Dewey Paul Moffitt

The International Bob Dylan Tribute Festival

by Molly Gilmore for OLY ARTS The International Bob Dylan Tribute Festival, stopping Saturday in Olympia’s West Central Park, was founded not by a lifelong fan of the Nobel Prize-winning folk icon. Rather, tribute organizer and singer-songwriter Dewey Paul Moffitt of Keystone, Colorado, got interested in Dylan only after a stint selling merchandise for a …

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Olympia Improv Collective

Olympia Improv Collective

by Molly Gilmore for OLY ARTS The Olympia Improv Collective is producing its first show Sunday, and the group of 10 experienced improvisers already has big plans. Mark Alford and Vanessa Postil — both often seen on local stages and both formerly of Something Wicked, Harlequin Productions’ now-defunct improv troupe — and friends aim to …

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"Joie de Vivre," sculpture by David Varnau

Percival Plinth Project

by Molly Gilmore for OLY ARTS Olympia is buying a new piece of art, and anyone who can get to Percival Landing this month is invited to help choose it. Over a dozen new sculptures by Northwest artists have been installed on the plinths, or sculpture stands, along the landing, and ballots on which to …

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Empowered Young Women: Lakefair’s Royal Court 2017

by Christina Butcher for OLY ARTS With a mission to build and celebrate community in Thurston County, Capital Lakefair awards scholarships to outstanding young women each year and inaugurates them into the Lakefair Royal Court. This year, five well-deserving, high-school juniors were awarded scholarships, and OLY ARTS spoke with them to learn how they plan …

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Abbey Road Live

Abbey Road Live at Music in the Park

by Molly Gilmore for OLY ARTS Olympia Music in the Park concerts most often feature local and regional acts, but this year’s series opens with a performance by Beatles tribute act Abbey Road Live, all the way from Athens, Georgia. The band, which will be in the Northwest to play at the Oregon Country Fair, …

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Animal Fire Theatre Company

Summer Shakespeare in the Park

by Molly Gilmore for OLY ARTS After a hiatus last summer, outdoor Shakespeare by Animal Fire Theatre is back with the romantic comedy Much Ado About Nothing, opening June 30 in the Water Garden on the east side of the Capitol Campus. The free production will take audiences back to Hollywood during the Roaring ’20s. …

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Scott Cossu

Scott Cossu at Lacey in Tune

by Molly Gilmore for OLY ARTS Nationally known pianist Scott Cossu, who recently received a lifetime-achievement award from One World Music Radio, was one of the original Windham Hill artists. He keeps a sense of humor about his place in the new-age canon, describing his music as “new-and-improved age” and “heavy mental.” His latest recording, …

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The Slocan Ramblers

The Slocan Ramblers Preach the Gospel of Bluegrass

by Molly Gilmore for OLY ARTS It’s no surprise bluegrass brought The Slocan Ramblers together. The Canadian quartet plays bluegrass and plays it well. The band won the 2015 Edmonton Folk Fest emerging-artist award, and its album Coffee Creek was nominated for traditional album of the year at the 2016 Canadian Folk Music Awards. No, …

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LaVon Hardison

Jazz Cabaret Comes to St. John’s

by Molly Gilmore for OLY ARTS St. John’s Episcopal Church, long known for its classical-music series, is now a place for jazz. The church’s second jazz-cabaret dinner, set for Friday, features singer LaVon Hardison and flutist Nancy Curtis plus what the church is calling “a veritable jazz festival” of well-respected players from Olympia and beyond. …

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Hands On Children's Museum Summer Splash

Summer Splash at Hands On Children’s Museum

by Molly Gilmore for OLY ARTS This summer at the Hands On Children’s Museum, kids can fight fires, meet superheroes, climb a rock wall and explore the wonders of outer space. All this and more are part of the museum’s second-annual “Summer Splash,” a summer-long series of special events and activities that last year drew …

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