This past weekend in Olympia was particularly special because it happened to be the annual Procession of the Species downtown. The procession is a community-run parade that snakes through downtown featuring floats that highlight different species of animals across the globe in honor of Earth Day. The parade was started in 1995 and has since earned national recognition – other cities and states have also started their own processions!

Octopus float!

All of the floats featured in the parade are handmade by members of the community. Most people spend the whole year working on their float in order to impress the crowds that gather to watch! A lot of different groups throughout Olympia will sign up to represent a different species each year. For instance, a former professor of mine and her percussion group always do an incredible show at the end; this year they were blue macaws. Even Evergreen programs will get involved – I have a friend who is in the acting intensive program and got to operate the huge red-eyed tree frog float in the parade this year!

The red-eyed tree frog float.

The Procession of the Species also happens during the same weekend as Arts Walk. This event is an opportunity for businesses to open their doors and host different artist from the community to vend their art. There’s also often different music shows going on throughout the weekend and lots of fun activities all over town. Every Arts Walk I seem to discover a new restaurant, store, or hangout spot!

Events like these in Olympia are always fun because the town is small enough that you always run into people you know while you’re wandering through the different streets seeing what there is to see, but it’s big enough that you can always expect to meet new people and discover places that you have never seen before.