Search Results for 'Shirley Stirling, of Lacey' | The JOLT News Organization, a 501(c)(3) Nonprofit

Scent of history: Working dogs assist in Tumwater cemetery discoveries

At precisely 8 a.m. on July 22, 2025, three skilled working dogs — Kili, Torr and Riley — from Cairn Canine Detection began their search at Tumwater’s historic Union ... more

By Shirley Stirling | 7/29/25 | 2 comments

A combination of photos shows a great sequoia, left, which is the largest tree in Olympia, at 31 feet 11 inches. At right is the biggest single trunk redwood.

Finding the big trees in Olympia

Last year, local nonprofit Restoring Earth Connection (REC), captured the city’s attention with masks through a student art exhibit on endangered ... more

By Shirley Stirling | 7/22/25 | 6 comments

John Dziedzic named Lacey Historian of the Year

“The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree!” Margie Wyllie quipped. Margie is the newsletter editor for the Lacey Historical Society ... more

By Shirley Stirling | 7/8/25 | 1 comment

Deborah Vinsel retires from TCMedia

Job well done, Deborah Vinsel! Thurston Community Media, in its 39th year, is a treasure to our community and this column gives kudos to both retiring CEO and Executive Director … more

By Shirley Stirling | 3/14/25 | 2 comments

JOLT writer Shirley Stirling and Olympia Film Society Executive Director Audrey Henley in front of Capitol Theater, Olympia, WA. January 2025.

Capitol Theater, 100-year-old 'picture palace' wins award

The historic Capitol Theater, an iconic landmark in the heart of Olympia, was built before movie houses had concession stands. Surprised? Up to the 1930s ... more

By Shirley Stirling | 2/14/25 | 5 comments

Olympia Press Building: Bringing the space alive!

Talk about good feedback. Todd Monohon, Olympic Rental & Landlord Services , 115 State Ave NE, has won two awards in two months. The first from the Thurston Chamber as 2024 Boss of the Year and … more

By Shirley Stirling | 1/17/25

The Steele house from an angle, showing a bay window and the credit union building in the background, as seen on Jan. 10, 2024.

The Steele House — a treasure in our city

Steele House, a treasure in our city Is there a graveyard for old gravestones? Some break, weather into illegibility, or, like the stone of my grandmother, Mary “Matie” Burse, are … more

By Shirley Stirling | 1/10/25 | 2 comments

Sexuality in early Thurston County the subject of History Talk on Dec. 12 in Lacey

When reached by phone, historian Deborah J. Ross quipped that her upcoming History Talk at Lacey City Hall on Thursday, Dec. 12, has been referred to as her "sex talk." Ahem! Her talk is … more

By Shirley Stirling | 12/6/24 | 3 comments

Clarence Moriwaki visits the Washington State Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall annually.

At the wall

“He died one day before my 14th birthday.” These words were spoken by Clarence Moriwaki at the Vietnam Wall in Olympia... more

By Shirley Stirling | 11/22/24 | 1 comment

Carol Riley chugging along on a tugboat in the 4th of July parade, Christmas in July, Tumwater, 2023.

Carol Riley, the Wizard of Olympia Harbor Days

Have you ever noticed how some things seem to unfold effortlessly, like magic? Well, that’s how Olympia Harbor Days in our historic downtown seems to have operated in recent years. This free … more

By Shirley Stirling | 11/15/24 | 4 comments

Witch Hazel and the true meaning of Halloween

Never ask which witch is Witch Hazel, because there is only one, and if you go to the right place (Olympia) at the right time (on the evening of October 31 st ), you might meet her, and, if you do, … more

By Shirley Stirling | 10/31/24 | 3 comments

A few members of the project team standing at the headstone of George & Isabella Bush: Shirley Stirling, Franida Maudsley, Mick Hersey, Lew Maudsley, Shannon Wells, Dick Moody, Art Dolan, Della Stenstrom, Jeanne Pittenger. George Bush and Michael Simmons were the fathers of Tumwater. The Olympia-area Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR), with the help of the "Sons" of the same group, sponsored the project. George Bush and Michael Simmons were the founders of Tumwater.

Renewing Tumwater's Union Pioneer Calvary Cemetery

Renewing the Union Pioneer Calvary Cemetery A short distance from the historic Davis-Meeker tree in Tumwater and on traditional lands of the Coast Salish people is one of only five cemeteries in … more

By Shirley Stirling | 10/25/24 | 3 comments

American Legion Band turns 100

Did you know that Olympia is home to the oldest state-level American Legion Band in the USA, which has won local and national awards, including over 40 trophies? It formed as an American Legion … more

By Shirley Stirling | 7/5/24 | 2 comments

Ann Olson (with microphone) and Alma Greenwood talk about the history of the Olympia Genealogical Society (OGS). May 18, 2024.

Olympia Genealogical Society, digging up ancestors for 50 years!

Would you like some free, in-person, and local help with a family tree? Whether you are looking to prove a familial link to Martin Luther King, find siblings you’ve never met, prove an ancestor … more

By Shirley Stirling | 6/28/24 | 4 comments

Ken Lyon poses with radio equipment during WWII.

The Radioman

“How many people remember where they were 80 years ago like it was yesterday? I do. I was on the deck of the USS Marblehead in Belfast Harbor! Our ship, one of 40 ships of several navies, … more

By Shirley Stirling | 6/10/24 | 7 comments

Wall of masks at Olympia's city hall, second floor. The Endangered Species Mask Project represents the collaborative work done between Restoring Earth Connections and 6th graders attending Thurgood Marshall Middle School. The 41 masks are on display on the second floor of Olympia’s City Hall. May 16, 2024.

Making connections thru making masks

Sixth graders complete an endangered species project The students of Autumn Stevick and Jennifer Metsler are not just passive learners, but active investigators, as evidenced in a recent … more

By Shirley Stirling | 5/24/24

Tumwater Historical Society (THA) board members and friends pictured at a Tenino event in 2011.

Team of four struggles to save local historical society in Tumwater – help them!

What is the big deal about cities having historical societies? Well, this writer favors historic preservation for all communities and associations to promote and preserve history for all. But it is … more

By Shirley Stirling | 5/10/24 | 3 comments

George Sharp (center) was named Economic Development Advocate of the Year Washington Economic Development Association, 2019. Shown on the right side of this photo is Michael Cade, executive director of the Thurston Economic Development Council.

If you’ve been to a major festival around here, you likely have George Sharp to thank for it

Happy and exciting community events enrich our lives, whether we are young, old, or in between! What we may not realize or even consider is how these events come about. They take creative minds, … more

By Shirley Stirling | 3/29/24

Don Trosper in costume with the Heritage Builder slide at the Daughters of the American Colonists presentation in Tumwater.

Say hi to Don Trosper

Don Trosper is retired, but he doesn’t know it! He works hard at his hobby, but I guess that it’s not really working, as he loves it. Don Trosper is a well-known personality in the local … more

By Shirley Stirling | 3/22/24 | 2 comments

President Julien Bancroft-Connors, Washington State Society Children of the American Colonists with drummer Jan Lemmer. of the Washington State SAR/DAR Fife and Drum Corps in Seattle. Julien holds a wreath from the Children of the American Colonists.

The American Revolution Experience here, for a limited time

The American Battlefield Trust and the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution have collaborated to create the American Revolution Experience. With a limited number of engagements, it is touring the US, through the end of 2025. more

By Shirley Stirling | 3/12/24 | 1 comment