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Good morning. It's Friday, January 2, 2026. Well, folks, we made it! Another year survived, and just in the nick of time! The holidays have left us slightly dazed, slightly confused, and possibly buried under a mountain of wrapping paper and questionable fruitcake. But fear not! 2026 is here, and it's bringing fresh opportunities to try new things, like clam digging or competitive dog sports.
Alright, here's today's edition of your local lowdown:
📰 LOCAL NEWS SNAPSHOTS
Clamoring for Clams? You're in Luck!
Dust off your shovels, folks! The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife has given the green light for a seven-day coastal razor clam dig until January 6th. So, if your New Year's resolution involves digging in the sand and wrangling some shellfish, you're in luck. Get ready to clam-ber for those delicious bivalves! There are an additional 27 days planned for early 2026.
Only Four More Days for the Imagination Express
The "Imagination Express" event at Hands On Childrens Museum promises train-themed activities but only through January 4, offering hands-on engineering, art, and dream-building for young participants. Each stop of the express provides brand-new adventures for the children. This event provides family-friendly activities worth, ahem, tooting your horn for.
🐕 FURRY FRIENDS UPDATES
New Dog Sport in 2026
Forget boring walks – it's time to unleash your dog's inner Olympian! The Puget Hounds Flyball Club is inviting you to try flyball in 2026. This isn't just fetching; it's a full-blown relay race with hurdles and a whole lot of tail-wagging excitement. Get ready for some serious fun and a very tired (but happy) dog!
New Year, New You. Book Today.
📷 READER PHOTO SPOTLIGHT
Gwen Sterling @gwen__sterling
Tag @mytownlowdown.olympia to have your photos featured.
📆 EVENTS LOWDOWN
Friday, 1|2
Country
Nightlife & Parties
Saltwater Sky Live (Full Band)
Warm up your vocal cords and your two-step; a local country crew is ready to turn bar stools into a dance floor and your weeknight into a small-town party.
Friday
Live Music
Folk / Acoustic
River Scheuerell & Eros Faulk - Album Release
Trade your couch for fiddles, friends, and fresh tracks as two Olympia favorites unleash a new batch of tunes that may leave your toes tapping long after the last note.Friday
Screening
Blue Moon
Trade popcorn for pathos as Lorenz Hart navigates showbiz, romance, and Oklahoma! drama in Richard Linklater's latest, delivered with big-screen emotion and zero streaming distractions.Friday
Rock
Nightlife & Parties
Kids On Fire, Tensas and the Mourners (Denver), Grrrizzly at McCoys
Turn up for a triple-threat gig where amps roar, drinks clink, and you pretend losing your voice to singalong choruses totally still counts as self-care.Friday
Live Music
Nick Reinke
Warm up your winter night with live songs from Nick Reinke, tasty BBQ, and the kind of laid-back vibe where singing along is basically encouraged.Friday
Board Game
Game Night
Roll dice, shuffle cards, and channel your inner pirate while plotting victory between sips and snacks from whatever treasure chest of takeout you bring along.Friday
Jazz
Performing Arts
The Joe Mailhot Jazz Duet at Basilico
Trade the TV remote for live sax and guitar, where jazz standards mingle with fresh originals and your biggest decision is dessert or one more chorus.Friday
Art & Exhibits
Watch Fern Paint
Trade your scrolling for brushstrokes and watch a mural appear in real time. It is like a live-action time-lapse, except you are the one fast-forwarding by grabbing another coffee.Friday
Community Education
Science & Tech
Teen Tech Tutors: Drop-In Tech Help
Bring that mysterious phone, tablet, or laptop and let teens decode the tech so you can finally stop saying "my grandkid usually fixes this for me" every time something glitches.Friday
Show this ad through January, 2026.
