Community Events

Join friends, family and neighbors at Olympia’s first seasonal ice rink, Oly on Ice! Since the rink is under a tent with retractable sides, it’s rain or shine for skating, starting Friday, November 16th and running through Sunday, January 6th.

Apply to become a Thurston Master Gardener Volunteer! Make a difference in the community, gain knowledge and become a better gardener in the process. Applications will be accepted until the class is full or by Friday, December 14th.

“Fantasy Lights,” the Northwest Christmas tradition for the whole family, is better than ever! See nearly 300 elaborate displays and thousands of lights, the largest drive-through holiday lights display  in the Northwest! Daily November 22nd-January 1st, 5:30-9pm.

See the “Diamond Street Lights” show in Centralia and share the Christmas spirit with the local community and friends! There is a daily light show, with synced music added at FM 88.7, all to raise money for local charities! Evenings through January 6th 4:45-11pm. Please like and share on Facebook! https://www.facebook.com/DiamondStreetLights/

“The 1940s Radio Hour” holiday show evokes a different era, depicting a live broadcast of The Mutual Manhattan Variety Cavalcade from the Hotel Astor’s Algonquin Room in 1942! The first show to be performed on the Harlequin stage in 1993, it’s full of memories and sure to delight the entire family! Through Monday, December 31st.  For show dates and tickets, please visit www.harlequinproductions.org

For further information please call the Box Office at 360-786-0151.

Make a difference in the life of a family caregiver! The Alzheimer’s Association is currently recruiting local volunteers to facilitate an evening Caregiver Support Group in Tacoma.

In the aftermath of an unskillful action, we normally say “That wasn’t me, I lost control.” We can even feel surprised and embarrassed by our actions. How did we let ourself stray so far from our good heart? Of course, we all want to learn how to remain in control of our mind in every situation. With this control, we can always act in ways that help others and ourselves. Tushita Kadampa resident teacher Gen Kelsang Wangpo will explain how to control our own actions in ways that bring about happiness for all.

Take the kids to see “Tiny Tim’s Christmas Carol”! It’s the heartwarming Charles Dickens classic onstage, where Ebenezer Scrooge learns a lesson in Christmas cheer, thanks to Tiny Tim and his best friend Charlotte. Friday-Sunday, November 30th-December 23rd. 360-570-1638

The musical adaptation of this timeless Dickens classic, “Scrooge and the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future,” has something for everyone! Friday-Sunday, December 7th-30th. For performance dates and ticket reservations call 253-272-2281.

See “White Christmas,” based on the beloved, timeless film, featuring 17 songs by Irving Berlin! The dazzling score features Blue Skies, “I Love a Piano,” “How Deep Is the Ocean” and perennial favorite, “White Christmas”! Friday-Sunday, November 23rd-December 16th.

Borst Park in Centralia is unleashing another drive-thru light display for Christmas! Enjoy thousands of festive lights for the whole family to enjoy, evenings through December 16th! Donations above the normal $5 per car entry free will go to repairing Borst Fort. Friday-Sunday, December 7th-16th, 5-9pm.

Know what Ralphie really, really, really wants for Christmas in the classic “A Christmas Story”! Jean Shepherd’s memoir of the midwest in the 1940s comes to life as a live radio play, complete with sound effects created right before your eyes! It’s a beloved story about a boy, his family and friends, and of course, the leg lamp! Thursday-Sunday, December 7th-23rd.

Olympia’s holiday favorite, “The Nutcracker,” returns with new sets that premiered last season! Presented by Ballet Northwest, it’s a treat for the whole family and includes visions of the Sugar Plum Fairy, the Nutcracker Prince and an epic battle beneath the Christmas tree! Friday-Sunday, December 7th-16th.

It’s a positive sentiment and then some: “Yes Virginia, There Is a Santa Claus” is one of the big events of the holiday season! Take the entire family to this onstage classic in the comfortable confines of the Lakewood Playhouse! Tickets are available now! November 24th-December 16th (Fridays-Sundays).

Come to the Olympia Farmers Market Holiday Market for everything from produce to handcrafted items! There are wreaths, baked goods, cheeses, honey, jams, with Santa Claus appearing most days from 12 to 2pm. Saturday-Sunday, December 8th-23th.

