Here’s our weekly round-up of events from July 17- 23 on Mercer Island:

Where’s Waldo? Community Event
July 1 – July 31
At participating locations on Mercer Island
It’s the 30th anniversary for the world’s best-loved missing person, Waldo, and Island Books (along with other Mercer Island merchants) are celebrating! Throughout the month of July, look for businesses on Mercer Island with the “Shop Local–Find Waldo” sticker on their windows. Hidden somewhere within them, you’ll find a hidden Waldo or his friend Wendy. Get your passport stamped for proof. Three stamps earns you a button and a discount coupon; a stamp from every participating business enters you in a drawing for the grand prize at the end of the month! Local institutions on the Waldo hunting trail include: Island Books, Mercer Island Chamber of Commerce, Banner Bank, Mercer Island Orthodontics, and Yogabliss.
Learn more >>

---

The X-STREAM Magic Show
Monday, July 17, 7 – 8 pm
Mercer Island Library, 4400 88th Ave SE

Jeff Evans presents an exciting kid-friendly activity for adventurous kids ages 5 and older. Want to dive with sharks, climb mountains or rappel off cliffs? Come on an adventure to learn more about scuba diving, rock climbing, and skydivers with magic tricks that will astonish you.

---

Movie Night at Island Books: Persuasion
Tuesday, July 18, 6:30 – 8 pm
Island Books, 3014 78th Ave SE

Island Books will be screening Persuasion, an adaptation of Jane Austen’s final novel, directed by Roger Mitchell and starring Amanda Root and Ciaran Hinds. It’s a classic Austen comedy, albeit more somber and mature than you might expect if you’ve only seen (or read) her earlier work. Rather than idealized first love, the theme is reunion and realistic expectations, as two lovers separated by time and circumstance must decide if they’re ready to start again.
Learn more >>

---

Community Coffee Hour
Wednesday, July 19 & Friday, July 21, 9 – 10 am
Mercer Island Community & Event Center, 8236 SE 24th Street

Join Mercer Island Parks & Recreation for Community Coffee Hour every Wednesday and Friday! This is a free program for kids, teens, adults, seniors, and families. Enjoy a hot cup of coffee in a fun and engaging atmosphere with people from the community.

For more information, call MICEC at 206-275-7909 or email at [email protected].

---

Storybook Corner
Wednesday, July 19, 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.
Learn more >>

---

Kaleidoscope Play & Learn
Wednesday, July 19, 10:30 am – Noon
Mercer Island Library, 4400 88th Ave SE

Have fun singing songs, telling stories, reading books, creating art, and playing. Kaleidoscope Play & Learn is in English. Ages 5 years and younger with caregiver. Sponsored by the Friends of the Mercer Island Library.

---

Congressman Adam Smith: Constituent Services Outreach
Wednesday, July 19, 11 am – 1 pm
Mercer Island Library, 4400 88th Ave SE

Congressman Adam Smith’s office will be hosting mobile office hours to make their services more convenient and accessible to you. His staff members are able to assist constituents with Federal Agency issues such as Social Security, Internal Revenue Service, and State Department. They can also provide housing and financial support resources and help with federal grants.

---

Create a Motorized Fan or Car Engineering Workshop
Wednesday, July 19, 1:30 – 3 pm
Mercer Island Library, 4400 88th Ave SE

Debbie Hansen, “The Science Lady,” presents a fun car-themed workshop for kids ages 10-14. Calling all car aficionados! Using a small motor, battery, switch, and wires, you can design and build a fan or car. Learn about current, switches, positive and negative terminals, and resistance. No registration required.

---

Free Advance Screening of The B-Side
Wednesday, July 19, 7 pm
SJCC, 3801 East Mercer Way

A look at the life and work of celebrated portrait photographer Elsa Dorfman, known for her large-format instant Polaroids and famous subjects, including Allen Ginsberg, Joni Mitchell, and Bob Dylan. Directed by Oscar winner Errol Morris (FOG OF WAR).
Learn more >>

---

Mother Goose on the Loose
Thursday, July 20, 10:30 – 11:30 am
Mercer Island Library, 4400 88th Ave SE

Mother Goose on the Loose is an award-winning, interactive literacy program for infants and toddlers and their caregiver. Enjoy rhymes, songs, and stories for the littlest members of the family. Free and no registration necessary.

---

Tabletop Thursdays
Thursday, July 20, 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].

