FROM WHAT WE CAN REMEMBER >>>

Last night was the annual Best of Olympia party hosted by everyone's favorite free alternative weekly, Weekly Volcano. And what a party it was. Held at the 4th Avenue Tavern, this year's event had many things working in its favor: the venue sports a kick ass music room, a laser show decorated the floor, $2 Oly beers, pool and arcade games, and there were lots of people enjoying themselves on a rain-free Olympia night.

It took an hour, but eventually the joint filled with award winners and partiers. Thanks to the Weekly Volcano's awesome Street Team, you couldn't walk past the 4th Ave Tav without noticing the hoopla.

Inside, it was the best of both worlds: A who's who of the Olympia music and arts scene pounded drinks and chatted in the main bar area, while Glass Elevator and Scott Taylor & the Fond Farewells rocked those in the music room.  In between bands, Olympia-raised Sean Peterson ran the raffle and tossed Olympia trivia into the crowd. Team Brotherhood Lounge took home the most trivia prizes.

Every half hour throughout the night, the 4th Ave Tav crew exited the music room with a towering stack on pint glasses.

Special thanks to musical director/sound engineer Ben Hawkes for lining up an awesome night of music. Glass Elevator tripped the light fantastic with an amazing, rockin' Floyd-like set. You could hear each talented musician. Scott Taylor and his Fond Farewell – the entire band dressed in white suits but individually-selected footwear - took the crowd to the other side of the '70s - the pop side. Besides worthy renditions of Michael Jackson, Hall & Oates and the Beach Boys, the band performed a brilliant version of Paul McCartney's "Maybe I'm Amazed" that packed an, well, amazing crescendo. A few couples made out during Scott Taylor's rendition of "Take the Long Way Home" by Supertramp.

A big thanks to the Best of Olympia 2012 winners who dropped by for their awards and the $2 Olys. The Weekly Volcano crew will distribute the remaining awards over the next few weeks.

We'll post the Best of Olympia 2012 issue on our website Monday. In the meantime, the issue is nestled inside the Weekly Volcano from Federal Way to Tumwater.

Below are a few shots from last night's party.

Thanks for the fun time Oly!