Community Events from Roxy!

COMMUNITY EVENTS

It's Thurston County's Community Recycle Days. The county is accepting tires, appliances, computers and other recyclable items for minimal or no cost. Items accepted for minimal rate include refrigerators, freezers, and air conditioners at $15 each; TVs, computer monitors, and laptop computers at $15 each; and tires at $2 each without rims and $3 each with rims. Items accepted for free include bicycles with or without tires; small motors such as chainsaws, weed-eaters, and outboard boat motors; push or riding lawnmowers; and flowerpots, 2-gallons or larger, clean and unbroken. This is for residential recycling only, not business recycling. If items are working, re-use is a better choice than recycling. You are encouraged to use local materials exchange websites including 2good2toss.com and the new usedolympia.com. Today is the second of the two Community Recycle Days. It's being held at South Sound Speedway in Rochester from 9 til 3. For more information, contact Thurston County.

The Master Gardener Foundation of Thurston County is holding its 17th annual Spring Plant Sale. This year's sale features Rain Garden and Waterwise plants, old growth roses, landscape plants, tried and true tomato plants, and more. Great plants at great prices today from 9 til 4 at Dirt Works Demonstration Garden behind Yauger Park in West Olympia.

Pierce County presents its Livable Communities Fair. It's free, fun, and informative for all ages. Cisco Morris is there with Gardening with Ciscoe, and magician Steffan Soule presents two Magic of Recycling shows. Reptile Man, the Trout Pond, hourly drawings for prizes, and 150 exhibitors are also a part of the day's activities. You'll find exhibits covering topics such as recycling, affordable housing, building green, low-impact development, emergency preparedness, and more. It's happening in the Tacoma Dome Exhibition Hall today from 9 til 4. Admission and parking are free.

The City of Tumwater presents its 21st Annual Independence Day Parade. The parade is happening on Friday, July 4th. Tumwater Parks and Recreation is seeking entries for the parade, as well as vehicles & their owners to escort dignitaries in the parade. For a parade entry form, an escort vehicle application, or just for more information, contact Tumwater Parks at 360.754.4160.

If you want a challenging engaging experience in your musical exploration, you should audition for Student Orchestras of Greater Olympia (SOGO). Those as young as third grade up to college with interest and experience playing strings, woodwinds, brass, or percussion instruments are invited to audition for the 2008-2009 season. Auditions are being held Tuesday and Wednesday. Those auditioning are expected to perform a solo of their choice, sight read, and take a music theory test. To register for an audition, to get a copy of the theory test, or simply to find out more, visit the website at or call 360.561.2080 or 360.352.1438.

Following the success of the first year of the nighttime Click It or Ticket enforcement, extra law enforcement officers across the state are taking to the streets at night Monday night through June 1st. Statewide, 46 law enforcement agencies are taking part in the nighttime seat belt enforcement project including three here in Thurston County: the Lacey and Yelm Police Departments and the Washington State Patrol. The Click It or Ticket campaign was adopted in 2002. Since its inception, seat belt use has risen to 96.4 percent making Washington's seat belt use one of the highest in the nation. The extra patrols are being funded through a grant from the Washington Traffic Safety Commission.

Pope's Kids Place specializes in providing Pediatric Medical Services Day Care and Respite services to children with special needs and their families. The program runs the third weekend of each month. It allows parents to drop off children on Friday night and return for them on Sunday night. This gives families a much needed break. The center has to be staffed by a nurse (LPN or RN) and an aid. An effort is underway to expand the program to every other weekend but there is a shortage of nurses and the program is in jeopardy. The program is in need of nurses who love children and want to make a difference. Both day and night shifts are available. Competitive wages are offered. For more information, call Pope's Kids Place 360.736.8178 or email sestrada@popeskidsplace.org.

Mills & Mills invites you to attend their 27th annual Memorial Day Commemoration. The program is coordinated by veteran groups and features music by the Capital Area Concert Band, a cannon salute by Tumwater American Legion Post #166, a keynote address from Tumwater Mayor Ralph Osgood, and more. It's happening Memorial Day -- Monday the 26th -- starting at 2 o'clock. Mills & Mills Funeral Home and Memorial Park is on Littlerock Road across from Costco in Tumwater.

The Southwest Washington Soccer Association in cooperation with Thurston County Parks and Recreation is holding open registration for summer soccer league. Registration is being accepted for Coed Open, Coed Over 30, and Coed Over 40. Registration deadline is the close of business Friday the 27th. For more information, contact Thurston County Parks at 360.786.5595.

