Uptown Grill Promises Great Food, Good Time in Downtown Olympia

By Melinda Minton Michelle Nurmi and Pedro Gallegos are no strangers to the restaurant scene. With over 50 years’ combined experience in downtown Seattle restaurants, the duo has now taken root in Olympia. “I had Pedro come down just  to get his opinion on the kitchen and hear  his thoughts because I respected  his  opinion,” …

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Maestro Huw Edwards on His Final Season With Olympia Symphony Orchestra

By Melinda Minton Huw Edwards, Maestro for the Olympia Symphony Orchestra (OSO), is making a departure after 17 years. The symphony is a collection of local artists who enjoy taking the classics and not so well-known collections and working them into a local, live experience for the audience to breathe in and enjoy. Maestro Edwards …

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‘You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown’ at Saint Martin’s University

By Melinda Minton A stage full of talent and a guaranteed belly laugh is something many of us could use in our lives right now. Director Steven Wells explains why You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown is so timely. “Charlie Brown shows us that the best person you can be is yourself,” says Wells. “As …

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Theatre Preview: Lakewood Playhouse at 81

By Melinda Minton Lakewood Playhouse celebrates its 81st anniversary season with five shows. “All of next season’s shows,” says artistic director John Munn, “embrace some of our established past productions as we evolve into a playhouse that produces modern works fresh off of Broadway and off Broadway. We are very excited about this year’s lineup …

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Pampered Lives and Power Struggles: The Women at Harlequin Productions

By MELINDA MINTON The Women is an American play, a comedy of manners by Clare Boothe Luce from 1936. It’s billed as a commentary on the pampered lives and power struggles of various wealthy Manhattan socialites and up-and-comers, and of the gossip that propels and damages their relationships. While men frequently are the subject of …

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Peace on the Move: A Benefit Run for New Traditions Fair Trade

By Melinda Minton New Traditions Fair Trade — the classic, loving, healthy venue for good eats and music — is set to host a benefit run in downtown Olympia. Locals are encouraged to run, walk or stroll. “In fact, bring your beautiful babies in a stroller, an international baby wrap or anything that makes that young …

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Arts Education Gets Equity Boost With Art Beat Olympia

By MELINDA MINTON Art Beat Olympia is working to bring art-education equity to Olympia schools. Because art is essential for all students, this program offers a high-quality arts-learning format that teaches sequential skills and techniques, develops students’ 21st-century skills and is culturally responsive. Art Beat’s protocol includes training teachers to integrate arts with other subjects, …

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Rumors Has It

By Melinda Minton Rumors, a local wine bar, has expanded and moved from Fourth Avenue into an airy space on Washington Street in the heart of downtown Olympia. Rumors offers curated selections for every type of palate—old world, domestics and imports from the finest variety of wineries around. Rumors is all about wine and the …

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Los Lobos: Yes, They Can!

Celebrated band Los Lobos (Spanish for “The Wolves”) is coming to Olympia for a concert that’s sure to sell out.

A Doll’s House Finds the Present in the Past

By MELINDA MINTON Henry Ibsen wrote the play A Doll’s House as a daring portrait of a man who loves his wife as an equal. While that concept remains fresh in the #MeToo era, 150 years ago the thought of an equal partnership between man and wife was shocking. Ibsen himself said, as he was writing it …

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