Here’s our weekly round-up of events from December 12 – 18 on Mercer Island:
Sing With Our Kids Family Holiday Sing-Along
Monday, December 12, 6:30 – 7:30 pm
Mercer Island Library, 4400 88th Ave SE
Join Nancy Stewart, your friends, and neighbors as we celebrate the songs, stories, and traditions of the season. This event is in partnership with Nancy Stewart, Sing With Our Kids. No registration required.
YTN presents The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales!
December 9 – 18; Saturdays & Sundays, 2 pm.
Parish Hall Theatre at Emmanuel Episcopal Church, 4400 86th Ave SE, Mercer Island, WA 98040
Youth Theatre Northwest closes out the year with a unique and delightful performance. Our upcoming production brings magical and hilarious characters life from the Caldecott honored book The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales. This spirited production showcases the talents of our junior actors (ages 7-10) and aims to introduce the youngest audience members to the magic and creativity of live theatre.
Menorah Mania
Saturday, December 17, 5:30 – 7:30 pm
Stroum Jewish Community Center, 3801 East Mercer Way
Join us for our annual community-wide Hanukkah celebration! Make your own Hanukkah menorah to take home, decorate cookies, play a life-sized dreidel game. Plus, enjoy performances from the Klezmatics and a re-telling of the Hanukkah story from the local musicians of Shul of Rock. Food will be available for purchase from Napkin Friends, Delfino’s Chicago Pizza, and Street Donuts. Please also bring supplies to donate to our mitzvah project: care kits to deliver to the homeless. Thank you to our co-presenter The Jewish Day School of Metropolitan Seattle and additional sponsors Camp Solomon Schechter and Chabad Mercer Island.
Island Youth Ballet presents: “Excerpts from the Nutcracker”
Saturday, December 17, 7 pm | Sunday, December 18, 7 pm
Stroum Jewish Community Center, 3801 East Mercer Way
Island Youth’s Ballet “Excerpts from the Nutcracker” has become a cherished Mercer Island tradition and must-see for all who wish to experience the holiday magic of one of ballet’s most cherished classics. Whether this is a family tradition or you are experiencing it for the first time, this holiday offering will delight your spirit and imagination. Beautiful costumes, theatrical lighting and sets, and spirited dancing transport you to magical places where mice and soldiers battle, snowflakes dance, and a beautiful sugar plum fairy reigns.
CCMI Annual Christmas Choir Concert: A Christmas Journey
Saturday, December 18, 4 pm
Congregational Church on Mercer Island, 4545 Island Crest Way
The Congregational Church on Mercer Island invites you to its free, annual Christmas Choir Concert. This year’s concert, “A Christmas Journey,” consists of seasonal and sacred favorites, performed by the acclaimed CCMI Choir led by Choir Master Erich Parce. Complimentary light refreshment will be served after the concert. Please bring your families and friends and come join us to celebrate this joyous season. All invited, children to senior citizens, perfect for families. Cost: free.
The Klezmatics Concert
Sunday, December 18, 7:30 pm
6:30 pm happy hour (wine/beer/food for sale)
Stroum Jewish Community Center, 3801 East Mercer Way
For 30 years, the Klezmatics have raised the bar for Eastern European Jewish music, inspiring future generations, creating enduring hybrid work, and helping change the face of modern klezmer and Yiddish culture. Often called a “Jewish roots band,” the Klezmatics have led a popular revival of this ages-old, nearly forgotten art form. They have performed in more than 20 countries and released 12 albums to date, the latest, “Apikorism/Heretics,” just out. They won a Grammy in 2006 for a hybrid CD featuring Woody Guthrie lyrics. They have collaborated with such brilliant artists as violinist Itzhak Perlman, Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Tony Kushner, and Israeli vocal icon Chava Alberstein, plus many other prominent artists working within multiple genres. What better way to celebrate Hanukkah!
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ONGOING EVENTS
MIVAL Holiday Show
Open daily through December 16
Mercer Island Community & Event Center Gallery, 8236 SE 24th Street
The Mercer Island Visual Arts League’s annual holiday art show is now open and runs through Friday, December 16. The show is presented by the Mercer Island Arts Council in conjunction with the Mercer Island Parks and Recreation Department as well as MIVAL. Featured art includes painting, sculpture, jewelry, fabric art, cards, and other work of the talented MIVAL artists and is a wonderful place to shop for quality artwork and holiday gifts. This year’s juror is artist Virginia Paquette.
Lions’ Christmas Tree Sale
Currently on sale through Sunday, December 18 (Saturdays & Sundays, 10 am – 7 pm; Wednesdays – Fridays, 1 – 7 pm)
Farmers Insurance Parking Lot, 3003 77th Ave SE
Pick out the perfect Christmas Tree at the annual Lions’ Christmas Tree Sale. Wreaths and garlands also available for sale. Proceeds support Mercer Island Youth & Family Services, Mercer Island Boys & Girls Club, and other Mercer Island causes and charities.
