The World Returns to Lacey’s Cultural Celebration
Lacey’s Cultural Celebration returns to Saint Martin’s University this month after two years found solely online.
food
East African Cuisine in Downtown Olympia
Note to readers — the restaurant named Shirro’s appears to have closed as of September 16, 2018. Our best wishes to the restauranteurs and our apologies to readers. By Jennifer Crain As a child in Kenya, Mercy Kariuki-McGee fed wood into a traditional fireplace while her older siblings cooked. As a helper, she got to taste the …
Ethnic Celebration Returns to Lacey
by Adam McKinney for OLY ARTS The Lacey Ethnic Celebration returns in 2018 with a bevy of exciting performances, food, music and community-oriented activities. This is a free event appropriate for the whole family to enjoy. Children and families can enjoy music and dance from around the world while sampling exotic flavors and arts from …
The Fall Cookbook Club at Browsers Bookshop
by Christina Butcher for OLY ARTS Few people associate bookstores with intimate potluck dinners, food blogging or local food critics. Yet Browsers Bookshop has been quietly building a reputation for just that with its seasonal Cookbook Club: an intimate dinner event where lovers of the culinary craft gather to share delicious food, recipes and insightful …
Experience Downtown Flavors at Sip, Savor & Stroll
by Jennifer Crain for OLY ARTS On September 9, the Olympia Downtown Association will host the first-ever Sip, Savor & Stroll, a culinary tour of downtown Olympia. Kim Combs, event and volunteer coordinator, says the evening will kick off with a reception for up to 300 attendees at the Olympia Farmers Market, with Washington-sourced beers …
Maritime Fun at Olympia Harbor Days
by Christina Butcher for OLY ARTS While Labor Day weekend marks the unofficial end of summer across the U.S., our community takes full advantage of the long weekend by honoring its maritime roots each year at Olympia Harbor Days. It’s an annual festival celebrating tugboats and maritime heritage in Puget Sound. Presented by the Olympia …
Chehalis Garlic Festival Features Music, Munchies and Mirth
by Kelli Samson for OLY ARTS If there’s one thing summertime loves, it’s a festival. It seems there’s one for everyone’s interests. There are beer festivals. There are barbecue festivals. There’s a mushroom festival. There are festivals celebrating farm-fresh food. There’s even a festival celebrating … sand. But don’t forget the garlic. Yes, there’s a …
Smooth Sounds and Southern Hospitality
by Jennifer Crain for OLY ARTS On August 10, the doors to the New Orleans-inspired Tipsy Piano Bar will open. The downtown venue will feature Southern and Southwest cuisine and a lounge-style dining room designed for easy conversation. In the newly renovated space, patrons will sit at candlelit tables and order drinks from a granite-topped …
Hit the Midway at the Thurston County Fair
by Jonah Barrett for OLY ARTS Every year in the first week of August, the Thurston County Fair arrives in Lacey for a period of five days. Guests from all over Thurston County are attracted to the event, with about 28,000 attending overall. The fair is a family-oriented endeavor. Crowds attend to experience a lick …
Fungi for the Whole Family
by Christian Carvajal for OLY ARTS Perhaps making up for the pervasive aroma of fertilizer wafting from its mushroom farm in Lacey, Ostrom’s is one of the primary sponsors of the Pacific Northwest Mushroom Festival. This year the event marks its 10th anniversary, and it’s grown — well, like a mushroom. Proceeds benefit Boys & …