The Pumpkin House was a popular local tradition in the South Olympia Neighbourhood for years. The folks that live at the house collected donations for the food bank during the month of October for years. It was a highlight of many people to see the amazing pumpkins.

I wish them well in their “pumpkin carving” retirement.

Edit: photos are from 2024. Typo in the title. My apologies.

I’m a local public records researcher and I wrote this, so disclosing that up front.

I went through court records, OSPI disciplinary orders, news archives, and records I obtained from the Olympia and Yelm school districts. The cases span Olympia, North Thurston, Tumwater, Tenino and Yelm, going back to 2004.

A few things stood out:

• Some went to prison. Some pleaded to lesser charges. Some ended in settlements paid with public money, including $7.5 million in one Olympia case.
• W.H. v. Olympia School District (2020) made districts strictly liable for employee sexual misconduct. It’s part of why school insurance rates jumped 45% statewide this year.
• Washington law requires reporting suspected abuse within 48 hours. District records show reports in both Olympia and Yelm took several days.
• Since 2004, districts have been required to check an applicant’s misconduct history with prior employers. One Olympia hire’s application left out his discipline in Yelm, which the district’s own investigator later found was false.

Every claim is sourced, with the RCWs cited, and both sides are included. Anyone in a pending case is presumed innocent.

Happy to answer questions or take corrections in the comments.

For those who want to see the full report and write-up: https://ewyattmendel.substack.com/p/quiet-exits-what-happens-when-thurston?r=8wwcsh&utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=web

More context about what’s happening in Hoquiam and Raymond!

https://trl.org/news/supplemental-ballots-to-be-mailed-to-affected-raymond-voters/

https://trl.org/news/important-information-for-hoquiam-voters/

For context, this was a locally famous house in the South Capital neighborhood that would have HUNDREDS of intricately carved pumpkins every Halloween. It was an institution and we thank them for their service. It must have been an absurd amount of work!

South Cap is still Halloween central and well worth a visit, but the pumpkin house will be missed :(

Hey Olympia! My wife and our friends and I are looking for an EDM or other Wicked good time for Halloween this year! We're new to Olympia so trying to find our spot! Any suggestions would be much appreciated!

seriously, I would love to find a torta that’s not soggy or stale bread + way too many sticky beans + no pickled jalapeno/carrot, and I can’t drive up to Seattle to get my favorite one any time soon. who’s got the best one in the oly/lacey/tumwater area?

(and if *you* happen to be in Seattle, go to Golden Wheat on Cherry St.!)

Their specimens have disintegrated 😭 Maybe these were monarchs considering the metal plate behind the display.

I thought I'd ask locally to see if anyone bites, otherwise I might buy some myself!

College glen apartments I am
About to move to
These apartments does anyone know about these apartments I haven’t even see the insides i hope I won’t be disappointed

College glen apartments I am
About to move to
These apartments does anyone know about these apartments I haven’t even see the insides i hope I won’t be disappointed

Looking for private covered spots to practice skateboarding

Hey fellow Olympians! While I get busy during the week with an online class (office certification program), I could always find time on maybe a Wed. or Thurs. evening to join a board or card game group. Bonus (ie a short list of favorites): Clue, Trivial Pursuit (or other trivia-based game... like Jeopardy). Card games: Rummy, Hearts (been a while... would need a "refresher"), Blackjack/ 21. I might be open to trying a form of Poker. But No Opportunists! (taking advantage of my inexperience...ha ha).

Lastly-- during Covid, my parents taught me a domino game called Train (which they in turn had learned from a retirement-community card group). That game requires at least three to four players, though. LMK and thanks for reading my first sub/reddit post! 😊

Hey Olympia!

I’m starting something called the Olympia Men’s Club, and I’m looking for guys who’d be interested in getting together on Saturday mornings for some exercise, coffee, and genuine connection.

As I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized how easy it is for friendships to take a back seat to work, family, relationships, and everything else life throws at us.

Making new friends as an adult isn’t always easy, and I’d like to help change that.

The idea is pretty simple:

Every Saturday morning, we’ll get together for an outdoor group workout, followed by coffee and conversation.

Nothing crazy. You don’t need to be particularly fit or experienced. Workouts will be accessible to different fitness levels, with opportunities to modify movements, intensity, and duration. Come as you are and do what you can.

