Olympia Genealogical Society

Community Events

OGS Goes Virtual in Response to COVID-19

On March 11, 2020 in light of the growing concern about the spread of the COVID-19 virus, and in the interest of protecting the high-risk population we serve, the OGS Executive Committee cancelled face-to-face gatherings of the Society until such time as this threat has passed.
 
An ad hoc committee reviewed several available tools for virtual meetings in April and gained substantial experience with the May 9, 2020 Virtual Spring Seminar.
 
In late May, 2020 the OGS Board decided to conduct all OGS general meetings for the 2020-2021 program year virtually. OGS Board meetings also will be conducted virtually. This practice continues.
 
OGS will be using Zoom for its virtual meetings. Participants who have not used Zoom are encouraged to view the video "Joining a Zoom Call for the First Time" at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9isp3qPeQ0E. More recently OGS also has been using Google Meet for some of its meetings.
 

 
OGS hosts several different types of events. See the links in the main menu under "Community Events" to learn more about each type of event and the schedules for each:
  • General Membership Meetings -- OGS members normally meet the 2nd Thursday of the month, September through June, at 7:00 pm. Meetings are held at the Thurston County Courthouse, 2000 Lakeridge Dr SW (Olympia), Bldg 1, Room 152, unless noted otherwise. Non-member guests are welcome. The February meeting traditionally is a dinner meeting, but the 2021 dinner meeting has been postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the February 2021 meeting will be a regular meeting.
     
    Note: In Person General Membership Meetings are "on pause" due to the pandemic.
     
    All General Membership Meetings will be on the Zoom platform.  Use Link to Access meeting.
  • Drop-In Genealogy Help -- Are you wondering how to get started? Or if you've started, are you now wondering where to go next? Come to one of our DIG Help sessions; OGS members will be on hand to help you. These free informal sessions typically are offered twice a month on the 3rd Thursday and the 3rd Saturday from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm at the Olympia Timberland Library.
     
    Note: DIG Help sessions are "on pause" due to the pandemic. Watch this space for information on the resumption of these sessions.
     
  • Spring Seminar - This is OGS's premier event featuring one or more distinguished speakers for a full-day paid seminar. Registration in advance is required. This event has been held annually for many years (except 2006 and 2001). In 2020, the event scheduled for March 28 was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic and replaced by a virtual seminar held on May 9. It has continued to be held as a virtual event..
     
  • Beginners Workshop - This is a free beginning genealogy research class typically offered once a year. The class includes steps for research, places to gather information, and ways to document your family history.
           Note: Beginners Workshop is "on pause" due to the pandemic. Watch this space for information.
 
We look forward to seeing you at our events. If you need a ride to any of these events, please reach out to another member.
 
Also see REGIONAL EVENTS for information on selected regional and national genealogical events.