What’s happening this week around Thurston County

Sunday, May 7

Dispute Resolution Center’s “A Celebration of Peacemakers”: The Dispute Resolution Center is hosting this event from 1-3 p.m. at the Lacey Community Center at Woodland Creek Community Park, 6729 Pacific Ave. SE, Lacey. The event will celebrate the center’s volunteers, supporters, advocates and community partners and honor Anne Larsen with the 2023 Evan Ferber Peacemaker Leadership Award. Hors d’oeuvres, sweet treats and libations will be served. Those wishing to attend should RSVP on the center’s form.

Thurston Hunger Walk: This annual pledge walk will benefit the Thurston Food Bank and the Community Kitchen. The walk will be held at 3 p.m. Sunday, May 7, at Huntamer Park in Lacey. There will be live music, with parking, restrooms and water available. To donate or join the effort, go to the event website.

Wednesday, May 10

Welcome to Medicare In Person Presentation: Statewide Health Insurance Benefits Advisors (SHIBA) volunteers will lead this presentation at 11 a.m. at The Olympia Center, 222 Columbia NE. It will cover an introduction to options for new Medicare beneficiaries, including Parts A and B, Medicare Advantage Plans, Part D Prescription Plans, Medicare Supplements and programs available to limited-income beneficiaries. For more information, email Jrich@southsoundseniors.org or call to leave a message at 360-586-6181 ext. 134.

Public Service Recognition Week: State employees are invited to mark Public Service Recognition Week at an in-person celebration 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the East Plaza Lawn on the Capitol Campus (on the east side of Capitol Way). The outdoor event will include hot dogs, vendor booths, DJ and a live band. Employees will have an opportunity to celebrate the achievements of their peers, learn about employee business resource groups, benefits and programs, and charities supported by state employees. More than 1,500 employees attended the Olympia event in 2019, the last time it was held. There will be free parking available in the Plaza Garage; attendees should print out a parking pass ahead of time to place on their dashboard.

Sierra Club community meeting: The public is welcome at the monthly South Sound Sierra Club meeting held person and online via Zoom. The program begins 6 p.m. at Mekong Thai Restaurant, 125 Columbia St. NW, Olympia; those wishing to have dinner will gather between 5 and 5:30 p.m. to order food before the program begins. The program is free. This month’s topic is “Creekside Conservancy: A Watershed Gem,” about the land conservation and environmental education outreach organization based in the headwaters of Scatter Creek in the Chehalis Watershed. Creekside Conservancy is applying for a grant to acquire a 6.5-acre property located directly between two existing Creekside Conservancy properties. This will be a key piece to a larger project with the Thurston Conservation District to return the land to a restorative wetland complex.

Thursday, May 11

Medicare-Related Cost Savings Programs via Zoom: The Statewide Health Insurance Benefits Advisors (SHIBA) program will give this Zoom presentation at 11 a.m. that will cover Medicare Basics, the Medicare Savings Program, the Extra Help Program, and wellness and preventative benefits available through Medicare coverage. Email jrich@southsoundseniors.org or call and leave a message at 360-586-6181 ext. 134 to get a link to register.

Friday, May 12

Lacey Chamber Golf Classic: Over 100 golfers will join in this 18-hole tournament with games, food, drinks and raffle prizes. The event will run from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Capitol City Golf Club, 5225 Yelm Hwy SE. Admission fees are $130 per golfer or $500 per team. Participants should register in advance.

Ballet Northwest presents Don Quixote: It is an Olympia tradition: Ballet Northwest stages a ballet performance over Mother’s Day weekend at the Washington Center for the Performing Arts, 512 Washington St. SE. This year’s ballet will be the classic romantic comedy Don Quixote. The story has a Spanish flair that will include the use of fans, capes and tambourines as well as a flamenco dance. The ballet will feature 75 dancers from Thurston, Lewis, Mason, and Pierce counties; the lead male dancing role of Basilio will be danced by guest artist James Kirby Rogers of Pacific Northwest Ballet in Seattle; the female lead, Kitri, will be danced by Ballet Northwest company dancer Nina Ivanenko of Lacey. Performances will be at 7:30 p.m. Friday, May 12, 5 p.m. Saturday, May 13, and 2 p.m. Sunday, May 14. Tickets range from $14 to $35, with discounts available to students, seniors, and youth. Student Rush tickets are available one hour before curtain. Tickets are available online, at the Washington Center Box Office, or by calling 360-753-8566.

Discussion related to Uncaged Art exhibit at Olympia City Hall: Dr. Maria Isabel Morales, director of the North Central Washington Educational Opportunity Center, will present alongside leaders of Community for the Advancement of Family Education in Wenatchee and a NW Equity Alliance board member on the topic “When a Right to Stay is Disrupted: Unaccompanied Minors’ Pursuit for Dignity & Life.” Morales will focus on the stories of children and youth who migrate from Mexico and Central America, as well as some of the reasoning behind migration. Attendees can view the art created by the unaccompanied immigrant youth who were held at Tornillo Detention Center in Texas from 4:30 to 6 p.m. Friday, May 12, at City Hall’s Room 207; the presentations will begin at 6 p.m. City Hall is at 601 Fourth Ave. E., Olympia.

Saturday, May 13

Mother’s Day Garden: This Mother’s Day, create decorations inspired by Mother Nature. Make a card and crafty flowers worthy of any garden between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Saturday, May 13, at the WET Science Center, 500 Adams St. NE, Olympia. Admission is free.

Centennial Train Station celebration: Olympia/Lacey Centennial Train Station will host a duel celebration from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, May 13. The public is invited to celebrate National Train Day and the station’s 30th anniversary. The station has operated with volunteers since May 1, 1993. The station is located at 6600 Yelm Highway SE, Lacey.

Olympia Wooden Boat Fair: The 41st annual Olympia Wooden Boat Fair will be held Saturday and Sunday, May 13-14, at Percival Landing Park in downtown Olympia. On display will be many types of wooden boats, local artisans, an International Food Alley, a children’s boat building booth on Saturday, and local musical entertainment. Hours are 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. Admission is free. For more information, directions or boat and vendor applications, visit the Wooden Boat Fair website.

Sunday, May 14

Bigelow House Museum open for visitors: The updated and revitalized Bigelow House Museum will open for visitors on Mother’s Day, May 14, with tours at 1, 2, and 3 p.m. Mothers will be treated to a special gift and the museum will be honoring the memory of Mary Ann Campbell Bigelow, who was Washington State Mother of the Year in 1964. Tours will be limited to 10 people each and visitors under 18 must be accompanied by an adult. Admission is $5 for adults; $4 for seniors and students and $2 for children under 18 with a maximum of $15 per family. Olympia Historical Society & Bigelow House Museum members have free admission. Visitors will see all of the upstairs and downstairs of the house as well as new displays and decor.

9th Annual Mother’s Day 5K and Kids 1-Mile Run: The Family Support Center of South Sound invites the community to celebrate moms and raise money to support families and survivors in the community on Sunday, May 14. The Mother’s Day run begins and ends at the Hands On Children’s Museum, 414 Jefferson St. NE, Olympia. Activities run from 7:30 to 10:30 a.m. Sunday. The fee for the 5K is $30; there’s no fee for the kids’ run. Online registration is open now through May 11.

Would you like to have your event included in our weekly What’s Happening listing? Email the details to news@theolympian.com at least 10 days before the event.