• Editor’s note: Popsmith Popper co-founder Tal Moore is a former Yelm-area resident (from Rainier).
• See these publications for recent stories on Popsmith: Business Wire, 2024 Oprah’s Favorite Things holiday gifts list, USA Today, Food & Wine, Oprah Daily in their special feature on small businesses, Wall Street Journal, Fortune.
• Retail stores: Williams Sonoma, Costco.com.
• Tal’s founder video

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How Oprah Winfrey Discovered The Popsmith Popper

Seattle company’s popcorn maker lands on Oprah’s Favorite Things 2024 List

Excerpt from Seattle Magazine:

You would think that Popsmith co-founders Tal Moore and Dave Strickland would be ecstatic as the holiday shopping season formally kicks off. After all, their young company’s product — a stainless-steel stovetop popcorn maker called the Popsmith Popper — was featured on Oprah’s Favorite Things 2024 list.

But — in a classic case of good problems to have — the resulting publicity has created an inventory shortage. Consumers can back-order the Popper, but it won’t arrive in time for the holidays.

—-

Sales were increasing even prior to the Oprah announcement. Williams-Sonoma began carrying the Popper online several months ago, with plans to eventually sell in stores. Costco also just signed on.

Moore and Strickland officially founded Seattle-based Popsmith in January 2021, but didn’t begin selling until the past year. Moore, a serial entrepreneur, previously founded e-commerce store Gumballs.com (selling machines and gumballs) before launching a company that sold popcorn and large cabinet-type popcorn machines typically seen in movie theaters. Strickland joined him about 13 years ago.

The pair ran several successful e-commerce businesses together, including one selling moisture wipes and another peddling chocolate, but their popcorn company — Franklin’s Popcorn — remained their true passion About five years ago the pair shed their other brands and began to focus on creating a sleek stovetop popper that could create “movie-theater popcorn.”

——

The pair say the Popper, with its sleek design and old-fashioned crank, creates a popcorn “experience.” It comes with pre-measured kits that include popping corn, seasoning and coconut oil. 

Click here to learn more about Popsmith.

Registration for the 2025 Military Banner Program is Now Open

Registration for the 2025 Military Banner Program is Now Open!

Excerpt from the City of Yelm Government via Facebook:

Register for your military banner here: https://lf.yelmwa.gov/Forms/MBanner.

Banner registrations received by December 10th will receive a complimentary digital certificate, perfect for gifting for the holidays, sent to the email address included in the registration form.

The City of Yelm Military Banner Program was designed to honor and recognize all military personnel. The banner signifies the City’s gratitude for their service and commitment to our nation and our community.

Banners will be displayed on light poles along sections of Yelm Avenue, Hwy 507, and Tahoma Blvd. Each banner will list the name of the honoree and their branch of service. Banners will be displayed from Armed Forces Day to Veterans Day. Banners can then be picked up at Yelm City Hall until the start of the next calendar year.

Yelm Public Services Department preparing for potential winter weather events

Excerpt from the NVN:

In preparation for potential inclement winter weather conditions, the City of Yelm’s Public Works Department is gearing up by adding an additional anti-ice truck and an updated map listing roads by priority for de-icing and snow removal.

Dean Norton, Yelm Public Service Department operations manager, briefed Yelm city councilors during a council meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 12, about what the winter weather preparation plan will look like this season. He said notably, the department has increased its number of anti-ice trucks from one to two. The department will also have a salt or sand truck and two plow trucks.

“We’re trying to beef that up a little bit to get some more roads done,” Norton said. “Not a lot is changing. We’re adding a little bit, but we still have the people to cover it and get it done. The plowing obviously will be done with 3 inches or more. We would like to be more proactive this year and put down anti-icer as we see a weather event coming. I know that’s a lot easier said than done, especially in Washington. We won’t be able to always put down the anti-icer before a weather event because of the rain and the wet pavement.”

Norton said liquid anti-icer will be placed on to roads by the city during dry conditions this winter, as rain will wash away the salt brine solution. …

Yelm’s Police Chief Rob Carlson added that the Yelm Police Department will continue business as normal, even if there’s winter weather storms. He said the department’s vehicles are all-terrain, and the department also has an additional four-wheel drive police cruiser.

Carlson said YPD has never had an issue with its cars working through snow and ice storms.

+ NVN Opinion: John Braun: It’s time to give thanks — and to restore our state

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This Thanksgiving Day message was first published here in 2009:

THANKSGIVING DAY has been an annual tradition in the United States since 1863 & became a federal holiday in 1941. President Lincoln issued this proclamation which set the precedent for America’s national day of Thanksgiving on October 3rd, 1863, which is as pertinent today as during the Civil War to heal our nation’s wounds:

By the President of the United States of America, Abraham Lincoln
A Proclamation.

