Here’s our weekly round-up of upcoming events from April 9 – 15 on Mercer Island:
Story Times at the Library
Mercer Island Library, 4400 88th Ave SE
Join the Mercer Island Children’s Librarian for stories, songs, rhymes, and fun in these programs designed especially for you and your young child.
Tuesday, April 9
Young Toddlers (12 – 24 months) – 10:30 – 11 am
Toddlers (ages 2 – 3) – 11:30 am – Noon
Wednesday, April 10
Play & Learn (ages 5 and younger) – 10:30 am – Noon
Thursday, April 11
Infants (0 – 12 months) – 10:30 – 11 am
Preschoolers (3 – 6 years) – 1 – 1:30 pm
Spring Break J Camp
Monday, April 8 – Friday, April 12, 9 am – 4 pm
Stroum Jewish Community Center, 3801 E Mercer Way
Kef means fun in Hebrew and just like J Camp in the summer we will have active group games, do creative art projects, celebrate with song and swim. There will be a few special guests and one field trip per full week of camp! Spring Break camp is for kids in grades Kindergarten – 5th Grade.
Open House
Monday, April 8 – Friday, April 12, 8 am – 5 pm
Bright Horizons, 9555 SE 36th Street
Come see for yourself why Bright Horizons at Mercer Island is the perfect place for your preschooler to learn, explore, and get ready for school! Explore our preschool classrooms and see our Signature Practices in action, learn more about our play-based approach to curriculum and learning, and meet our engaging preschool teachers. Learn about the many ways we can support your family and make you and your child feel at home.
Mercer Island Art Guide
Monday – Sunday, April 8 – 14
Stop by and check out the art currently on display at the art galleries around Mercer Island!
Clarke & Clarke Art + Artifacts
7605 SE 27th St, Suite 105
“Poetic Embellishment” – paper vessels by Nobel Golden & paintings by Agnes Lee
Suzanne Zahr / SZ Gallery
2441 76th Ave SE, Suite 160
“AfroFuturism” – photography
MIVAL Gallery Avellino Building
2836 78th Ave SE
“Treasures in Miniature” – a small format art show
Mercer Island Community & Event Center Gallery
8236 SE 24th Street
“Mercer Island in Focus” – photography by local photographers
National Volunteer Week
Wednesday, April 10 & Friday, April 12, 9 – 10 am
Mercer Island Community & Event Center, 8236 SE 24th Street
The Mercer Island Parks & Recreation Department is celebrating National Volunteer Week! They would like to thank all the people who offer their time and service to our community by volunteering with the Parks & Recreation Department. In 2018 there were approximately 9,500 Parks & Recreation volunteer hours recorded! That is equivalent to $230,000 saved by volunteer work! If you volunteer in any capacity, please visit the Community & Event Center on April 10 & 12 during Community Coffee Hour to pick up a special thank you treat! For volunteer opportunities, contact [email protected].
For more information, call MICEC at 206-275-7909 or email at [email protected]
Storybook Corner
Wednesday, April 10, 10:30 – 11 am
Island Books, 3014 78th Ave SE
Bring your little ones in to enjoy popular picture books read by our staff or special guests.
Wine Wednesday
Wednesday, April 10, 5 – 9 pm
Caruccio’s, 2441 76th Ave SE, Suite 100
Stop by for the community-inspired Wine Wednesday. When you purchase your wine by the glass or bottle from our rotating selection of wines, you may enjoy an aperitivo-style buffet on our 21 foot curved countertop.
Lenten Community Service Project
Wednesday, April 10, 6:15 pm
Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, 8501 SE 40th Street
Looking for more ways to get involved and give back to the community? Join us each Wednesday during the season of Lent for our Lenten community service projects. All ages welcome! This week we will have a Lent Soup Supper and an Emergency Feeding service project. Please RSVP by email to Melissa.
Tabletop Thursdays
Thursday, April 11, 4 – 7 pm
Mercer Island Community & Event Center, 8236 SE 24th Street
Drop by for an afternoon of board games, video games, playing pool or ping-pong, and hanging out. There’s a huge selection of games, and the staff is always up to taking on a new competitor. Games include: Codenames, Mission Red Planet, Settlers of Catan, Carcassonne, Ticket to Ride, Connect 4, Monopoly, and more. Free for ages 7 – 14.
For more information, call MICEC at 206-275-7909 or email at [email protected]
Poetry + Wine with Poet Heidi Seaborn
Thursday, April 11, 5 – 6:30 pm
Barrels Wine Bar, 7605 SE 27th Street, Suite 107
Join Island Books and Barrels Wine Bar for a poetry night celebrating local author Heidi Seaborn’s new poetry release, Give a Girl Chaos (and see what she can do). Heidi will be reading poems from her new collection and answering questions from the audience.
Wine Tasting & Live Music
Friday, April 12, 4 – 8 pm
Barrels Wine Bar, 7605 SE 27th Street, Suite 107
There will be a wine tasting with Tranche and Secret Squirrel wines from 4 – 6 pm. There may even be a Corliss wine at the event as well! Come and find out what connects all these great wines. As the wine tasting ends, we will have live music with Blues and Jazz guitarists Chris Stevens and Jack Cook from 6 – 8 pm.