The workout is really just an excuse to get outside, challenge ourselves a little, and connect with other guys.

📍 Here’s the plan:

🏋️ Workout — Saturdays at 7:00 AM

Kettle View Park
1250 Eagle Bend Dr SE
Olympia, WA 98501

☕ Coffee — 9:00 AM

Starbucks – The Grange
1301 Yelm Hwy SE
Tumwater, WA 98501

Who’s this for?

Any guy looking to be more active, meet new people, build friendships, and be part of a positive community.

No membership fees, no sales pitches, and no pressure to be anything other than yourself.

My hope is that this grows into something more than just a weekly workout. A community of men who encourage one another, try new things, build meaningful friendships, and actually show up for each other.

Interested in joining us?

Drop an “I’m in!” in the comments or send me a message so I have a rough idea of how many guys to expect.

And if you decide to come at the last minute, that's perfectly fine too. Just show up!

I've also created an Instagram page where I'll share updates, upcoming activities, and hopefully some photos as the group grows.

📸 Follow along on Instagram!

Looking forward to meeting some of you! 💪

I haven't been buying Lattin's cider because of the animal abuse. I just don't want to give them my money anymore. I realized as I was checking out at Schilter's Farm that they sell Lattin's cider gallons which leads me to believe the hot cider and apple cjder donuts I purchased prior are made from Lattin's cider. It wasn't mentioned on their website or food stands that I saw :/

Hello Oly community,

I am curious if anyone takes in strays or lost cats and has availability to take in 2? There are 2 cats on my boyfriend’s property who really need homes. Specifically I think they need time and space to adjust to indoors, and I unfortunately cannot take on more than the 1 kitty I have.

There is a tortoiseshell & an orange regularly (don’t have a photo), don’t see any others at the moment.

I don’t think the cats will do will at the animal shelter and it seriously sucks when a cat is put down cause it can’t handle the stress of that place, so for me it’s the last resort.

Thanks to anyone who took the time to read it.

Maybe like me you opened your mailbox recently to find a hit-piece mailer against Emily Clouse, paid for by the WA REALTORS PAC and some Realtors up in Tacoma.

In the mailer, they try to argue that they’re dumping tens of thousands of dollars into our local election because they deeply care about "affordability" and protecting "low-income home buyers" from Home Energy Scores.

It’s insulting how fake that is, really, how stupid do they think we are?

This is the same real estate lobby MLM that was just forced to pay out nearly $1.8 BILLION for price-fixing commissions and inflating costs on regular working families for decades. This translates to somewhere between $6-9k PER WA HOME SALE.

They aren't spending $54,000—nearly doubling what either candidate has raised on their own—out of the goodness of their hearts.

They are terrified of Home Energy Scores because it brings actual transparency to home buying.

My partner works in home repair, and we talk about this all the time. Right now, the system rewards sellers for putting cheap aesthetic polishes on a house (slapping on fresh paint, trendy fixtures, and cheap particle board cabinets) while completely ignoring massive structural and efficiency problems. They leave single-pane windows, failing HVACs, and zero insulation invisible.

The seller makes bank, the listing agent gets a max commission, and the deferred maintenance gets passed straight down to younger and lower-income buyers who were already stretched thin just to make a downpayment. Then, two months after moving in, those buyers get slapped with $500/month winter heating bills they can't afford, or find out that their house is unhealthy and they need to come up with tens of thousands of dollars for neccessary maintenance.

Home Energy Scores change the game because they force sellers to make energy efficiency clear up front. If a house has terrible insulation or an ancient heating system, a buyer can actually see that before making an offer (they won't see it during a walk-through). They can use that report to negotiate the price down or ask for seller credits to fix it.

That means houses needing big repairs get priced appropriately in the market. That’s amazing for buyers who have been priced out, but it means tempered home sale prices and slightly smaller commission checks for real estate agents.

When a corporate PAC drops nearly $60k to attack a local leader for supporting transparency, it's a gaurantee that the amount they stand to gain is much greater. Whose gain? The listing agents protecting their commission checks and sellers hiding deferred maintenance. Whose loss? Working families, young buyers trying to get into the market, our climate goals.