The Capital Playhouse production of Man of La Mancha stars artistic director (and Olympia City Councilmember) Jeff Kingsbury as the 16th century Miguel de Cervantes who is accused of presenting entertainment offensive to the Spanish Inquisition. Featuring several returning Capital Playhouse stars, the show features a solid cast filled with remarkable talent. Man of La Mancha also boasts an award winning score, including the ever-popular The Impossible Dream. The show runs through the end of the month. Performances are at the Capital Playhouse at 612 4th Ave in Downtown Olympia. For more information , call the box office at 360.943.2744 or visit the website at .

Tumwater Parks and Recreation is offering weekly tennis sessions for youth from beginner through intermediate. There are even specific sessions for high school junior varsity and varsity levels. USPTA Certified Developmental Tennis Coach and local high school varisty coach Greg Bert is instructing in the fundamental skills of tennis including footwork, strategy, and team play. Sessions are offered in June, July, and August. Fee is $55 per session. For more information, contact Tumwater Parks at 360.754.4160.

Thurston County is sponsoring a hazardous waste collection event for you to safely dispose of hazardous household products. The event is free for residents of Thurston County. Items accepted include oil-based and latex paint, glues, pesticides, thinners, solvents, all types of batteries, antifreeze, motor oil and filters, cleaners, pool and hobby chemicals, fluorescent light bulbs and tubes, mercury thermometers, adhesives, polishes and other products that say Danger, Warning, or Caution on the labels. The annual spring collection event is going on from 10 to 4 Saturday and Sunday, the 31st and the 1st, at the Yelm Middle School parking lot. If you miss it, you can always take hazardous household materials to HazoHouse at the Thurston County Waste and Recovery Center weekdays between 8 and 5. For more information, call the Thurston County Department of Water and Waste Management at 360.357.2491.

Tumwater, Olympia, Lacey, and Thurston County Parks and Recreation Departments are once again presenting the Hershey's Youth Track & Field District Meet. This is a free event open to Thurston County boys and girls 9- to 14-years-old as of December 31st this year. This year's meet is being held at Tumwater High School the evening of Friday, June 6th. Registration and check-in is from 5 to 6. Competition begins at 6:15. Events include the 50-meter, 100-meter, 400-meter, 800-meter, 1600-meter, 4X100 relay, standing long jump, and softball throw. For more information, contact Tumwater Parks at 360.754.4160.

The Olympic Flight Museum is hosting its celebrated Olympic Air Show -- featuring the Gathering of Warbirds -- Father’s Day weekend, June 14th and 15th. Early hotel reservations are highly recommended. It's the 10th annual event and features seven decades of military aircraft. It's the largest warbird-only gathering in the Northwest United States. The show includes three hours of outstanding aerobatic performances by visiting aircraft along with the museum’s own P-51 Mustang. The event also features a WWII encampment with authentic military vehicles and personnel, an operational Vietnam Landing Zone, a Vietnam USO Show with a live band, beer garden, and an access ramp chock-full of trainers, fighters and bombers. For information about the Olympic Air Show or the Olympic Flight Museum, visit the website at or email .

Lacey Parks and Recreation is offering a basketball camp for boys 9- to 15-years-old or entering the 4th through 9th grades. North Thurston Coach Tim Brown and his staff and players lead camp participants through drills and games designed to improve and develop skills. Each participant receives a commemorative picture certificate and a camp ball. In addition, those registered and paid in full by June 9th get a camp shirt. The camp is from 9 til noon Monday through Thursday, June 23rd through the 26th, at North Thurston High School. Camp fee is $65. For more information, contact Lacey Parks at 360.491.0857.

The Hawk’s Prairie Rotary Club of Lacey announces the addition of The Humungous Fungus Feast to the first-ever Pacific Northwest Mushroom Festival. The area’s finest restaurants are putting their finest mushroom recipes to the test. Ostrom’s Mushroom Farms is supplying the mushrooms. Each chef is cooking using their own recipes. You can sample the delicacies by purchasing a special collectible plate at the festival. It's happening 10 til 6 on Saturday and Sunday, June 28th and 29th, at the Nisqually Middle School in Lacey. You can purchase your plate from 11 til 2 both days. Interested chefs can download registration forms from the website. For more information, go to .

Tumwater Parks and Recreation is presenting Challenger British Soccer Camps this summer. Certified British Soccer Coaches are flown in to conduct these camps for 6- to 12-year-old boys and girls. Emphasis is on individual skill development, fundamentals, and technical and tactical instruction in all areas of the game. Registration fee os $104 includes and official camp t-shirt and ball. Camp sessions are being held at Pioneer Park Monday through Friday, July 21st through the 25th. By the way, families are needed to host the coaches during their stay. For more information, contact Tumwater Parks at 360.754.4160.