The hustle and bustle can be overwhelming for some children. So Capital Mall is scheduling sensory-friendly appointments where children with sensory-sensitivity needs can meet Santa for a photo in a calm, quiet environment. Reservations are required. Some of the profits of photo sales will benefit Autism Speaks. Sunday, December 9th & 16th, 8-10am. To make an appointment, go to www.shoppingcapitalmall.com

There are two Sunday services at The United Churches of Olympia! These worship services are at 8:30 & 10:30am through December 23rd and also on December 25th, with a special 10:30 service on Sunday, December 30th, when the guest speaker will be from the Just Housing organization. Sunday, December 9th-23rd & Tuesday, December 25th, 8:30 & 10:30am, & Sunday, December 30th, 10:30am.

Be swept away this holiday season by Studio West Dance Theatre’s fresh take on The Nutcracker. You will be delighted by professional sets, costumes, over 230 performers, and a mesmerizing snow scene with a whirlwind of swirling snowflakes. Studio West’s rendition of this holiday classic is blended seamlessly with traditional ballet and comical surprises the whole family will love, and certain to have you dancing in your seats.

For our Thursday, December 13th performance, we are presenting a one-show-only presentation of The NUTTY-CRACKER, to celebrate our Nutcracker production’s 10th anniversary. Just when you think you know the Nutcracker like the back of your hand, we are changing it up with some super nutty twists and turns. We can’t give away much… but many unexpected surprises await you. To experience this one-show-only Nutty-Cracker, purchase tickets for Thursday evening’s performance December 13th.

We invite our younger patrons ages 3 and up to join us at Clara’s Nutcracker Party, beginning one hour before each matinee performance. Make a holiday keepsake, delight in a reading of The Nutcracker story, visit and take pictures with characters from the ballet, and enjoy refreshments including special snowflake cupcakes. Tickets are $12 (plus $3 WA Center fee). Adults chaperoning their children do not need to purchase tickets.

Performances:
• Nutcracker Performance – Sunday, December 9, 2018 – 5:00 pm
• Nutcracker Performance – Monday, December 10, 2018 – 6:30 pm
• Special “Nutty-Cracker” Performance – Thursday, December 13, 2018 – 7:00 pm
• Nutcracker Performance – Friday, December 14, 2018 – 7:00 pm
• Clara’s Nutcracker Party – Saturday, December 15, 2018 – 1:00 pm
• Nutcracker Performance – Saturday, December 15, 2018 – 2:00 pm
• Nutcracker Performance – Saturday, December 15, 2018 – 7:00 pm

• Clara’s Nutcracker Party – Sunday, December 16, 2018 – 12:00 pm
• Nutcracker Performance – Sunday, December 16, 2018 – 1:00 pm
• Nutcracker Performance – Sunday, December 16, 2018 – 5:00 pm
Price:
Please note – all prices shown below already include the box office’s $3 service fee.
• Adult Performance Ticket – Center Section: $29.00
• Adult Performance Ticket – Left or Right Section: $27.00
• Student/Senior Performance Ticket – Center Section: $25.00
• Student/Senior Performance Ticket – Left or Right Section: $23.00
• Youth Performance Ticket (ages 14 and under) – Center Section: $22.00
• Youth Performance Ticket (ages 14 and under) – Left or Right Section: $20.00
• SPECIAL! Monday Dec. 10th Performance Only – 1/2-Price Youth Tickets!
• Clara’s Nutcracker Party Ticket* (ages 3 and up): $15.00
*No party ticket necessary for parents who are chaperoning their children to the party.

Attend an open house and community meeting to learn local sea level rise response planning! Visit information stations and ask questions of project staff and then hear presentations about the planning effort, potential adaptation strategies, and next steps. Tuesday, December 11th, 6-8pm.

Pass on resilience and confidence in your kids! The “Power Parenting” class at Hands On Children’s Museum will give parents tips on how their child can handle trauma and disappointment, no matter how big or small.  Tuesday, December 11th, 6-8pm.

In keeping with their annual tradition, Olympia Genealogical Society’s December program will consist of 10 minute presentations by several OGS members about their Oddball and Quirky Ancestors. It is always fun to hear these personal stories, and there’s sure to be some laughs! Thursday, December 13, 7pm at Thurston County Courthouse, Building 1, Room 152.

Join the Heartsparkle Players for an evening of stories, hope and connection where they will collaborate with Rainbow Health Center! Playback Theatre is a form of improvisation where members of the audience tell moments from their lives and then watch them performed live on stage using music, movement and dialogue. Friday, December 14th, 7:30pm.

