What’s happening this week around Thurston County

Monday, June 9

Summit Pacific Medical Center public hearing on possible expansion to Oakville: is exploring the possibility of expanding its public hospital district to include the town of Oakville and surrounding areas. As part of this process, SPMC invites Oakville residents to a public hearing to share input on the area’s healthcare needs and priorities. The hearing will be at 6 p.m. Monday, June 9, in the Summit Pacific Wellness Center, second floor, Ortquist Room. This meeting is the first step in a broader effort to assess how SPMC can expand its services to better support Oakville area residents. The effort to explore district expansion follows findings from a recent community health needs assessment, which identified Oakville and the surrounding area as underserved.

Wednesday, June 11

Civics 101 Workshop Series at the Olympia Timberland Library: Civics 101 is a nonpartisan interactive workshop series designed to demystify how government works and explore various methods and practical tools for engagement at the federal, state, and local level. Guest speakers will include folks from the Secretary of State, WA State’s Open Data Program, Thurston County and the city of Olympia. The June 11 session will cover state government; it begins at 6:30 p.m. at the library, 313 Eighth Ave. SE.

Storytelling event ”Beyond Belief”: The South Sound Story Guild presents two master storytellers from 6-8 p.m. Wednesday, June 11, at The Harbor House, 217 Thurston Ave. NE, Olympia. Hear storytellers Janice Anderson and Janice Alexander as they tumble through outrageous and questionable childhood memories. A Story Swap follows where audience members can sign up to tell their stories. Admission is free. Go to www.southsoundstory.org for more information.

Friday, June 13

Olympia 2045 Draft EIS Issued: The city of Olympia has issued the Olympia 2045 Comprehensive Plan Periodic Update Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS). The Draft EIS analyzes impacts to land use, housing, transportation, climate, utilities, economy, natural environment, parks and more. The comment period is open through Friday, June 13. Comments can be submitted via email to olympia2045@ci.olympia.wa.us. You can access the DEIS online or view a copy of it at City Hall Permit Center, 601 Fourth Ave E, Olympia, between 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday. Access the latest Olympia 2045 information at engage.olympiawa.gov/olympia2045, or find background information and the existing City Comprehensive Plan at olympiawa.gov/compplan.

Saturday, June 14

25th anniversary Olympic Airshow: This annual Father’s Day weekend event runs from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Olympic Flight Museum, 7637 Old Hwy 99 SE, Tumwater. The air show itself runs from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. featuring flying vintage aircraft. Weekend passes are $37.38; daily passes are $22 at eventbrite; kids 6 and younger get in free.

89th annual Strawberry Festival: Celebrate the arrival of berry season at the South Bay Strawberry Festival on Saturday June 14, from 10 am to 3 pm at 3918 Sleater Kinney Road NE, Olympia. Sample Spooner Berry Farms strawberries and biscuits and enjoy family friendly activities and entertainment by local musicians all day! This year there will be 30+ local vendors.

Tumwater Dog Days: Join Tumwater Parks and Recreation for the 3rd Annual Dog Days from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, June 14 at Pioneer Park, 5801 Henderson Blvd SE. Dog Days celebrates the companionship between humans and our furry friends. Enjoy contests, demonstrations, TwinStar Trails ‘N’ Tails Loop, Deschutes Animal Clinic Rabies Vaccine Clinic, and more. New this year: Pre-register for the Dog/Owner Look-alike and Dog Costume contests; 20 spaces available per contest. For a full list of the participating community organizations and vendors, visit www.ci.tumwater.wa.us/DogDays.

Stone City Art Festival: Tenino Arts, in partnership with the Tenino Stone Carvers Guild, will host the the Tenino Arts Stone City Art Festival, a community event scheduled 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, June 14, in downtown Tenino. This free festival invites residents and visitors to experience a day filled with artistic expression, live entertainment, delicious food, and engaging activities for all ages. The festival will feature the stone carving artists from both the Northwest Stone Sculpture Association and the Tenino Stone Carver Guild. The event also will host an array of fine art, glasswork, leather goods, pottery, wood crafts, handmade candles and lotions, photography, jewelry, fiber arts, books, and other handcrafted gifts. A highlight of this year’s festival is a special appearance by Richard Rhodes, a distinguished Seattle-based mason and sculptor. Known for work described as “poetry in stone,” Rhodes holds the distinction of being the first non-Italian apprentice admitted into Siena, Italy’s ancient masonic guild in 726 years. Attendees will have the opportunity to view slides of his work and hear readings from his new book. The Tenino Farmers Market also will be hosting its annual Kids Day concurrently on June 14.

South Sound Reading Foundation at Barnes & Noble: Head to Barnes & Noble, 1530 Black Lake Blvd SW, Olympia, at 1 p.m. Saturday, June 14, to meet your favorite Star Wars characters AND support the South Sound Reading Foundation’s Barnes & Noble book fair. The free event will include fun photo opps, activities and scavenger hunts.

WET Science Center brings books to life: Take a look in a book and then bring it to life! Build a hungry caterpillar, go fishing for red fish and blue fish, and enjoy other projects based on classic children’s books. You may even earn a cookie like a certain literary mouse. Activities will run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at the science center, 500 Adams St. NE, Olympia. Admission is free.

Would you like to have your event included in our weekly What’s Happening calendar? Email the details to news@theolympian.com at least 10 days before the event. Please put What’s Happening in the subject line.

This story was originally published June 7, 2025 at 12:00 PM.