The year was 1984. The United States held the first Olympic marathon for women, and the trial was hosted right here in Olympia on May 12, 1984. Joan Benoit Samuelson was the winner of the race and went on to win a gold medal in the marathon in the Olympics that year. To commemorate the 35th Anniversary of this historic event, she will be here in Olympia on May 18 -19 at the 38th running of the Capitol City Marathon and participating in several of the weekend’s events.

Olympians for People-Oriented Places (O-POP) invites every member of our community to celebrate good design during the month of May. We’ll explore how it enlivens our environment and makes Olympia a more people-oriented place.

The Olympia Downtown Alliance has been designated as an accredited Main Street America™ program for meeting rigorous performance standards set by the National Main Street Center. Each year, the National Main Street Center and its partners announce the list of accredited Main Street America programs to recognize their exemplary commitment to preservation-based economic development and community revitalization through the Main Street Approach™.

The Olympia Downtown Alliance is seeking acoustic music for "Sidewalk Performances," on June, July and August Third Thursdays.  Performances are for 1 hour.  Start times vary from 5:00, 6:00 and 7:00 p.m. Performers will be paid $100 per person, per hour. 1- 3 performers max per group. This program sponsored by the City of Olympia, in partnership with the Olympia Downtown Alliance.    

Walking to work, The Olympia Farmers Market or one of Oly’s downtown restaurants’ many Happy Hour options are all things Andrea Tawes, Marketing Coordinator at The Rants Group, enjoys about living in the heart of downtown Olympia. Originally from Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Tawes has called downtown Olympia home for 10 years.