Looking for weekend fun? Visit a fall festival, the wizarding world or a live concert

The Olympian staff
·2 min read

Celebrate fall at the falls

The Olympia Tumwater Foundation and city of Tumwater are hosting the first Tumwater Falls Festival celebrating Tumwater Falls as a sacred and historically significant place. The event will feature salmon education, stone carving demonstrations, local artists, makers, food vendors, and a Stream Team scavenger hunt. Admission is free; hours are 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the 15-acre Brewery Park at Tumwater Falls, 110 Deschutes Way SW.

A magical trip to Chehalis

Chehalis-Centralia Railroad and Museum will host a stationary version of Harry Potter’s School of Wizardry Express Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 1-2, in its 1920s coach cars at the depot, 1101 SW Sylvenus, Chehalis. Magician Jeff Evans will be the train’s headmaster, teaching “mystic arts” while aspiring wizards prove their prowess at trivia and adventure games. The program will run for six 90-minute performances each day, with shows at 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. The show is recommended for those 8 and older; children ages 16 and under must be accompanied by an adult. Attendees are encouraged to dress in wizarding attire. Tickets are $30 per person, with proceeds supporting repairs of flood damage to the railroad’s tracks. Tickets are available at SteamTrainRide.com and are limited to 100 seats per show.

Live music

If you’re feeling a little funky, catch Seattle’s Polyrhythmics, an instrumental eight-piece with tight grooves and virtuosic musicianship as they produce a blend of funk, soul, psychedelic rock, R&B, progressive jazz, and Afrobeat. They’ll be opening their fall tour with a show at 8 p.m. Friday, Sept. 30, at the Capitol Theater, 206 Fifth Ave. SE, Olympia. Tickets are $30 general admission in advance, $28 for Olympia Film Society members, and $35 day of show. Doors open at 7 p.m. Capitol Theater that all audience members wear a mask over their nose and mouth.

If you’re more in the mood for folk, singer-songwriter Joy Clark, who has opened for Brandi Carlyle and the Indigo Girls, will be performing at 7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 1, at New Traditions Cafe, 300 Fifth Ave. SW, Olympia. She’s been touring as guitarist and singer with Allison Russel’s Rainbow Coalition, which is sold out for two nights in Seattle, so get an intimate show in Olympia instead. Tickets are $25, or $18 for those with low income. Call 360-705-2819 for tickets and dinner reservations.