December 2023

Happenings

The last month was full of exciting developments at the Olympia Tumwater Foundation! Read on to learn more.

Have You Ever Seen the Rain?

There has been an incredible amount of rain this past month. Rain means high river water here in Tumwater Falls. Luckily, the rising level of the Deschutes River isn't anything new here in Brewery Park so we are well equipped to handle some tall swells. Winter flooding in Tumwater Falls is to be expected, so make sure you come prepared for slick and cold conditions along the lower parts of the walking loop which may be muddier than usual. A raging river sure makes for an exciting view!

Patrons of the Park: Steve & Brian

This month's Patron of the Park is Steve, a 3-year old Siberian Husky. His owner, Brian, adopted Steve from Olympia's Humane Society last October and they have been best buddies ever since. This handsome redhead was named after actor Steve McQueen for his similarly striking baby blue eyes. Brian and Steve are here in the park most days and enjoy walking the pedestrian loop down to Historic Park, as well as tailgating in the parking lot and meeting other park-goers and their canine companions! If you see Steve around Brewery Park make sure to say hi and give him a pet - he always has the most incredible fur from his regular blowouts from his doggy salon!

These original artworks are stored in our climate-controlled archives in the Schmidt House's basement.

Come Tour the Schmidt House!

The next tour of the Schmidt House is scheduled for December 19th at 11am-12:30pm. Join us for a guided tour of one of Tumwater’s most iconic homes, the Schmidt House, built in 1904 for Leopold Schmidt, founder of the Olympia Brewing Company and his family. Your Tour Guide will take you through four levels of the house from the basement (which houses our archives) to the top floor. Find yourself immersed in the rich history Tumwater has to offer. Doors will open at 10:45am. Please note: The first floor is ADA accessible, but the rest of the house requires climbing stairs.

Brewery Park at Tumwater Falls Closure Scheduled for Tuesday, December 19th

Brewery Park will be closed all day on Tuesday, December 19th for hazardous tree removal and seasonal maintenance. Please mark you calendars and plan accordingly! If you'd like to make a donation to our Brewery Park fund please click below! All contributions are used for maintenance and improvement projects.

Make sure you watch in full screen with your volume up!

Have You Seen This Incredible Video?

This month we shared a video from our Tumwater Falls video series on Facebook and it garnered over 157,000 views! This video flies you up the Deschutes River into Brewery Park, seeing incredible sights along the way. The video and all in its series were filmed and produced by RAPT Visuals, a local videography and media company. A special thank you to the City of Tumwater's LTAC program which sponsored this amazing project.

January's History Talk:

"The Old Olympia Brewery: The Non-Beer Years"

Held On January 4th

Join us each month for a free hour-long talk on social or natural history, each presented by a recognized expert. All talks will be at noon on a specified Thursday. First come first served until capacity is reached.

For January's History Talk presentation Schmidt House curator Karen Johnson will discuss the evolution and varied uses of the old Olympia brewery buildings at the base of the lower Tumwater Falls. From 1916 through 1964, the old brewery was not making beer. What other businesses existed on the site, and what buildings did they construct? Are any existing buildings original to the brewery? Karen will answer these questions, and debunk a few myths along the way. 

Our Early Learning Grant Awardees Have Been Announced!

OTF, in its efforts to increase and enhance educational programs in Thurston County, is dedicated to providing educators with funds to implement and administer learning opportunities that go beyond the basic available funding of the program.

Grants are offered to school districts, early childhood education programs, and K-3 curricula located in Thurston County to fund innovative, sustainable projects. Individual grants vary in size from around $300 to $2,500.

This year we awarded $10,000!

Thank you to all who participated in this years Early Learning Grant Program, and to our Early Learning Grant Committee for their dedicated time and effort! We feel very lucky to be able to give back to our community and its wonderful educators.

2023 Early Learning Grant Awardees & Programs:

Jennifer Williamson Forster, South Sound Reading Foundation - Celebrating Diversity in Books, Story Times, and Book Talks

Shanna Martin, Rainier Elementary - Kindergarten Fine Motor Skills Bins

Mary Stoffer, Saint Michael Parish School Early Learning Center - Pre-Kindergarten Playground Enhancement

Rebecca Rutzick, Hansen Elementary - Printing For All

Merideth Ehlers, Tumwater Hill Elementary - Visual Supports for Literacy Instruction

Marie Martin, Lydia Hawk Elementary - Kindergarten Book-A-Day

Lauren Smith, Peter G. Schmidt Elementary - Time to Regulate Our Bodies

Tiffahni Ellison, Olympia School District Multilingual Program - Multilingual Books for Multilingual Students

Krista Mikealson, Seven Oaks Elementary - Dramatic Play Themes

Kate Gurnsey, Rainier Elementary - Exploring Slope, Forces, Motion, and Energy with Marble Runs

Jo Foley Robles, McKenna Elementary - Increasing Selection of Nonfiction Books for our K-3 Students

Jennifer Knight, Lincoln Options Elementary

Jean Lamoreaux, Grand Mound Elementary - Maker Innovation Activities

Heather Alnes, Michael T. Simmons Elementary - Butterflies in the Classroom

Vanessa McManus, Eastside Cooperative Preschool - Teaching Self-Regulation Through Movement and Play

Denita Blount, Hansen Elementary - Calming Corner for Preschoolers

Beth Harvey MD, South Sound Pediatrics - Reach Out and Read

Emily Calhoun Petrie, Madison Elementary - How-to-Draw Books

Erin Holmquist, Gloria Dei Lutheran Preschool - Preschool Science

Nancy Hooper, Margaret McKenny Elementary - A Bridge From You to Me; We Share the Love to Read!!

The Schmidt House at Christmastime

In the 1940s and 50s, the Schmidt House living room was decorated with a Christmas tree (and LOTS of tinsel!) and a playhouse. No doubt, grandchildren of Peter and Clara Schmidt enjoyed their holidays here.