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Good morning. It's Friday, December 26, 2025. Only in our wonderfully weird city could the headlines toggle so seamlessly between million-dollar gopher habitats, muddy boots, and glitzy New Year's Eve galas as we barrel toward the New Year, so grab some coffee and let's shake off that food coma. Enjoy today’s edition of your Olympia Lowdown!
📰 LOCAL NEWS SNAPSHOTS
State Parks: “Come Hike for Free” on New Year's
Start your year off right by sweating out the holiday cookies at a Washington State Park, completely free of charge. Washington State Parks is inviting the public to participate in annual 'First Day Hikes' on January 1, 2026’. It’s the perfect way to freeze your toes off and call it 'wellness’.
Tumwater Gets a Million Bucks for Gopher Land
The City of Tumwater has received a $1 million pledge from the Angela J. Bowen Conservancy Foundation to acquire mitigation land. This funding supports the city's Habitat Conservation Plan by protecting habitat for endangered species like the Mazama pocket gopher. The move balances conservation efforts with future development needs.
🎯 BUSINESS HAPPENINGS
Grand Opening: Altitude 15 New Year's Eve Culinary Bash
Altitude 15, a new culinary and cultural venue in downtown Olympia, is finalizing preparations for its grand opening celebration on New Year's Eve. The event will feature gourmet food, a hosted bar, and entertainment to ring in 2026. The opening marks a significant addition to the downtown Oly local dining and event scene. Tickets.
Downtown Businesses Get a Free Ride on Parking Fees
The Olympia City Council decided to play Santa for downtown businesses, extending the $0 assessment rate for the Parking Business Improvement Area into 2026. This means businesses don’t pay parking fees until further notice. They’re still figuring out how the program should work long-term, so for now, the fees are nonexistent.
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📷 READER PHOTO SPOTLIGHT
Rick Noble @cougar.ridge
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📆 EVENTS LOWDOWN
Friday, 12|26
Live Music
Nightlife & Parties
Capcity Nights With Space Whales and King Youngblood
Ring out the holidays with soaring solos, thumping rhythms, and at least one song that gets stuck in your head until New Year. Two bands, one stage, and zero excuses to stay home in your pajamas.
Friday
Sports & Active
Lightning Bowl
Swap the couch for a bowling ball and see if your aim improves after 10 p.m. Neon lights, rolling strikes, and friendly bragging rights are all included.Friday
Sports & Active
Family & Kids
Oly On Ice
Trade couch time for glide time and see how long you can stay upright on the rink before hot cocoa break becomes your new favorite winter sport.Friday
Karaoke
Nightlife & Parties
Karaoke With Aaron and Elizabeth
Hit the stage, miss a note, and still get applause at this friendly karaoke night where the only real requirement is enthusiasm and maybe knowing at least half the words to your go-to power ballad.Friday
Live Music
Nightlife & Parties
Pumphouse
Trade your post-holiday leftovers for guitars and good times as Pumphouse turns a quiet Friday night into a full-on soundtrack for your weekend.Friday
Health
Bookin' It Walking Club
Trade your snooze button for sneakers and join fellow early birds for an easy stroll, light chatter, and just enough exercise to feel virtuous about the rest of your day.Friday
Screening
Bugonia
Trade your tinfoil hat for a bucket of popcorn as conspiracy theories, alien suspicions, and razor sharp banter unfold on the big screen in Yorgos Lanthimos’ latest dark comedy.Friday
Board Game
Board Game and Puzzle Exchange - Winter Edition
Clear your closet, not your wallet: trade that 1,000-piece beast for something your family will actually finish, then stick around to geek out about games with fellow fans.Friday
Teen
Board Game
Teen Hangout
Escape homework mountain for a while and dive into games, crafts, snacks, and big-screen videos with other teens in a chill space where hanging out absolutely counts as productivity.Friday
Saturday, 12|27
Trivia
Nightlife & Parties
Bango - Music Bingo
Swap your dauber for your dance moves as song clips stand in for bingo balls. Mark the hits, chase blackout, and pretend your encyclopedic 80s playlist obsession was all part of a long-term strategy.Saturday
Painting
Starry Night Deer Paint-N-Sip
Trade your stick-figure skills for a starry deer masterpiece as you sip your favorite brew, follow easy instructions, and pretend you paint like this all the time.Saturday
Screening
Train Dreams
Trade city noise for the hush of a dark theater, a bag of popcorn, and a sweeping railroad saga that proves the only thing more dramatic than the scenery is the human heart riding alongside it.Saturday
Folk / Acoustic
Jim Page & Orville Johnson
Trade your streaming queue for live strings and stories as two master musicians swap songs, licks, and laughs in a cozy, all-acoustic concert.Saturday
Kids
Children's Story
Family Storytime
Tiny humans, big imaginations: enjoy a cozy hour of tunes, tales and toddler-approved wiggles that secretly build reading skills while everyone just thinks they are having fun.Saturday
STEM / STEAM
Steam-Powered Play
Let the kids experiment, build, and make a glorious mess in the name of science while you enjoy easy conversation with other grownups and zero cleanup at home.Saturday
Family Game
Science & Tech
Not-So Bored Games
Give your board games a day off and let water drops, sewer mazes, and a tumbling tower of pretend poop handle the entertainment duties.Saturday
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Sunday, 12/28
Seasonal & Holiday
Craft
A Gilded Year - New Year's Manifestation Market
Trade resolutions for rituals as you sip enchanted tea, pull tarot cards, blend your own spell oil, and wander a makers market full of mystical goodies that might just help you manifest more magic and fewer chaotic Mondays next year.Sunday
Country
Nightlife & Parties
Kitty Mae
Dust off your boots and warm up your two-step: a Cascade cowgirl with serious country credentials is serving up three solid hours of honky-tonk jams, sing-alongs, and toe-tapping good trouble.Sunday
Welding
Intro to Blacksmithing
Trade screen time for sparks and steel as you learn how to heat, hammer, and bend metal into useful shapes. You will leave with a basic forged piece, a grasp of core techniques, and a satisfying layer of workshop soot.Sunday
Folk / Acoustic
Amelia Day // J. Graves // Brittany Danielle
Trade your living-room playlist for the real thing and catch three songwriters turning feelings into full-volume folk rock. Guitars will twang, hearts will ache, and someone will definitely buy the last T-shirt before you.Sunday
Yoga
Kids Camp
My Body My Power Winter Day Camp
Trade winter break boredom for yoga mats, art supplies, and affirmations as youth explore mindfulness, movement, and self-love in a warm, inclusive space.Sunday
Run
Sunday Runs - The Distance Collective Run Club
Skip the snooze button and log some miles with a laid back crew, where the only thing faster than the pace is how quickly the weekend coffee plans appear afterward.Sunday
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🎸 LIVE MUSIC
Friday | 12/26
Latin
DJ
Dream Pop
Indie Pop
21+
Jazz Fusion
Alt Rock
21+
Post-Punk
21+
Punk
21+
Saturday | 12/27
Indie Folk
21+
Blues
Bluegrass
All Ages
Beach Rock
Indie Jazz
All Ages
Indie Alt
21+
Garage Emo
21+
Indie Prog
21+
Post-Punk
21+
Post-Americana
Indie Rock
21+
Doom Metal
21+
Sunday | 12/28
Thrash Metal
21+
Power Pop
21+
🍸 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!
That’s a wrap for today! If you’re planning to hibernate until 2026, we don’t blame you, but maybe forward this to a friend who actually leaves the house? Thanks for reading, and we'll catch you in the next edition.
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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.