The last three nights (Thursday-Saturday) around 9:40-10:00pm I have been driving south on Old Hwy 99 by the airport. There are 2-3 white canopies set up that are well-lit, and it looks like food is being cooked and served. Thursday night I thought I saw a large skewer of meat. Does anyone know what this is? Just curious about what it might be!

*Olympia School Closures
*VOTE for Jamie (Keenan deVargas) for Washington 🤘

*Local Community Member / Dr. Emerson’s Independent Analysis —> showing the OSD School Board data is rushed / misrepresented / and not accounting for a lot of important context

OSD School Board Directory contact ALL SCHOOL BOARD DIRECTORS before vote on 11/12/26!

How we got here:
*Former Board Directors Darcy Huffman & Scott Cliffthorne helped push for the illegal school closure process last time
*Darcy was behind Renee’s run so Patrick still has a vote he can count on rather than the independent voice my wife (Britney Johnson / bright pink signs 🤘) was a candidate as well
*Darcy is aligned / deeply in with Olympia Indivisble & Thurston County Democrats
*The establishment all endorses each other including Representatives Marilyn Strickland & Beth Doglio who spoke at a board meeting in early October SUPPORTING Patrick Murphy’s move to close schools

***Correction, former Representative Laurie Dolan also spoke for closures; not Representative Marilyn Strickland**\*

We need to question these groups who are only obsessed with their own power, money, and influence over our community.

They are literally treating the Olympia community the same way the Federal Government / Trump Administration is treating everyone.

They are not what’s best for Olympia. Reach out to ALL SCHOOL BOARD directors and let them know closing schools based on cherry picked numbers and bad assumptions.

My life is good, but it doesn't feel that way.

I feel totally alone and have isolated myself from friends and family. Don't trust psychologists and there's no point in just going through life drugged up. I know I should get out of bed and be a productive member of society but I just have no motivation. I feel pathetic.

Walking in the forest helps, but even that feels like too much effort ATM. What tiny steps can I take to start feeling worthy? What options are there for men in Oly that are non-religious and not therapy?

Does anyone here know of any, or participate in any post divorce support groups? I (29F) continue to have a hard time after a year or so and would like to meet others in similar shoes. Looking for ways to get out of my funk, meet new people and make some friends.

Jay’s out on Harrison used to carry Smith Brothers butter but stopped a few months ago . It was really good and I have not found anything as good. Signing for delivery from Smiths seems a bit over kill for butter. So are there any stores that sell it?

My friend does not have a reddit account

"1 year old spayed heeler/shepherd/collie mix. Needs a big fenced in yard or a farm. Can be reactive but honestly needs more time love and training than can be given."

She's super sweet and energetic, and loves dearly. She loves standing up and "hugging" you and licking your face and is so sweet.

She needs to be rehomed because the current place they are in is not working with having her.

Rehome fee does apply

Some other people asked questions about why she needs to be rehomed or what she's reactive to:

The rental place is not working with her keeping the dog. When they first moved in, the anxiety was a lot, but she's mellowed out, and been a lot more workable and has even been receptive to further training. The landlord is still sticking to their position though.

She had anxiety, so most of her reactivity is based on that.

She reacts to new surroundings and bikes, people walking past sometimes and other dogs sometimes as well, but one can get her to sit and calm down in it.

She does well with other dogs, cats and kids, but may start herding small children if they start running too fast.

I have a bunch of stuff ranging from frozen vegetables to jalapeno poppers and some other things in my freezer, and I need to get rid of it today because I'm turning my freezer off to be able to clean it out and sell it.

If anybody wants to hit me up and I will happily let you take what you want from this freezer.

ASAP if possible.

Hi friends! I am looking for a few local bands to interview for a coffee/record lounge brand project, and I also hope to have their music on display.

I am a graphic design student developing a coffee and music shop brand inspired by Olympia and your music scene. I am creating a zine to feature these artists on display at my exhibition and I would love to send over a few interview questions to some local musicians. If anyone is interested or knows of any bands I should reach out to, please let me know! I’d be happy to share more details privately.

When I do eventually come and visit, hopefully I’ll be more prepared and knowledgeable as well :)

Edit: This will be on display in Pensacola, Florida, but despite being in the south, our music scene and history are actually quite similar! I know the locals here would love to learn about artists from your area.