Submitted by Olympia Downtown Alliance
The Olympia Downtown Alliance is powering a street festival in historic Downtown Olympia that includes live music and performances, activities for kids and families, interactive art installations from local artists, local community groups, and a Biergarten featuring craft beer from 3 Magnets Brewing Co. and Well 80 Brewhouse. LoveOly Summer Fest 2021, presented by the City of Olympia, will take place every Saturday now through August 28, from 12 p.m. to 6 pm.
Entertainment line up – Saturday, July 24
The Olympia Film Society (OFS) has partnered with the Downtown Alliance to produce the headline acts for the festival on the Main Stage in the Entertainment Area, sponsored by Olympia Federal Savings. Kimya Dawson will headline the Saturday, July 24 Main Stage performance opened by Peace & Red Velvet. Kimya Dawson is a celebrated writer and singer of songs and an all-purpose force for good in the world. First making her artistic mark as half of the anti-folk duo the Moldy Peaches, Kimya soon turned to solo work, where the twisted punchline poetry of the Peaches was deployed in the service of Dawson’s gem-like personal narratives, creating such singular works as I’m Sorry That Sometimes I’m Mean (2002), My Cute Fiend Sweet Princess (2004), Hidden Vagenda (2004), Remember That I Love You (2006), and Thunder Thighs (2011), and earning her a 2009 Grammy for her work on the soundtrack for the film Juno. More recently, she joined forces with hip-hop artist Aesop Rock to form the Uncluded, whose debut record Hokey Fright was released to critical acclaim in 2013. She frequently tours the world, often with her kid Panda by her side.
There have been plenty of couples making music together in the history of modern music, but it’s hard to find a story that’s as exuberant, joyful and plot-twisting as the origins of Peace & Red Velvet. You could say the same things about their music, as well. Vocalist Acacia the Queen and rapper Whispah the Ruler’s journey from mutual Facebook friends to collaborators and then to matrimony is exciting in itself, but that’s not where the duo’s adventures end. After releasing their swooning and eclectic debut EP, 366, they’ve become a powerful live act that fuels itself on its collaborators’ kinetic energy. – Dusty Henry, KEXP
In addition to Main Stage acts, July 24 is full of other activities to choose from!
12:30 p.m. -1:15 p.m. Jeff Evans – If you live in the greater Olympia area there’s a good chance you or your kids have seen one of Jeff Evans’ magic shows. A full-time pro since 1998, his interactive magic and clean comedy is featured in over 250 shows a year throughout the Pacific Northwest and beyond. He’s won dozens of awards for his creative performances, including Magician of the Year from the Vancouver, B. C. Magic Circle, Stage Magic Champion from the Pacific Coast Association of Magicians, and Best Live Entertainment from ParentMap Magazine. His magic has been called “clean enough for kids, yet sophisticated enough for adults”, the reason that families return year after year to enjoy his mind-boggling magic. Location: On the Main Stage in front of the Capitol Theater, 206 East 5th.
1:15 – 1:45 p.m. Cool Breeze, vocalist, multi-instrumentalist and songwriter offers many different styles of music including blues, pan-Caribbean, old time, swing, jazz, ballads and waltzes! The original nautical songs, some intimate, some scary, some just plain fun, tell tall tales of high sea adventures or quiet anchorages. Location: Intersection of 5th and Washington.
1:45 p.m. – 2 p.m.: Lakota Dorris, singer-song writer. Location: at the Biergarten entrance.
2:00 p.m. – 3:15 p.m.: Zumba, dancing. Location: In front of the Main Statge, 206 East 5th.
3:15 p.m. – 3:45 p.m.: Theo, circus and interactive performer. Location: Intersection of 5th and Washington.
4 p.m. Summer Fest welcomes Peace & Red Velvet to the Main Stage. Location: On the Main Stage in front of the Capitol Theater, 206 East 5th.
5 p.m. Summer Fest welcomes Kimya Dawson to the Main Stage. On the Main Stage in front of the Capitol Theater, 206 East 5th.
12 p.m. – 6 p.m.
Activity Area: Activities for kids from the Hands On Children’s Museum including bubbles, chalk, Make & Take Wind Tunnel, Peg Board Pinball and fort boards. Location: On 5th between Capital and Washington.
Biergarten Area: Biergarten featuring beer from Three Magnets Brewing Co. and Well 80 Brewhouse. Location: On Washington Street between 5th and Legion.
Community Group Area: Get to know this week’s community group, Arbutus Folk School. Join us at 1:00; 2:00; and 3:00 p.m. for wood-turning demonstrations. Location: On Washington Street between 4th and 5th.
Who: Powered by the Olympia Downtown Alliance, produced by the Olympia Film Society and Hands on Children’s Museum, The event is presented by the City of Olympia, Activity Area sponsor Snowshoe, and Entertainment Area sponsor is Olympia Federal Savings.
What: LoveOly Summer Fest 2021
When: Saturday, July 24, 2021, noon to 6:00 p.m.
Where: Olympia Federal Savings Entertainment Area, Capitol Theater outdoor stage, Downtown Olympia, 5th Avenue and Washington Street
Cost: This is a free event thanks to the support of our sponsors!
