Following are the proclamations issued by local governments within Thurston County during the month of June.
Pride Month
The City of Olympia issued its proclamation recognizing LGBTQIA2S+ Pride Month and Capital City Pride Weekend on June 2.
Capital City Pride celebrated its 35th anniversary this year, “continuing to uplift and empower our community, creating spaces that celebrate the joy, resilience, and unity of LGBTQIA2S+ people,” the city council states in the proclamation.
The three-day Pride celebration ran June 26 to 28.
Tumwater City Council issued its LGBTQIA2S+ Pride Month proclamation on June 2, officially declaring June Pride Month in the City of Tumwater.
Tumwater Equity Commission member Sarah Ellison, along with a friend of hers who recently moved to Tumwater, were on hand to accept the proclamation on behalf of the LGBTQ+ community.
Tumwater’s second annual Pride celebration was held June 20.
Thurston County issued its LGBTQ+ Pride Month proclamation on June 16, welcoming representatives from PFLAG Olympia, Stonewall Youth, Sound Mosaic and CHEER Tacoma to receive the proclamation
Lacey City Council also issued its LGBTQIA+ Pride Month proclamation on June 16. El Sánchez, executive director of Pizza Klatch, was on hand to accept the proclamation.
In the proclamation, the City of Lacey reaffirmed the city’s “unwavering commitment to protecting and uplifting LGBTQIA+ communities and standing resolutely against hate in all forms.”
Juneteenth
Olympia City Council on June 16 issued a proclamation recognizing Friday, June 19, as Juneteenth in the City of Olympia.
The federal holiday recognizes the end of slavery in the United States and commemorates June 19, 1865 — the date when 2,000 Black Union troops of the 25th Infantry arrived in Galveston Bay, Texas, and liberated 250,000 slaves.
The holiday was celebrated with events at Rebecca Howard Park in Olympia and the ASHHO Cultural Community Center in Tumwater.
America 250
Tumwater City Council on June 2 declared the year 2026 as America250 Year in Tumwater. On hand to accept the proclamation were members of both the George Rogers Clark Chapter of the National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution and the Sacajawea Chapter of the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution.
Both the SAR and DAR are nationwide, non-political affiliated and nonprofit service organizations made up of the ancestors of those who fought in the American Revolutionary War.
Lacey City Council on June 16 proclaimed June as America 250 Month. Shirley Stirling and Franida Maudsley, Daughters of the American Revolution, were on hand to accept the proclamation. Through the proclamation, the city council encouraged “all community members to commemorate this historic anniversary by exploring our nation’s history, participating in community events, and reflecting on the ideals of liberty, democracy, and service that continue to shape our country.”
National Family Reunification Month
Lacey City Council on June 2 issued a proclamation recognizing June as National Family Reunification Month.
Michael Rihtarich, Social Worker/Parent Representation Program, Office of Public Defense, accepted the proclamation.
The proclamation celebrated families who have been able to reunify, and those who are still involved in the reunification process.
Local families celebrated June 24 as Thurston County Reunification Day with a celebration at the Hands-On Children's Museum.
Safety Awareness Month
Thurston County on June 2 proclaimed June as Safety Awareness Month, an annual initiative to raise awareness about safety and promote safer behaviors and practices in the workplace, at home and on the road. This year marked the 30th anniversary of the initiative. Each week of June spotlighted a different safety topic: Continuous improvement, employee engagement, roadway safety, and well-being.