Delicious. Sweet. Irresistible. Come explore the complex world of chocolate during a presentation at WET Science Center. They’ll have plenty of samples to try. Leave with a mind full of science and a mouthful of chocolate! Related crafts and activities all day. Saturday, December 15th, 2pm.

On Saturday, December 15^th from 8:30 – 11:00 am, the Senior Action Network is hosting a Pancake Breakfast fundraiser at the Olympia Senior Center, 222 Columbia St. (corner of 4^th and Columbia Streets). Santa himself will be there to delight young and old alike – photos with Santa are FREE (courtesy of Garden Courte Memory Care and Woodlawn Funeral Home) with the purchase of your ticket!

Tickets are $10 each (ages 5 and under FREE), with 100% of the proceeds going to help seniors who are in need of financial assistance this winter. Every winter, when a local senior resident reaches out for help, the Senior Action Network assists those seniors struggling to pay their utility bills. Funds collected from the event will benefit older individuals in Lewis, Mason and Thurston counties. Breakfast will include pancakes and eggs with sausage, bacon and beverages (coffee, tea, hot cocoa and juices) – no one will leave hungry!!

All food items have been donated by SAN member businesses as follows: Adult Family Home Council, Allwest Moving & Storage, Assisted Living Options, Fieldstone Cooper Point, FirstLight Home Care, The Firs/MBK Senior Living, Garden Courte Memory Care, Olympics West Senior Living, Revel Lacey, RooLan Healthcare Center, The Sequoia Assisted Living, Senior Services for South Sound and the Virgil Clarkson Senior Center.

There will also be raffle prizes, donated by Garden Courte, Linda Terry, Olympics West and RooLan with all raffle proceeds to go towards the fund to support our seniors in need! To purchase tickets in advance, call (360) 943-9900 or 1-888-411-8823. Help seniors in our community stay safe and warm this winter!

“When the turbulence of our distracting conceptions subsides, a deep sense of peace and well being naturally occurs within the mind.”

Concentration can be one of the most peaceful things our mind can experience. In this class Saturday, December 15th 10am-1pm, we will be developing our capacity for concentration by looking at the nature of our mind. This will make our mind happy as well as help us to understand the nature of phenomena as it appears to our minds.

We can carry a fountain of pleasant feelings in our mind simply by focusing on the clear nature of the mind with a set of guided meditations that are included in the class.

Santa Claus is coming to town!

He will be arriving at Olympia/Lacey Centennial train station, Saturday, December 15th on Cascade train 502 due in at 10:12 A.M.  at 6600 Yelm Highway SE, Lacey, WA.

He will be meeting with children of all ages until 12 Noon.

Centennial Station Volunteers will be serving coffee, punch and cookies.

The popular musical “Newsies” is onstage at Black Hills High this holiday season! Apple Tree Productions presents this exciting musical Saturday-Sunday December 15th and 16th at 2pm and Saturday, December 15th at 7pm. Tickets are available at the door for just $10 for adults and $8 for students and seniors.

Come to the “Terry & Friends Christmas Special”! There will be loads of holiday favorites, an audience sing-along and more at these two shows!  FREE ADMISSION with donations being gratefully accepted to benefit the Clean Kids Laundry Program. Saturday, December 15th, 2 & 7pm.

The “Reindeer Run” is an exciting, active day as Christmas gets closer! Take part in the Candy Cane Dash, a certified 5K, in addition to a costume contest, a basket raffle and more! Bring new/unwrapped toys to donate to Toys for Tots. Register now! Sunday, December 16th, 8:45am. Call Crime Stoppers at 360-998-5129 for more details.

Handel’s glorious masterpiece “Messiah” is a true community event with guest conductors and soloists, featuring the audience as the chorus! Selections of the work will be performed, with a limited number of vocal scores  available to borrow. Come to sing or come to listen. Monday, December 17th, 7pm. For more information visit studentorchestras.org.

Experience Downtown Olympia on Third Thursdays! Participating shops stay open until 8pm and feature deals, guest authors, artists, and refreshments! Eateries offer chef and barista specials and entertainment! See olythirdthursday.com for info, contests, and activities! A fun element of each Third Thursday is the Challenge Game! Participating Third Thursday businesses will hand out game cards. Participants can visit each business to get another letter to solve the phrase of the month. Complete the phrase first and win!

Thursday, December 20, close to 25 downtown shops, restaurants and galleries will offer unique Third Thursday promotions; several art galleries are holding artist receptions, and you can  enjoy food and beverage tastes at a few boutiques.

The info booth, located in the US Bank parking lot, will open that day from noon through 7 p.m.