Happy Hour, Art Show, & Art Sale
Friday, April 12, 5:30 – 7:30 pm
Aljoya, 2430 76th Ave SE
This delightful exhibition features work from the Guild of Natural Science Illustrators Northwest and guest botanical artists. Their fine art work details the beauty of the natural world, combining imagery with scientific accuracy and artistic integrity. Enjoy complimentary wine and appetizers and groove to the tunes of our musical guests, The Side Project.
For more information, call Aljoya at 206-219-6743.
Restoration Event
Saturday, April 13, 10 am – 2 pm
Mercerdale Hillside Park, 3009 77th Ave SE
Meet at: Corner of 76th Ave SE & SE 37th Place
Mercer Island is graced with 35 parks, over 300 acres of natural areas, and more than 50 miles of trails. Popular among joggers, walkers, and families, Mercerdale Hillside provides an urban open space experience for residents of all ages. However, the natural area has become over-run with non-native ivy, laurel and holly which threaten its ecological diversity. Volunteers will be crucial to the restoration of this local forest by returning over the next few years to remove invasive plants, plant native conifers, and support the growth of these young trees. Through these persistent and targeted efforts by volunteers, Mercerdale Hillside will be become, once more, an ecologically diverse forest.
Women’s Self Defense Class with Z Ultimate MI
Saturday, April 13, 1 – 2 pm
Mercer Island Library, 4400 88th Ave SE
Ages 16+, join instructors from Z Ultimate Mercer Island to learn real-world techniques and strategies to develop awareness and keep yourself safe. Please register.
Russian Preludes & Paintings
Saturday, April 13, 7 pm
Mercer Island Presbyterian Church, 3605 84th Ave SE
This event will spotlight brilliant young Northwest pianists, performing great Russian preludes by Scriabin, Rachmaninoff, Prokofiev and Shostakovich, and accompanied by original paintings of Eugene Zolotsev! Tickets for Adults – $20, Seniors – $10, Kids up to 18 – Free.
Workshop with Rabbi Elana Zaiman
Sunday, April 14, 3 – 4 pm
Island Books, 3014 78th Ave SE
Join us to hear Rabbi Elana Zaiman, author of The Forever Letter, talk about the power of writing letters. She invites us to get inspired and craft words from the heart by going beyond a simple signature in a card. This talk will be Mother’s Day themed, with prompts to think more deeply about moms or someone you love. All are welcome. Feel free to bring a notebook; pens and paper will be provided!
Sephardic Passover Table Cooking Class
Sunday, April 14, 2 pm
Stroum Jewish Community Center, 3801 E Mercer Way
Since Rachel Almeleh was a little girl, she has been cooking the recipes passed on through generations of her ancestors. From the Passover section of her cookbook, A Legacy of Sephardic, Mediterranean, and American Recipes, Rachel will share nurturing, delicious, traditional, and revived recipes from her Sephardic family, immigrants from the Isle of Rhodes. Learn how to bake traditional Sephardic dishes to get you through the Passover week, such as quishadu de espinaca (baked spinach and cheese frittatas), huevos haminados (flavored slow-cooked eggs), and masa de vino (wine cookies).
Daytime Open Book Club: Hotel Du Lac by Anita Brookner
Monday, April 15, 10:30 – 11:30 am
Island Books, 3014 78th Ave SE
In April, our Daytime Open Book Club will read and discuss Hotel Du Lac by Anita Brookner. In the novel that won her the Booker Prize and established her international reputation, Anita Brookner finds a new vocabulary for framing the eternal question “Why love?” All are welcome to attend, and if you purchase your book in the store you’ll get a 10% discount.
Talk Time
Monday, April 15, 1 – 2:30 pm
Mercer Island Library, 4400 88th Ave SE
Improve your speaking and listening skills in this conversation group for English language learners. Walk-ins welcome.
Mixed Media Art Studio with Genny Rees
Monday, April 15, 1 – 4 pm
Mercer Island Community & Event Center, 8236 SE 24th Street
Bring your own supplies, and join other artists in a bright, lakeview room to work on your art! MIVAL’s own Genny Rees facilitates this non-instructional, weekly studio at the Community Center. Meet other creators, and connect over your love for art. Please use non-toxic materials. $10 Drop in fee.
Register at www.MIRecConnect.com or 206.275.7609.
Dance Classes: Waltz & Latin
Monday, April 15, 7:30 – 8:30 pm | 8:35 – 9:35 pm
Stroum Jewish Community Center, 3801 E Mercer Way
Join world-class dance teacher Ari Levitt for a beginner dance series this winter. No partner needed! Learn to effortlessly glide across the floor with cross-step waltz and fun patterns like shadow waltzing in “Intro to Shadow Waltzing.” Stay for “A Fun Swing Sampler” and learn Lindy hop, east coast swing, shag, and more!