Saturday, 1|3
Football
Seahawks Niners NFC West Title Viewing Party
Upgrade your couch routine and yell at the refs in surround sound as Seattle and San Francisco clash for the division, backed by pitchers, appetizers, and loud opinions.Saturday
Screening
The Secret Agent
Swap your weekend doomscrolling for a Cannes-winning thriller about a man on the run in Carnival chaos, where the only thing louder than the drums is your racing heartbeat.Saturday
Live Music
Performing Arts
Live Music - Sean Curran, Ezra Franky, Anne Magnolia, Jonathan Ray
Skip the couch and let four indie artists soundtrack your Saturday instead, while your coffee does the staying-awake part and your ten bucks turns into encore fuel.Saturday
Crafts & Workshops
Quilting: Broken Dishes Pattern
Cut, stitch, and press your way through the Broken Dishes block while trading tips, colors, and maybe a few quilting secrets with other fabric-loving makers.Saturday
Karaoke
Dance
Karaoke
Warm up those vocal cords, pick your power ballad, and belt it out while the crowd pretends every performance deserves a world tour.Saturday
Painting
Art & Exhibits
Artvana Sip & Paint Art Class - Cafe Elite Lacey January 2026
Swap doomscrolling for brushstrokes as you sip something tasty, laugh with new friends, and discover you can absolutely paint more than stick figures in this chill winter art session.Saturday
Photography
Animal Dreams
Trade scrolling for strolling and get lost in dreamy animal prints, crisp carving lines, and gallery air that somehow always smells like inspiration and freshly cleaned glass.Saturday
Plants
Plant Sale
Bring your inner plant nerd and your favorite mug - you might go home with a new leafy roommate and a caffeine buzz to match your growing collection.Saturday
Kids
Steam-Powered Play
Watch curious kids turn into tiny engineers as they poke buttons, boss around robots, and accidentally learn science while just thinking they are having way too much fun playing.Saturday
Everybody loves Jack’s! Especially your kids!
Sunday, 1|4
Jazz
Food & Drink
Jazz Brunch at Nineveh Assyrian Restaurant
Let someone else cook while your biggest decision is pancakes or shawarma as nimble jazz guitar turns brunch into the most sophisticated meal of the week.Sunday
Karaoke
Nightlife & Parties
Kabingo (Karaoke + Music Bingo) - Divas Edition
Warm up your vocal cords and your bingo skills for a 90s throwback where you might nail every note, miss every square, and still walk out grinning like a total diva.Sunday
Rock
False Flag, Breakneck Flow, Culprit, Crosshair
Let your ears ring and your shoes stick to the floor while a wall of amps, breakdowns, and mosh-friendly riffs turn a weeknight into a full-body reset.Sunday
Crochet & Knitting
Hobbies & Collecting
Crafting Circle
Pack your half-finished masterpiece, sip something tasty, and stitch, sketch, or glue among new friends who totally understand having more yarn than shelf space.Sunday
LARP (Live Action Role Play)
Immersive Experiences
Larp at Wonderwood Park - Greenwood Keep Amtgard
Trade the couch for a sword and a spell ball and spend Sunday afternoon heroically bonking friends with foam in the woods, no experience or armor class required.Sunday
Museum
Historical
Bigelow House Museum Tours
Time-travel without the jet lag: wander creaky floors, hear pioneer stories, and impress friends with niche Olympia trivia, all in a tidy 30-40 minute Sunday tour slot.Sunday
Dungeons & Dragons (D&D)
D&D With DM: Seraph Rouge
Sharpen your wits, roll some dice, and let a patient dungeon master steer you through monsters, mayhem, and maybe a mimosa or two, all without needing to read a single rulebook beforehand.Sunday
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🍸 SOUND BITES
happy hours | food & drink specials | late night deals
Gardner's Restaurant | Tapas Tuesday | 4–7pm. Book now: Northwest seafood downtown.
Anthony's HomePort | Happy Hour | Mon–Fri 3–6:00 pm. Sip, snack, waterfront.
Cynara Restaurant & Lounge | Happy Hour | Mon–Fri 3:30–5:30pm. $5 Craft Beers.
Cascadia Grill | New Winter Menu | Sun–Thu 12–8pm. Local brasserie vibes.
Octapas Cafe | Brunch Sat–Sun | 9am–2pm. Dec Theme: Benedicts Galore!
Chicory | Christmas brunch | Sat–Sun 10am–3pm. Seasonal plates, natural wine.
Chelsea Farms Oyster Bar | Oyster hour | Fri–Sat 4–6pm. Flights and cocktails.
Basilico Ristorante | Happy Hour | Tue–Sat 4–5pm. Italian sips, $4 off snacks.
Ninevah Restaurant | Buffet Brunch | Sat–Sun 9 am–2pm. Assyrian flavors await.
Well 80 Brewhouse | Late-night bites | Fri–Sat 9–11pm. $4 Craft beer, pizza.
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Thanks for Reading!
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Written with ❤️ for Olympia, Tumwater, and Lacey, WA.
Behind the name MyTownLowdown: A community only thrives when its people are connected to it. In a world where local papers are disappearing and algorithms dictate what we see, we believe finding community news & events shouldn't be a struggle. MyTownLowdown exists to bridge the gap between you and your community, ensuring you never miss a moment to celebrate local life.