Wednesday
Harry Fain’s Legion Park volunteer work party: Olympia’s parks would love to be your Valentine on Wednesday, which is when park staff will lead a work party to pull invasive plants from 9:30 a.m. to noon at Harry Fain’s Legion Park at 1115 20th Ave. SE. Meet at the shelter. Limited parking available. Information: 360-753-8365 or olympiawa.gov/parkvolunteer.
Thursday
Olympia World Affairs Council lecture series: Steve Niva, associate professor of global politics at The Evergreen State College, will speak on “The Refugee Crisis and the Re-Bordering of Europe” at 7:30 p.m. at the South Puget Sound Community College Lacey Campus, 4220 Sixth Ave. SE. Free and open to the public. Information: olympiawac.org.
Film and discussion: Watch “The If Project” — about a collaborative program between law enforcement and female inmates focused on intervention, prevention and reduction in recidivism — and discuss it from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Olympia Unitarian Universalist Congregation, 2315 Division St. NW, Olympia. Free.
Lunar New Year’s Eve celebration: The Lien Hoa Buddhist Temple will celebrate the new year from 10 p.m. to midnight at the temple, 1211 Wilson St. NE, Olympia. The celebration will include folk and lion dances. Free and the public is welcome.
Thursday through Sunday
Oly Old Time Festival: The Arbutus Folk School presents the 10th annual festival, offering concerts, square dances, honky tonk, free workshops, an all-ages dance on Saturday, and more at the South Bay Grange, 3918 Sleater Kinney Road NE, Olympia. Tickets are $5 for the kickoff dance at 7 p.m. Thursday, and $20 for the 7 p.m. dances on Friday and Saturday; kids 12 and younger get in free. Information: olyoldtime.org. Tickets at brownpapertickets.com.
Saturday
Paper airplane contest: Learn about flight and a variety of paper airplane folding techniques and enter a contest for distance and spot landing during Olympic Flight Museum’s 18th annual Paper Airplane Flight School & Contest from 1 to 4 p.m. Open to all ages and skills. Admission for flight school is $7 and includes instruction, construction materials and a snack. Spectator and general admission is $5. Children 6 and under are free. The museum is at 7637- A Old Highway 99 SE, Olympia. For more information, go to olympicflightmuseum.com or call 360-705-3925.
Free volleyball clinic: Saint Martin’s University will host a free volleyball clinic from 9-11 a.m. for girls in grades 5-8. SMU head coach Jonathan Killingbeck and his players will teach court skills in the SMU Recreation Center. Free. To register, call 360-491-0857.
Lion dance performances: The Lion-dance and folk-dance teams from the Lien-Hoa Buddhist Temple in Olympia will perform at a variety of businesses to celebrate the lunar new year. The schedule: 10 a.m. at Liz’s Hair Spa & Waxing, 1115 Black Lake Blvd. SW #C, Olympia; 11 a.m. at Emperor’s Palace, 400 Cooper Point Road SW, Olympia; noon at Pho Hoa, 1600 Cooper Point Road SW #620, Olympia; and 1 p.m. at Emperor’s Palace, 7321 Martin Way E, Olympia.
Saturday & Sunday
Sa-Heh-Wa-Mish Days Pow-Wow: This two-day ceremonial gathering hosted by the Squaxin Island Tribe is made up of the indigenous people of the Coast Salish Tribes, but open to all to attend. Grand entry times are 1 and 7 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday at Little Creek Casino Resort, 91 W State Route 108, Shelton. Information: https://www.little-creek.com/admin/uploads/powwowflier_reduced_v9.pdf
Feb. 21
Living with highly capable children: Kathi Kearney, a specialist in education for gifted and highly capable children in Maine School Administrative District 51, will lead a free presentation and discussion about family life with gifted/highly capable learners at 7 p.m. at NOVA Middle School, 2020 22nd Ave. SE, Olympia. Information and registration: tinyurl.com/y77gnowa.
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