Join us in-person or online for this hybrid event on Thursday, April 9, 2026!

Location:

• Lacey City Hall Council Chambers, 420 College St SE. Doors open at 6:00 p.m.
• Online via Zoom (registration required)

Program Description

Located eight miles northeast of Olympia, Washington, the Nisqually Delta is one of the country's last unspoiled estuaries. Join author Janine Gates, as she presents her book Saving the Nisqually Delta and speaks about the historical pressures to industrialize the delta. Gates will discuss the key moments in Washington State environmental history and why the delta is still threatened by urban and industrial encroachment.

Speaker Bio

Janine Gates is an Olympia-based freelance journalist and photographer, and a full-time caregiver for seniors and their families. She recently published her book, Saving the Nisqually Delta, about the citizen activism that saved the delta from industrialization. She’s lived in Olympia for over 40 years.

After some state and legislative experience, Janine raised children and wrote more than 500 articles in ten years for her community news blog, Little Hollywood.

For 13 years, she was involved with the South Puget Environmental Education Clearinghouse, a non-profit best known as SPEECH. She served as president and managing editor of its print publication, the South Sound Green Pages.

Janine also spent four years as board secretary for the Olympia Historical Society and Bigelow House Museum.



With her business Little Hollywood Media, Janine strives to document and preserve personal histories and help give context to these great stories.



Most importantly, she is an active grandmother of two small grandsons who are the love of her life.

May HistoryTalks! with Anna Schlecht

Small Town Pride Comes to Olympia

Thursday, May 14, 2026, 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Hybrid: Lacey City Hall Council Chambers & Zoom

Sharing Our Food Stories

An Oral History Workshop with

Window Seat Media

Thursday, April 23, 2026

5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Lacey Museum and Cultural Center

4160 6th Ave SE, Suite 101

Lacey, WA 98503

How do we communicate, remember, and connect through food? Join us for an evening of reflecting, sharing and writing about our food traditions.

Participants learn tips for documenting and writing about your family’s food history and stories. Bring an object that connects in some way to your food story. It could be a cooking utensil, recipe card, an ingredient, or something else entirely.

This workshop is offered in conjunction with our rotating guest exhibit, Stories of Food, Food as Story, curated by Window Seat Media, that is on display at the Lacey Museum and Cultural Center through the end of April.

Limited space available. Registration required.

Creativity Corner

If you love painting rocks, you’ll love decorating your own wooden Easter egg. Join us at the Lacey Museum in April for this fun craft! You won’t want to hide this beautiful creation. Visit us Thursday and Friday 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. or Saturday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. This activity is free and for all ages - adults and kids alike. Children 13 and under must be accompanied by an adult.

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