Kids can fish at Thurston Co. park Saturday. $7 for lesson and gear to take home
‘Smokus Pocus’
Magician Ben Zabin bills “Smokus Pocus” as the “world’s dopest magic show.” And when he says “dope,” Zabin means the kind people smoke. The show, on stage in Olympia on Saturday, April 11, is a combination of comedy and magic, stuffed with marijuana-themed jokes, stunts and gags.
“I’ve always loved magic,” he told the Olympian in 2022. “I’ve always loved weed.”
Though many people get high before attending the show, Zabin aims to entertain the sober as well as the stoned. (You need to make your choice before you arrive at the show, as smoking is not permitted at The Washington Center for the Performing Arts.)
The magic (smokuspocus.com) begins at 8 p.m. at Black Box at the center, 512 Washington St. SE, Olympia. Tickets (washingtoncenter.org/event/ben-zabin-presents-smokus-pocus-worlds-dopest-magic-show-2026-04-11) are $44-$61.
For those who’d prefer an evening of comedy with neither magic nor larger-than-life joints, standup star Kyle Kinane is also performing Saturday in Olympia. Kinane, who has appeared on “Late Night With Conan O’Brien” and “The Tonight Show” and had three specials on Comedy Central, will share the stage with Olympia’s own Sam Miller and Travis Sherer of Seattle.
The show (olympiafilmsociety.org/movie/kyle-kinane-sam-miller) is at 8 p.m. at the Capitol Theater, 206 Fifth Ave. SE, Olympia, with doors opening at 7. Tickets are $33.25-$48.25.
Meditative music
Emerald City Music, known for its fresh approach to chamber music, is presenting the minimalist masterwork “Canto Ostinato” in Olympia on Saturday, April 11. A 17-piece ensemble — including pianist Erik Hall, the musicians of Sandbox Percussion and University of Washington School of Music students and faculty — will perform an expanded arrangement of Simeon ten Holt’s meditative 1976 composition.
“A performance of ‘Canto’ is more like a ritual than a concert,” the late composer wrote in performance notes. “The first performance lasted two hours but it could have easily been more or less.”
The concert (washingtoncenter.org/event/emerald-city-music-presents-canto-ostinato-2026-04-11) begins at 7:30 p.m. at the Kenneth J. Minnaert Center for the Arts, 2011 Mottman Road SW, Olympia. Tickets are $14-$55.
Go fish
The city of Lacey is inviting kids to fish — and not in a carnival game or a card game, but in Longs Pond. Lacey’s Kids Fishing Event, happening Saturday, April 11, is designed to introduce children and youths to fishing. Fledgling fishers will get a half-hour lesson and another hour to fish in the pond at Woodland Creek Community Park, 6729 Pacific Ave. SE, Lacey. They’ll also get a rod and reel to take home. The event (laceyparks.org/events/kids-fishing-event-2) is for ages 4 to 14, and tickets are $7. Register online (secure.rec1.com/WA/lacey-wa/catalog) by 3 p.m. Friday, April 10; you can also register in person for the 8 a.m. or 12:30 p.m. slots, if spaces are still available.
Freelance writer Molly Gilmore fondly remembers playing with a set of fish-shaped playing cards.
This story was originally published April 9, 2026 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Kids can fish at Thurston Co. park Saturday. $7 for lesson and gear to take home."