Catch two concerts in the park, a movie outside, and art at the Armory this weekend
Double the entertainment in Lacey
Outdoor concerts and outdoor films are both summer traditions. Lacey in Tune teams them up with its concert and movie Friday night combos, which are completely free. The city’s 2023 season starts with Heart by Heart and “The Princess Bride” at 7 p.m. Friday. Heart by Heart is a Heart tribute band, sort of, but it’s also a successor to the legendary group headed by Ann and Nancy Wilson, with a lineup that includes two original members of Heart, bassist Steve Fossen and drummer Michael Derosier, who reunited after they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2013. The concert begins at 7 p.m. in Huntamer Park, 618 Woodland Square Loop SE, Lacey, with the 1987 film — a funny and fantastical fairy tale — following at dusk on an 18-foot-by-18-foot screen. Bring your own chairs, blankets, etc. You can bring a picnic or buy concessions at the park. Coming up next as part of Lacey in Tune are Creature Teachers, a show about and featuring animals, at 6:30 p.m. July 18, and Soul Searching Band, paying tribute to Aretha Franklin, Elvis Presley and Donna Summer, at noon July 19.
Samba sounds
Seattle’s Show Brazil is bringing its ear-catching rhythms to Olympia on Sunday, July 16, for the Olympia Downtown Alliance’s Music in the Park. The internationally acclaimed band, led by much-awarded composer and musician Eduardo Mendonça, plays a wide array of Brazilian popular music. The Olympian dares you to hold still while listening. Music in the Park happens at 1 p.m. Sundays throughout July in Sylvester Park, 615 Washington St. SE, Olympia.
Arts in the Armory
It will be a while until the Olympia Armory becomes a full-fledged center for the arts, but this month, the 1939 Art Deco building looks a lot like it already is a creative center. Supported with grant money from the National Endowment for the Arts, creative locals are filling the space with art, music, dance and more. Currently test-driving the space is the Thurston County Museum of Fine Arts, which has created pop-up museum-style shows in vacant buildings during the past two Arts Walks. The arts group’s current show — on view through Saturday, July 15, in the Armory’s outbuilding, formerly used as a garage — includes work by such well-known locals as Lynette Charters, Kathy Gore-Fuss and Ruby Re-Usable as well as pieces by emerging artists. The temporary museum is open from noon to 6 p.m. at 515 Eastside St. SE, Olympia, with a free gala happening from 7 to 10 p.m. Friday, July 14.
“The Princess Bride” is one of freelance writer Molly Gilmore’s favorite films, and she was delighted to find this pandemic home-movie version while looking up which year it was made. She talks about what’s happening in Olympia and beyond with 95.3 KGY-FM’s Michael Stein from 3 to 4 p.m. Fridays.
