What’s happening this week around Thurston County
Sunday, June 9
Tumwater Farmers Market Opening Day: The market will be open from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Peter G. Schmidt Elementary School, 237 Dennis St. SE. Each child under the age of 18 can pick up $2 market tokens at the information booth to spend at the market. At noon, Samba Olywa will do their annual Opening Day drum and dance performance. BaLunatic-balloon artist will be making free balloons for the kid. SNAP/EBT customers will have their benefits matched up to $25 with SNAP Market Match to spend on plant starts and fresh fruits and veggies.
Wednesday, June 12
Welcome to Medicare Presentation at The Olympia Center: This presentation at 11 a.m. at the center, 222 Columbia St. NW, is an introduction to options for new Medicare beneficiaries. It covers Parts A and B, Medicare Advantage Plans, Part D Prescription Plans, Medicare Supplements, and programs available to limited-income beneficiaries. For more information, email [email protected] or call and leave a message and your email address at Senior Services SHIBA program at 360-586-6181 ext 134.
Book talk with Craig Romano on day hiking the Columbia River Gorge: Olympia Timberland Library welcomes guidebook author Craig Romano for a discussion of The Mountaineers’ new edition of “Day Hiking Columbia River Gorge” at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at the library, 313 Eighth Ave. SE. Romano will lead attendees through the Gorge, including Silver Star Scenic Area, Trapper Creek Wilderness, Cottonwood Canyon State Park, and more, with select waterfront hikes in The Dalles and Hood River as well as updated information on trails impacted by the Eagle Creek Fire. The new second edition is updated and greatly expanded including more than 35 new destinations for a total of 115 hikes. Many of the new additions are trails less traveled and not covered in other guides. He will also share information on the ADA trails in the Gorge and the greater Olympia area.
Stories of Family and Connections - A Storytelling Event: The South Sound Story Guild will host this event from 6-8 p.m. Wednesday at the Harbor House, 217 Thurston Ave. NW, Olympia. Maggie Lott tells stories of family connections, traditions, conflicts and adventures. She will share a historical true family story of a little lost girl and her own story of a grandfather clock and its meaning in her family. John Bertholl will share his story of a family adventure from his youth. The event’s second hour will be a Story Swap where audience members can share a story of their own. Admission is free, but donations are welcome. For more information, go to the Story Guild’s webpage.
Thursday, June 13
Medicare Related Cost Savings Programs Zoom presentation: Medicare cost-saving programs will be introduced in this Zoom presentation at 1 p.m. Thursday. The program will cover Medicare Basics, the Medicare Savings Program, the Extra Help Program, and Wellness and Preventative benefits available through Medicare coverage. To get a link to register, email [email protected] or call and leave a message at Senior Services SHIBA program at 360-586-6181 ext. 134. A registration link will be sent to you. –
Friday, June 14
Rochester’s Swede Day Mid Sommer Festival: The 45th annual festival will run Friday and Saturday, June 14-15, at Swede Hall, 18543 Albany St SW, Rochester. It will have a parade, food, activities, live music and more. For a detailed schedule, check out the Swede Hall webpage.
Saturday, June 15
Olympic Airshow: The Olympic Airshow is a family-friendly activity in Tumwater that includes aircraft displays, demonstrations and tours and rides. It happens every year the Saturday and Sunday of Father’s Day weekend at the Olympic Flight Museum, 7637 Old Highway 99 SE, Tumwater. There will be a beer garden, vendors, food and kids’ activities and more. Purchase tickets on the Olympic Air Show website. Tickets are $20 per Day or $35 for both days, and can be purchased on the Olympic Air Show website.
Juneteenth Celebration: The Regional Athletic Complex, 8345 Steilacoom Road SE, Lacey, will host the 43rd community celebration of Juneteenth from 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, June 15. The event will include a 30-minute program featuring the mayors of Lacey, Olympia, and Tumwater (Andy Ryder, Dontae Payne, and Debbie Sullivan respectively) who will briefly address the attendees. Free barbecue and other food items will be available to attendees; but, it is requested (optional) that attendees bring non-perishable food items for the Food Bank which will have a booth at the event. There will be free entertainment, activities for the youth, informational community resource booths, and opportunities to meet and converse with local community and county partners, public officials, and law enforcement personnel.
Strawberry Festival: Head to the Strawberry Festival at the South Bay Grange for a family-friendly day of fun! This summer event that has been happening since 1936 includes a fun run, vendors, live music and amazing food, including plenty of strawberries and shortcake. The main event runs from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at the grange, 3918 Sleater Kinney Road NE. Admission is free.
2024 SPSCC Commencement: Celebrate the accomplishments of the graduating class of 2024 by tuning in at 10 a.m. Saturday to view the 59th SPSCC Commencement Ceremony, which takes place at The Evergreen State College’s Red Square, but will be live-streamed on SPSCC’s YouTube channel. There will be 1,176 graduates receiving award 978 associate degrees and 360 certificates. Additionally, the college will award 240 GED awards and 147 high school diplomas. One-fourth of the students are graduating with honors (3.75 GPA and above) and 387 graduates are part of the Running Start program.
Father’s Day Carnival: Try your hand at classic carnival games, create a colorful mask, and make a cute card to celebrate dad or someone special in your life. All ages are welcome to join the activities from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at the WET Science Center, 500 Adams St. NE, Olympia. Admission is free.
Would you like to have your event included in our weekly What’s Happening listing? Email the details to [email protected] at least 10 days before the event. Please put What’s Happening in the subject line.
