Window Seat Media named 2026 Ken Balsley Lacey Historian of the Year 

The Ken Balsley Lacey Historian of the Year Award has a new recipient. 

The Lacey Historical Commission named Window Seat Media its 2026 honoree during a Lacey City Council meeting on May 19. It was the first time in recent years the award went to a nonprofit, and the most nominated year the program has had  since it was founded in 2002.

Five nominations were submitted this year. Museum Curator Erin Quinn Valcho announced the milestone before the ceremony. 

Commission Chair Kevin Wyckoff said Window Seat Media exemplifies what the award was created to recognize. 

"The type of work that Window Seat Media is doing is so important to ensure that the voices of marginalized communities are heard and shared in a way that they want to be heard. I can't think of a better recipient for the Lacey Historian of the Year award," Wyckoff said. 

South Sound stories 

Window Seat Media is an Olympia-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit celebrating its 10th anniversary this year. The organization documents community stories often omitted from official records, working through live storytelling, theater, podcasts, exhibits and community conversations. 

In 2025, it served more than 530 adults and 175 youths through 26 in-person events, partnering with 11 organizations. 

Two of its ongoing projects have a presence in Lacey. 

The "Stories of Food, Food as Story" exhibit, curated by Window Seat Media, explores how communities communicate, remember and connect through food traditions.

The exhibit is on display at the Lacey Museum and Cultural Center, where participants are invited to document and share personal food histories through writing workshops and community reflection. 

A companion project, "Third Thirty,” documents reflections from South Sound elders on the 1960s and 1970s, featuring Lacey figures Dr. Thelma Jackson, Nat Jackson and Ed Zabel. That exhibit opens at the museum later in May and runs through August. 

"Pride Storytelling Project," the organization's current work, documents LGBTQIAA2S+ history of the South Sound through a cohort of community storytellers trained in oral history interviewing, in partnership with Capital City Pride. 

After two years of training and interview collection, with more than 20 oral histories on record, it goes public June 7 at Capitol Theater in Olympia. The event will feature panel discussions, musical performances and audio excerpts from the archive. 

Window Seat Media Founder and Director Elaine Vradenburgh accepted the award and credited the community members who made the work possible. 

"This award really belongs to all the people that we've worked with these past several years. Our archive highlights universal themes of resilience and faith, allies and mentors, family, community and belonging, and always striving for justice," Vradenburgh said. 

Window Seat Media serves communities throughout the South Sound region. More information on its projects is available here.