What’s Happening calendar for Jan. 23
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.
2020 Point in Time Count: More than 150 volunteers and staff will be out in Thurston County working to find out how many people are homeless and to gather information that will help the community respond to their needs. Headquarters for the count is the Olympia Center, 222 Columbia St. NW, and the count will take place from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.
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.
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.