What’s happening this week around Thurston County

Sunday, Nov. 13

Reopening celebration at the Washington Center: Guided tours of the Washington Center for the Performing Arts will be conducted to show off newly completed renovations in the building. Door prizes, music, and videos will also be included. The event is free and will run from noon to 4 p.m. The Washington Center is at 512 Washington St. SE Olympia.

Monday, Nov. 14

Meeting on possible Thurston County airport: The newly organized group called STOPTHEAIRPORT.COM of Thurston County is hosting a community meeting from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 14, at Grace Community Covenant Church, 5501 Wiggins Road SE, Olympia. The group will discuss the airport proposal East Olympia being considered by the state’s Commercial Aviation Coordinating Commission, the group’s efforts to mobilize, how people can get involved, and a Q&A to hear concerns and build out an FAQ for the website. All are welcome.

League of Women Voters of Thurston County shoreline study meeting: The League of Women Voters of Thurston County will host a Zoom call from 6 to 7:30 p.m. to learn about the state League’s recently drafted Shoreline Study. The meeting ID is 861 6205 2125, the passcode is 133105, for the Zoom call.

Tuesday, Nov. 15

South Sound Fly Fishers Club meeting featuring Chester Allen: Chester Allen, a former outdoors columnist for The Olympian, will give a presentation on fishing with soft hackles. The meeting begins at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 15, at the Griffin Fire Department Headquarters, 3707 Steamboat Loop NW. Allen will be at the meeting early demonstrating some fly tying, and he will have some of his books for purchase and autographs.

StoryOly on Customer Service: Olympia’s live monthly oral storytelling competition, is moving to 7 p.m. the third Tuesday of each month beginning Nov, 15 at The Brotherhood Lounge. 119 Capitol Way N. Adults are invited to tell a personal true story on stage based on the monthly theme, which this month is “Customer Service.” Each teller is rated by a group of three volunteer judges selected from the audience the night of the event. The winner of each monthly slam wins a cash prize, StoryOly Tee Shirt and qualifies to participate in the StoryOly season finale, The Grand Slam. Stories must be true, 8 minutes or less in duration. Judges are asked to rate each teller on their ability to tell a good story. Admission is $5-15 at the door, but no one will be turned away for lack of funds. Half of the door proceeds benefit local non-profit organizations.

Introduction to the album “Olympia -- A True Story”: Join Tom Dyer and The True Olympians as they tell the convoluted tale of the making of their new album, “Olympia: A True Story,” a 40-song history album of the greater Olympia area, which was conceived and produced during the pandemic. The free program will run from 6:30 to 7:45 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 15, at the Olympia Timberland Library, 313 Eighth Ave. SE. Members of The True Olympians will join Tom in playing several songs.

Thursday, Nov. 17

National Adoption Day Celebration: Thurston County Family & Juvenile Court will host the 18th annual National Adoption Day Celebration in person. The celebration is aimed to honor all families who adopt and work to raise awareness of the many children in Washington state awaiting a forever family. Judges, government officials, lawyers, families and others will come together at 4 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 17 at Thurston County Family & Juvenile Court, 2801 32nd Ave SW, Tumwater. The highlight will be four local families who will finalize their adoptions that day. In Thurston County, more than 1,000 children have been adopted by stepparents, domestic partners, individuals, and couples since 2004.

Olympia World Affairs Council hosts talk on Israel: How much do Americans really know about the people and culture of Israel? Join Nancy Koppelman as she explores 12 features of Israel’s history, diverse ethnic and religious ways of life, governance and justice structures, and educational system. This talk sheds light on the only state in the world with a majority Jewish population. Koppelman, who lives in Olympia, has been a faculty member at The Evergreen State College in Olympia for 26 years. She holds a three-year appointment as Visiting Research Scholar with the Schusterman Center for Israel Studies at Brandeis University. The free talk will be in person starting at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 17, at Thurston EDC/South Puget Sound Community College Lacey campus, 4220 Sixth Ave. SE, or join via Zoom.

History Pub at Heritage: On Thursday, Nov. 17, Dr. Gary Ritchie will explain the link between the Yellowstone Hotspot and Tumwater Falls while telling the long geologic history of Thurston County. Admission is free to the 6 p.m. event at Heritage Distilling Co., 4200 Capitol Blvd SE, Suite 104.

Jessica Gigot talks about her book “A Little Bit of Land”: Author Jessica Gigot will talk with environmental anthropologist Dr. Joyce LeCompte as they discuss Jessica’s new book, “A Little Bit of Land.” This event will be held at 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 17, upstairs at Browsers Bookshop, 107 Capitol Way N., Olympia. Gigot spent her 20s wandering the Pacific Northwest, interning at small farms and doing graduate work in horticulture, and she now lives on a small sheep farm in the Skagit Valley.

Friday, Nov. 18

Kris Kringle Market: The Spouses’ Club of Lewis-McChord will host this event, modeled after the European Christmas markets, from 5-9 p.m. Friday, Nov. 18 and 2-9 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 19, at the Thurston County Fairgrounds, 3054 Carpenter Road SE, Lacey. It will include an indoor beer garden, 60 artisan vendors, 15+ food trucks, photos with Santa, plus a North Pole Kid Zone with an obstacle course house, letters to Santa, holiday crafts, games and more for an additional purchase. Admission tickets range from $5 per person to $50 for the family VIP experience.

Saturday, Nov. 19

Toilets through the Ages and Treatment Plant Tour: Toilet technology has evolved far from Roman troughs and chamber pots. Learn how sewer science has progressed through human history. After a 1 p.m. presentation, take a tour of LOTT’s Budd Inlet Treatment Plant to see how wastewater is cleaned. Tour participants must be 10 or older and wear sturdy closed-toe shoes. Related crafts and activities from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the WET Science Center, 500 Adams St. NE, Olympia.

222 Market Sixth Anniversary: The market at 222 Capitol Way North in Olympia invites the public to celebrate its sixth anniversary from noon to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 19. The event will feature a DJ, prizes, ice cream, tacos and more.

East Oly Neighborhood Market at the Armory: Campers Coffee will host a market at the historic Armory building at 515 Eastside St. SE in Olympia from 9:30 a.m. to 4:40 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 19. The market will feature over 50 vendors, live music, kettle corn, food and raffle prizes.

SSAG Artisan Market: Join the South Sound Artisan Guild at Capital Mall in west Olympia for a handcrafted artisan market in the Grand Courtyard by the food court. Pick up some one-of-a-kind merchandise made by local artists, authors, craftsmen, and creators. The market runs from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 19.

Sunday, Nov. 20

Arbutus Folk School Craft Market: Stop by Arbutus Folk School between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. Nov. 20 for a fundraiser craft sale, with items created by its instructors out of clay, wood, wool, and more. The folk school is at 610 Fourth Ave. E., Olympia.