---

Paddle with the J 
Thursday, July 20, 5:30 – 7:30 pm
SJCC, 3801 East Mercer Way

Meet at the Herzl waterfront (across the street from the J) to spend an evening on the water! We’ll get out the J’s kayaks, canoes, and paddle boards and enjoy some sunshine, get exercise, and meet new friends. Each trip is two hours. There will be a lifeguard on duty. This activity is $10 for SJCC members and $15 for guests.
Learn more >>

---

Shakespeare in the Park: Pericles 
July 20 – 23| Thursday – Saturday, 7 – 9 pm; Sunday, 2 pm
Luther Burbank Park, 2040 84th Ave SE

Seattle Shakespeare Company will be performing free shows in Luther Burbank Park, family-friendly and open to the public! Bring a blanket or a chair and come watch an all-ages friendly performance of Pericles. Prince Pericles romances maidens, gets chased from port to port, finds his true love, and then loses her and his infant daughter in the storm-tossed sea. With only the stars and his heart as a guide, Pericles charts one man’s epic lifetime voyage to reunite with the family he thought he had lost forever.
Learn more >>

---

Mostly Music in the Park 
Thursday, July 20, 7 – 8:30 pm
Mercerdale Park, 77th Avenue SE and SE 32nd Street

Mostly Music in the Park is Mercer Island Arts Council’s annual summer concert series.  Concerts feature various bands and artists from around the region performing a wide variety of music. This week’s featured artist is Good Co., an electric swing group! If you would like to support the concerts to ensure they continue, please consider making a donation.

---

Youth Theatre Northwest presents The Music Man Jr.
July 14 – 30
Thursdays, 11 am; Fridays & Saturdays, 7 pm; Sundays, 2 pm
MIHS Performing Arts Center, 9100 SE 42nd Street

Based on Meredith Willson’s six-time-Tony-Award-winning musical comedy, The Music Man Jr. features some of musical theater’s most iconic songs and a story filled with wit, warmth, and good old-fashioned romance.
Learn more >>

---

Movies at the Library: Zootopia
Friday, July 21, 1 – 3 pm
Mercer Island Library, 4400 88th Ave SE

Sponsored by the Friends of the Mercer Island Library, all ages are welcome to come watch Zootopia (PG). In a city of anthropomorphic animals, a rookie bunny cop and a cynical con artist fox must work together to uncover a conspiracy. No registration, but space is limited.

---

Healthy Kids Summer Saturdays: Colors of the Rainbow
Saturday, July 22, 10 – 11 am
New Seasons Market, 2755 77th Ave SE

Join the NSM store nutritionist in the deli seating area on Saturdays to learn about healthy food. This week, it’s all about the colors of the rainbow! Ages 5 – 12 yrs are welcome with their parents.
Learn more >>

---

Movies in the Park: The NeverEnding Story
Saturday, July 22, 8:30 – 10 pm
Mercerdale Park, 77th Ave SE & SE 32nd Street

Sponsored by Mercer Island FC, come watch FREE family movies on a giant inflatable screen in Mercerdale Park. This week’s movie is The NeverEnding Story. Please bring blankets, lawn chairs, and flashlights. Movies are cancelled during inclement weather, so please call the Mercer Island Community & Event Center at 206-275-7609 to confirm showings on bad weather days. Fun activities and crafts related to the movie will begin an hour before show time. Refreshments sold on site.
Learn more >> 

---

Mercer Island Farmers Market
Sunday, July 23, 10 am – 3 pm
Mercerdale Park, North End, 77th Ave SE & SE 32nd Street

Celebrating their 10th season, the Mercer Island Farmers Market is open every Sunday from June – October! Enjoy the sunshine and check out the freshest fruits and vegetables of the season, as well as locally-made food and drinks, artisan crafts, and fun activities for the whole family. Visit the website for weekly updates and special events.
Learn more >>

---

Shakespeare in the Park: Much Ado About Nothing
Sunday, July 23, 7 – 9 pm
Luther Burbank Park, 2040 84th Ave SE

Seattle Shakespeare Company will be performing free shows in Luther Burbank Park, open to the public! Bring a blanket or a chair and come watch an all-ages friendly performance of Much Ado About Nothing, Shakespeare’s screwball romantic comedy. Schemes are afoot to ruin everyone’s happiness through dire accusations — will love win out in the end?
Learn more >>