this information session on DispatchHealth, which is bringing back the house call and reducing unnecessary trips to the emergency room. The free session will run from 10 to 11 a.m. in the Great Hall in the lower level of the church. DispatchHealth accepts most insurance, including Medicare and Medicaid. In addition, an affordable flat fee is available for uninsured patients.

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