The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature, that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever watchful providence of Almighty God. In the midst of a civil war of unequaled magnitude and severity, which has sometimes seemed to foreign States to invite and to provoke their aggression, peace has been preserved with all nations, order has been maintained, the laws have been respected and obeyed, and harmony has prevailed everywhere except in the theatre of military conflict; while that theatre has been greatly contracted by the advancing armies and navies of the Union. Needful diversions of wealth and of strength from the fields of peaceful industry to the national defence, have not arrested the plough, the shuttle or the ship; the axe has enlarged the borders of our settlements, and the mines, as well of iron and coal as of the precious metals, have yielded even more abundantly than heretofore.

Population has steadily increased, notwithstanding the waste that has been made in the camp, the siege and the battle-field; and the country, rejoicing in the consiousness of augmented strength and vigor, is permitted to expect continuance of years with large increase of freedom. No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy. It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and one voice by the whole American People.

I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to His tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquillity and Union.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Seal of the United States to be affixed.

Done at the City of Washington, this Third day of October, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, and of the Independence of the Unites States the Eighty-eighth.

By the President: Abraham Lincoln

William H. Seward,
Secretary of State
Read more

– America the Beautiful sung by Hillsdale College’s Choir (Michigan)
“Written by Katharine Lee Bates and composed by Samuel A. Ward, “America the Beautiful” is one of the most well-known and beloved American patriotic songs. The song celebrates the natural beauty and the “patriot dream” of the United States.

Hillsdale College is an independent institution of higher learning founded in 1844 by men and women “grateful to God for the inestimable blessings” resulting from civil and religious liberty and “believing that the diffusion of learning is essential to the perpetuity of these blessings.”
Click here for the video.

– America the Beautiful sung by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir
Click here

+ KING-5 TV News, NBC Seattle: Shopping local for holiday gifts could mean millions in added revenue in Washington state – SBA: Since 2010, the total reported U.S. spending at small businesses during the annual Small Business Saturday is an estimated $201 billion.

+ KIRO-7 TV News, CBS Seattle: Small businesses can capitalize on Small Business Saturday with some planning

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Save the date: November 30 is Small Business Saturday

SHOP SMALL, A SIMPLE ACT THAT ADDS UP

Excerpt from American Express:

Shop Small is our way of celebrating and supporting small businesses all year long. Back in 2010, American Express proudly founded Small Business Saturday^® as a way to encourage everyone to Shop Small during the holidays. Since then, Shop Small has grown into an ongoing initiative for Amex and a year-round movement everyone can get behind.

Shop Small^®
and Give Back

American Express is donating $1 for every purchase made using an eligible American Express^® Card at a qualifying U.S. small business on Small Business Saturday^®, Nov 30, to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation to support recovery efforts for small businesses impacted by Hurricanes Helene and Milton.*

Medication Disposal Now at Tim’s Pharmacy and Gift Shop in Yelm

Excerpt from Thurston Talk:

Exciting news! Yelm has a new medication disposal box and is celebrating with an event on November 30, 2024, from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. at Tim’s Pharmacy and Gift Shop. Tim’s Pharmacy and Gift Shop, a local business that has been serving the community over 100 years, houses the county’s newest medication disposal box.

On November 30, from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m., Tim’s will be hosting a medication disposal box celebration with free root beer floats, free medication locking bags, and information provided by local community partners. Come out and bring your expired or unwanted medications with you to dispose of them!

When you dispose of unwanted medications at a medication drop box you help protect our community and keep medications out of our local waterways. Safe disposal is free and easy! There are numerous locations in Thurston County where you can take unwanted medications. Many of these are located at pharmacies including all of the local Rite Aid and Safeway stores. You can find a location near you at the Thurston Medication Take Back website.

For medication that needs to remain at home, make a plan for safe storage. Safe storage of medications is essential. Securely storing your medication protects your loved ones (including pets) from misuse and poisonings. Consider these basic tips for medication storage:

• Keep medicine out of reach.
• Store medications in their original containers with caps on. •
• Pay attention to how the medicine is being used. Know how many pills you have.
• Avoid storing medicine in your bathroom, kitchen, purse, or other visible places. •
• Store in a locked location like a cabinet or drawer. If that isn’t convenient, consider using a lock box or bag.

Hospital Safety Grades now out

Excerpt from The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade:

A for Capital Medical Center

C for Providence St. Peter Hospital

Click here for the full report.

