Olywa Days of Change

A Ride on a Trustafarian Sailboat – By Joe Tougas

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I was just getting set up for some focused work with the One Shot sign paint, my paper pattern, and my brushes, all laid out on my workbench. Without warning, there was a series of taps on the shop door. It was not an aggressive banging like you would use to wake the occupants of a house on fire. It was more like the friendly beeping that Northwesterners use to greet friends while driving down the street. It was a “shave and a haircut” rhythm. I put down my brush and went to the door to see what was going on. It was my friend Trip, a happy-go-lucky guy who was a frequent visitor on that bustling section of 4th Avenue . . . “Listen bro, this is a once-in-a-lifetime event—a meteorological trifecta. The tide is just right for sailing out to Hope Island, going out in the morning and coming back in the afternoon. Wind speed and direction are perfect, and this sunshine, my god! . . .” 

Acres of Clams – By Joe Tougas

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The message of the song resonated with a sense of abundance and generosity that made an impression on young people . . . That sense of abundance was also captured by another phrase from Indigenous culture, popular with tour guides and waterfront developers: “When the tide goes out, the table is set.” You can imagine how that sentiment would be received by young people from back east or California ending up in Olympia and hearing stories of going down to the beach and coming back with a gunny sack full of  free seafood delicacies. 

The Sauna, the Goddess, and the Mushrooms – By Joe Tougas

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For several years in the ’70s, the folks at Cold Comfort hosted what they called a Harvest Festival . . . One of the highlights of each of these gatherings was firing up the sauna . . . “I was standing in the shadows, observing the scene as the cloud of smoke and steam began to dissipate and the circle of joyous celebrants around the altar began to reassemble. I saw the most amazing sight. One of the glorious bodies stepped into the candle-lit circle and stood for a moment lit by the sparks from the holy fire . . .”

A Fantasic Odyssey in Music – By Connie Bunyer

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I arrived in the spring [of 1981] and didn’t really have a plan, just hoped the universe would take care of me. I had my guitar and my flute, headed to Percival Landing, and put out a hat. usking was slow that time of year, but a wonderful woman came by and offered to let me play in her coffee shop for tips and snacks: first gig, Café Intermezzo.

Lu Hall Helped Others Step Forward – By Becky Liebman

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She was the most effective, least bossy woman I’d known. In my memory of her, she took up such little space and instead helped others step forward, which definitely included me in my formative years. In the scheme of things, her work was pedestrian. Her name is not widely known in Olympia. Yet, she quietly helped shepherd the Olympia Farmers Market from its inception through its first tumultuous decade.

Oly Activism in the 1980s – By Ron Jacobs

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The biggest protest I recall being involved in with CAAC and CISPES was in fall 1989, during an uptick in the war in El Salvador and after the Salvadoran military had killed six people at a Jesuit home there. Both priests and their housekeepers were brutally murdered. This news intensified the nature of the protest and increased our numbers in front of the federal building on Capitol Way . . . an Evergreen student and I “cased” the building a couple days beforehand, looking for appropriate offices and possible entrance points.

Jolene Unsoeld Tribute – Anna Schlecht

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Jolene slowly emerged above the water line in the world of politics, going from what she called, a “citizen meddler” to getting elected to the Washington State House of Representatives in 1984. Then in 1988, she was elected to become our congressional representative in the US Congress where her first act was signing on to what was then called a Gay Rights Bill. 

Remembering Tom Nogler: Organizer, Activist, Brother

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Thomas Wilson Nogler passed away while helping a friend clear brush. Tom was known to family and multitudes of friends as an involved, educated, tireless pillar of the radical progressive community. He was a constant figure on the streets and in meeting rooms, from City Hall to the Artesian Well at the Cop Watch station and on picket lines