Submitted by Olympia Downtown Alliance
The Olympia Downtown Alliance held its 24th Annual Meeting at the Heritage Room on Monday, March 21, 2022.
The audience heard from Alliance Board President Todd Monohon of Olympic Rentals, Alliance Executive Director Todd Cutts, Carrie Whisler from Olympia Federal Savings, and Cheryl Selby, City of Olympia Mayor. The evening included a review of 2021 and a look forward to 2022’s program of work.
During the meeting, the Alliance honored community members with annual awards.
The Alliance awarded the 2021 Design Award to Dave Sederberg. Starting in early 2021, Dave’s project Glowhenge helped brighten up a dark winter. Dave helped coordinate publicly engaging art installations at Summer Fest and fabricated the fluorescent trees on the awnings at the corner of 5th and Washington for Downtown for the Holidays. He also helped coordinate the cohoho salmon with Jill Carter and the projections on the Schoenfeld building.
The Alliance awarded the 2021 Golden Paintbrush award to Melissa and Zoey Hammond. Melissa and Zoey are the go-to mother & daughter team of Love Oly painters. They started a couple of years ago by recruiting other moms and kids to help paint fish on the side of their own building, the Labor Temple located at 119 Capitol Way North. Since then, they have stepped up to help paint other buildings downtown. As a business owner, Melissa knows that working together is what lifts up our entire downtown. And as a mother, Melissa understands that children listen to what parents say, but they remember what their parents do with them for the rest of their lives.
The Alliance awarded the 2021 Business of the Year Award to Childhood’s End Gallery and owners Richenda and Bill Richardson. Since 1971, Childhood’s End Gallery has focused on contemporary Pacific Northwest fine art & craft. They represent over one hundred American artists and artisans working in oil, glass, ceramics, wood, metal, etc. In 2021, Childhood’s End celebrated its 50th Anniversary. Richenda and Bill Richardson are inspirational members of our local arts community.
The Alliance awarded the 2021 Volunteer of the Year Award to Lisa Carroll. Lisa is a recent transplant from Louisiana and an Olympia resident. She responded to a call for Summer Fest volunteers for eight consecutive Saturdays and often worked double shifts. She also volunteered at Love Oly Winterfest the Sunday after Thanksgiving.
The Alliance awarded the 2021 Person of the Year award to three individuals: Nate and Sara Reilly from the Three Magnets Brewing Company and Chris Knudson from Well 80 Brewing. Nate and Sara, and Chris have collectively led the effort to revitalize Downtown’s brewing industry. While they bring their unique aesthetic and vibe to their breweries, they share a few things in common: A love for Downtown, great beer, and a collaborative spirit. Last year when the Alliance was planning Love Oly Summer Fest, a Biergarten was central to the festival. The Reilly’s and Knutson answered the call and came together to provide the beer. Both even designed and printed custom labels…Well 80’s Love Oly Lager and 3 Mag’s Summer Sesh IPA.