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+ The Olympian: New report shows the most unsafe hospitals in western WA. See if your hospital is listed

Yelm Historical Museum’s pop-up exhibit now open through December 7th

From City of Yelm Government on Facebook:

The Yelm Historical Museum is proud to announce a special pop-up exhibit now open at the Yelm Community Center! This temporary showcase offers a unique opportunity for visitors to explore Yelm’s rich history and vibrant heritage. The pop-up event will be available to the public Wednesday through Saturday from 12 to 4, now through December 7th.

Featuring curated artifacts, photographs, and stories from Yelm’s past, the exhibit highlights the people, events, and milestones that shaped the community. Whether you’re a lifelong resident or new to the area, the pop-up event provides an engaging way to connect with Yelm’s history.

Don’t miss your chance to take a step back in time and discover the incredible stories that define Yelm. Mark your calendars and invite your family and friends to this engaging historical experience!

• Editor’s note: Congratulations to Pizzeria La Gitana for adding such quality & jazz to the culture of Yelm!

Anniversary Pizza Parties at La Gitana Pizzerias Celebrating 13 and 14 Years

Excerpt from Thurston Talk:

Time flies when you are savoring pizza from La Gitana. It was 14 years ago when the first location opened in Yelm. The Olympia pizzeria opened a year later. You are invited to join the anniversary celebrations with pizza parties at both locations on December 2-4, 2024. When dining inside at either location you can enjoy a large pizza for 50% off! La Gitana was voted best pizza, the Gold Medal Winner, in the Best of South Sound for 2024. It is a testament to the quality and consistency that keeps regulars coming back for more.

The festivities are a thank you to everyone who has been a part of the La Gitana history.

“We exist because of the community,” emphasizes Marian Licxandru, manager and co-owner. “We’ve grown the business as the people we know have grown up. Students who used to do their homework in the restaurant are now working adults.”  

An added incentive for Olympia diners is that live jazz will be filling the air from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on all three evenings.

La Gitana’s Award-Winning Wood Fired Pizza

The pizzas created at La Gitana are made to order then cooked in a hot, wood fired oven. Flavors from this style oven cooking are unmatched by other methods. The wood imparts a unique flavor not replicated in a conventional oven. The cooking time is shorter, too, which creates a special caramelization of the ingredients that emphasizes its deep flavors. It also keeps the chefs on their toes. The range of tastes and flavors is enhanced by La Gitana’s use of organic ingredients. The flour comes from Europe, and many gluten-sensitive diners can eat meals here without difficulties.

Pizza, Pasta, Salads and More

If you find yourself in the mood for pasta instead of pizza, you’re still in luck. Pasta dishes are cooked when the order is received. The Italian noodles are made from organic or non-GMO flour and are always freshly boiled. …

Set your calendar for the anniversary celebrations a La Gitana. The 3-day pizza party offers 50% off your large pizza (dine in only and one per person per day). But you can come in each day! Reservations are suggested.

Happy Anniversary, La Gitana. We’re glad you are here.

Learn more about either location or order on-line at the Pizzeria La Gitana website. You can order through Grubhub or Uber Eats.

Pizzeria La Gitana
518 Capitol Way, Olympia
309 Yelm Avenue E, Yelm

Yelm nonprofit teaming up with local businesses for second annual toy drive

Excerpt from the NVN:

One Net Yelm, a nonprofit organization that aims to support causes in the greater Yelm area, is partnering with seven local businesses to spread joy this holiday season with its second annual toy drive from Nov. 12 through Dec. 6.

While the event has existed in some form in previous holiday seasons, One Net Yelm is focused on providing gifts to children specifically in Yelm, and the support from businesses is new this year. Toys can be delivered to one of the drop-off locations listed below and will be donated to Yelm Community Schools and Yelm Community Services to benefit local families.

Bliss Experience Salon,
35025 90th Ave. Suite 7, Roy

Country Financial, 6050 Pacific Ave. SE Suite F, Lacey

Dancing Needles Tattoo, 9144 Burnett Road SE A204, Yelm

Tad Stillwell Agency, 110 Prairie Park St. NE, Yelm

Yelm Senior Center, 16530 103rd Ave. SE, Yelm

Get Fit Yelm, 103 93rd Ave. SE, Yelm

J&I Power Equipment, 16510 106th Ave. SE, Yelm

Once toys are collected, the drive will culminate with a free movie showing of “Elf” at Yelm Cinemas on Saturday, Dec. 14, and One Net Yelm asks that attendees bring a new, unwrapped toy to donate to children in need for entry. Doors open at 9:15 a.m. with the movie starting at 10 a.m., and children in attendance will receive a free kids pack. The Knights of Columbus will also be in attendance with free coats for kids, made possible by their Coats for Kids Car Show in June. Buddy the Elf and Jovie will be in attendance, and Santa Claus will make a visit, as well. …

To learn more about the toy drive and the movie event, visit One Net Yelm’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/onenetyelm.