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Good morning. It's Tuesday, January 7, 2026. Feeling a bit blah after the holidays? Fear not, Olympia's got a cure for those post-celebration blues! There are a host of festivals announced this week — the local events calendar is already filling with possibilities. Just remember to pace yourself – we've got a whole year of fun ahead of us.
Alright, here's today's edition of your local lowdown…
📰 LOCAL NEWS SNAPSHOTS
Olympia Funk Fest Returns This Month!
Olympia's about to get a whole lotta funk! The Olympia Funk Festival – Funk OFF! is grooving its way back from January 30 to February 1, 2026, at The Olympia Ballroom. Get ready to unleash your inner funkateer and boogie all weekend long. A weekend pass is your golden ticket to funky town, so grab one and prepare for a serious dose of soul.
Old Time Festival Coming in February
The Olympia Old Time Festival is scheduled for February 14-16, 2026, at South Bay Grange. This event celebrates old-time music through performances, workshops, and jam sessions. Admission is free for children 12 and under for all daytime and evening events. Note that wristbands are required for entry into the Grange after 5 PM on Friday and Saturday nights.
Lacey Goes Green in March
Lace up your dancing shoes and prepare for some Irish cheer! The Lacey Irish Fest is coming to the Thurston County Fairgrounds on March 14-15, 2026. Expect live music that'll make you want to jig, vendors selling all things Irish, and enough Celtic treats to satisfy even the pickiest leprechaun. So, grab your greenest outfit and get ready to sham-rock!
🎯 BUSINESS HAPPENINGS
Lacey Says Good Bye to Historical McKinney Building
The Lacey Historical Commission has given the green light to demolish the McKinney Building, a relic from 1931. Once a haven for weary Highway 99 travelers, it's now facing structural distress. Its memory will now have to live on in digital archives.
📷 READER PHOTO SPOTLIGHT
Steve Bisig @stevebisig/
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📆 EVENTS LOWDOWN
Tuesday, 1/6
Screening
Animation Tuesdays: The Wolf House
Swap your cozy cartoon memories for a nightmare fairy tale where pigs talk, walls breathe, and animation gets deliciously unsettling in the best possible way.
Tuesday
Trivia
Nightlife & Parties
Team Trivia
Swap the couch for clever questions, hot pizza, and the glorious chance to prove you really did need all those random facts in your brain.Tuesday
Screening
Art & Exhibits
Loving Vincent
Swap your true-crime podcast for hand-painted intrigue as a young sleuth wanders through van Gogh’s swirling canvases to figure out what really happened in those famously troubled final days.Tuesday
Painting
Artvana Winter Paint & Sip Art Class
Swap scrolling for swirling paint as you turn a blank canvas into a winter snowglobe, sip something tasty, and discover that stick figures are absolutely not required.Tuesday
Crafts & Workshops
Crochet & Knitting
1000 Hearts Stitching
Trade scrolling for stitching as you sew tiny felt hearts destined to brighten a stranger's day. It is low-pressure, hand-sewn kindness with comfy vibes and zero perfection required.Tuesday
Karaoke
Nightlife & Parties
Karaoke at Golden Hour Tea
Warm up your vocal cords and your teacup as you belt out bangers in a chill, booze-free hangout where the only thing stronger than the tea might be your high notes.Tuesday
Book
Open Book Club
Swap hot takes on cool books while your to-be-read list happily explodes. Come for the conversation, leave with more titles than you will ever finish.Tuesday
Prevent ice dams from forming this winter!
Wednesday, 1/7
Jazz
Smoocho Gusto at Cascadia Grill
Let someone else handle the cooking while a swinging duo handles the groove, serving originals, local tunes, and classics with a side of midweek chill.Wednesday
Sustainability
January Green Drinks Social Gathering
Bring your best green ideas and your favorite drink order; leave with new connections, fresh inspiration, and maybe a few plans to save the planet one pint at a time.Wednesday
Karaoke
Coffee
Karaoke & Koffee in Lacey
Warm mug in hand, mic in reach, and zero judgment in sight - this is the kind of karaoke where missing a note just means more time to enjoy your latte.Wednesday
Quilting
Pinwheel Party Quilt Class: Weekday Edition
Forget office meetings and spin some pinwheels instead as you turn fat quarters into whirling quilt blocks, swap tips with classmates, and leave feeling like the ruler-wielding boss of triangles.Wednesday
Kids
Kaleidoscope Play And Learn Play Group
Swap screen time for story time as kids build towers, friendships, and early learning skills while grownups collect smart ideas, new songs, and maybe a much-needed adult conversation.Wednesday
Pub Quiz / Trivia
Nightlife & Parties
Trivia at the Clipper
Flex your fun-fact muscles in buzzer-happy trivia rounds where wrong answers earn laughs, right answers earn bragging rights, and karaoke is waiting for anyone still fearless afterward.Wednesday
Art Auction
2026 Fine Art Postcard Exhibition: "Out of Order"
Forget neat and tidy walls - these tiny artworks proudly claim to be "Out of Order," inviting you to wander, wonder, and maybe impulsively bid on your new favorite piece.Wednesday
Contemporary Art
Animal Dreams
Step out of your daily scroll and into a world where local wildlife, swirling skies, and finely carved lines are the only things demanding your attention for a change.Wednesday
Thursday, 1/8
Folk / Acoustic
Pat Byrne
Give your playlist a night off and let a live troubadour handle the feelings instead, with stories, strings, and just enough twang to make you forget about tomorrow morning.Thursday
Folk
Free Introduction to Square Dancing
Step away from the couch and into a square where left feet are welcome, mistakes are expected, and laughing through the spins totally counts as cardio.Thursday
Comedy
Comedy Underground
Forget scrolling for something funny at home and let three live comedians upgrade your jokes feed with real-time punchlines, awkward oversharing, and big, room-shaking laughs.Thursday
Screening
The Secret Agent
Swap your living-room streaming queue for a giant screen, subtitles, and a razor-sharp Brazilian thriller that proves the most dangerous special effect is still a desperate man on the run.Thursday
Trivia
Nightlife & Parties
Bango - Music Bingo
Swap the usual Thursday scroll for music bingo cards, surprise prizes, and sing-along moments that might embarrass you just enough to be memorable.Thursday
Mending & Repair
DIY
Clothing Repair Workshop
Turn tragic holes into heroic patches as you stitch, darn, and swap repair tips, leaving with sturdier clothes and brag-worthy mending stories.Thursday
Auto & Motorsports
Mustangs West Monthly Club Meeting
Give your pony some people time too: swap stories, plot new cruises, and enjoy dinner with folks who actually want to hear about that latest exhaust upgrade.Thursday
Story Time
Toddler Storytime
Tiny humans, big energy: bring your 18- to 36-month-old for stories, songs, and wiggles that secretly double as early literacy skill-building for both of you.Thursday
Job Search
Educational
WorkSource at the Library
Bring your questions, your resume, or just your curiosity, and walk out with sharper job-search tools and fewer question marks about benefits and applications.Thursday
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🎸 LIVE MUSIC
Friday | 12/26
Latin
DJ
Dream Pop
Indie Pop
21+
Saturday | 12/27
Indie Folk
21+
Blues
Bluegrass
All Ages
Beach Rock
Indie Jazz
All Ages
Sunday | 12/28
Thrash Metal
21+
Power Pop
21+
🍸 SIPS, BITES & DEALS
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!
We hope you found some exciting events to add to your calendar. These local festivals are a wonderful way to connect with our community and support the arts and culture that make our region so special. Thank you for reading, and please share this newsletter with your friends and neighbors to keep them in the loop!
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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.