Presented by Providence Health Services in partnership with the Olympia Downtown Alliance and KXXO Mixx 96.1! 360-357-8948

“Third Thursday” means free admission at the Museum of Glass! Tack fuse a snowflake, or see glassmaking demonstrations from Hilltop Artists in residence, or enjoy holiday films for all in the theater! Thursday, December 20th, 5-8pm.

The Reptile Zoo is bringing live animals to touch and learn about! Join WET Science Center for a special reptile presentation. After the show, there will be an opportunity to handle the animals. Related crafts all day. Saturday, December 22nd, 1:30pm.

See the most awarded a cappella group in history perform their “Most Wonderful Time of the Year” show! Take 6, with ten Grammy awards and other accolades, joyfully blends R&B, pop, gospel and more in a concert loaded with Christmas favorites like “Joy to the World” and “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing.” Saturday, December 22nd, 7:30pm.

Celebrate Christmas Eve at United Churches of Olympia! The candlelight family service features traditional Christmas reading and singing songs, while the traditional candlelight service features reading, special music by the church choir and pipe organ, and Christmas carol singing. Everyone is welcome! Monday, December 24th, 6pm.

When our mind is filled with compassion we wish for the suffering we see to cease and want for the well-being of those around us. This mind of compassion is beautiful, peaceful, and meaningful.

Tushita Kadampa Buddhist Center offers a service on Christmas Eve Monday, December 24th 6:30-8pm to bring meditation and prayer into the production of compassion for our world. Many people around the world, including non-Christians and even Buddhists, may participate in Christmas celebrations. But this can be a difficult time for people, even when they seem to have so many good things going for them.

The service will start with a short talk on compassion and move to a set of prayers called Prayers for World Peace. During the Prayers for World Peace, we will also meditate on our own compassion so we can bring this gift to our loved ones and others who we will see in the coming days.

Pull out that sweater for one last time this year and join your friends for Ugly Sweater Bingo at the Olympia Senior Center! This is not your grandmother’s bingo! There’s dinner, a 50/50 raffle, a costume contest and a full bar for those 21 and over. Friday, December 28th, 6pm (doors & meal), games at 7pm. Sponsored by Olympia Federal Savings.

What are your New Year’s traditions? Take a closer look at cherished traditions from around the world. Find out why people wear polka dots, eat 12 grapes, and more. Create a variety of New Year’s Eve crafts such as noisemakers and hats! Saturday, December 29th, 10am-4pm.

The Noon New Year’s Eve Party at Hands On Children’s Museum gets the whole family involved with daytime fun! Party with costumed characters, make a Harry Potter wand, enjoy face painting, silk screen painting, and have great food. The New Year’s ball drops every hour! Members get in FREE! Monday, December 31st, 9am-5pm.

Family Countdown to the New Year
Ball Drop Every Hour!

Party with costumed characters from your favorite stories!
Dancing, parades, door prizes

– Make a Harry Potter wand
– Create a Goodnight Moon’ bubble print
– Explore engineering & pneumatics with the Three Little Pigs
– Experience chemistry demos & Oobleck with ‘Dr. Seuss’
– Face painting, silk screen printing, special foods and fun!

Presented by TwinStar Credit Union

As time marches on, bringing in another new year, we are thinking again, “How we can have a happy year?” Everyone wants to have a good year, a new year that brings better experiences, conditions, increased happiness, and decreases in problems. For many people, the new year brings new opportunities, new hopes, and new resolutions. Still, each year we are trying to figure out what it will take to experience the happiness we desire.

Tushita Kadampa offers an alternative celebration with snacks, community, teachings, and a chanted meditation. This is all to give people a comfortable chance to start the new year with wisdom and purpose. This year they are focusing on teachings and prayers to develop happiness and health for ourselves and our world.

The emphasis will be on the teachings of the seven Medicine Buddhas. By connecting with and understanding the wisdom of the Medicine Buddhas, we can be cured of heavy physical and mental disease, find release from the internal pain of the three poisons—attachment, anger and ignorance—and receive protection from many other dangers and obstacles. Then we can feel confident that a happy new year is coming our way.

The teaching and prayers will be hosted Monday, December 31st between 7pm and 9pm. This allows an enjoyable alternative event for people looking to start the new year in a new way, a peaceful, wise way.

Class fee is $20 or $15 if you pre-register.
Reduced rate of $10 is available for students, seniors or unemployed.
Free for FP members and half off for GP members.

Everyone welcome.