Here’s our weekly round-up of upcoming events from June 11 – 17 on Mercer Island:
Mercer Island Art Guide
Monday – Sunday, June 10 – June 16
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
“Spontaneous Sensitivity” – paintings by Barbara Bouman Jay & Scott Gibson
Suzanne Zahr / SZ Gallery
2441 76th Ave SE, Suite 160
“Tropic Iconic” – paintings by Kosta Kulundzic
MIVAL Gallery
Avellino Building 2836 78th Ave SE
“Abstractions” – a small format art show
Mercer Island Community & Event Center Gallery
8236 SE 24th Street
Photographs and paintings by Jan Viney, Annelle Hollingsworth, & Shawn Marie Johnson
Barrels
7605 SE 27th Street, Suite 107
Paintings by Bryan Friel
Covenant Shores Lighthouse Gallery
9150 Fortuna Drive
Artwork by Mercer Island students in grades 6th – 12th
Free Knotweed Workshop
Wednesday, June 12 6:30 – 8:30 pm
Mercer Island Community & Event Center, 8236 SE 24th Street
King County is holding free workshops about invasive knotweed and how to control it. Knotweed crowds out native vegetation, increases erosion, degrades water quality and hurts habitat for fish and wildlife. It can damage roads, pipes and building foundations. This class teaches why knotweed is so hard to control and what works well in different areas. Participants can also borrow stem injectors for free for their own knotweed control projects! Registration for this event is required.
Community Coffee Hour
Wednesday, June 12 & Friday, June 14, 9 – 10 am
Mercer Island Community & Event Center, 8236 SE 24th Street
Community Coffee Hour is offered every Wednesday and Friday. Stop by for a hot cup of jo’ and socialize with fellow community members in a fun and engaging atmostphere.
For more information, call MICEC at 206-275-7909 or email at [email protected]
Kaleidoscope Play & Learn
Wednesday, June 12, 10:30 am – Noon
Mercer Island Library, 4400 88th Ave SE
Bring your kids ages 5 and younger to enjoy stories, songs, rhymes, art, and play!
Storybook Corner
Wednesday, June 12, 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.
The Chamber Does Pilates at Club Pilates
Wednesday, June 12, 11 am – Noon
Club Pilates, 2601 76th Ave SE, #103
Learn about how Club Pilates can help you achieve your fitness goals. Receive exclusive Chamber of Commerce member discounts!
Wine Wednesday
Wednesday, June 12, 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.
Senior Summer Luau Lunch
Thursday, June 13, Noon
Mercer Island Community & Event Center, 8236 SE 24th Street
Join us for a luau lunch, games, music, & prizes. There will be a prize for best dressed!
For more information and to register, call 206-275-7689.
Osher at the J: How Amazon Gets You Stuff in Almost No Time
Thursday, June 13, Lunch at Noon | Speaker at 12:30pm
Stroum Jewish Community Center, 3801 East Mercer Way
How does Amazon get things to your door so quickly? Daniel Whitney explores the process, from robots and automation to logistics and management principles to the fulfillment center’s (FC) similarity to a Ford-like assembly line.
Tabletop Thursdays
Thursday, June 13, 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]
Leland Kimball Insurance – Ribbon Cutting
Thursday, June 13, 5 – 6:30 pm
Lelan Kimball Insurance, 74220 SE 24th Street, Suite 1
Please join the Chamber of Commerce in welcoming Leland Kimball Insurance to Mercer Island at an official ribbon cutting.
Deirdre Timmons, Author of Brain Candy
Thursday, June 13, 6 pm
Island Books, 3014 78th Ave SE
Join us for a reading and conversation with author and filmmaker and local Seattlite Deirdre Timmons about Brain Candy. Brain Candy is a memoir based on Deirdre’s experiences fighting an aggressive brain tumor, while caring for her mother with advanced Alzheimer’s, raising her teenage daughter, and helping her husband chase a new dream – opening a barbecue restaurant.
Community Point of Distribution and Well Operation Training
Friday, June 14, 11:30 am – 1 pm
Rotary Park, 4320 88th Ave SE
Please join us for an emergency preparedness class. This is a great opportunity to learn how to assist your neighbors in a disaster.
All Island Track Meet
Friday, June 14, 1 pm
Mercer Island High School Stadium, 9100 SE 42nd Street
Come out and cheer for your favorite school or athlete at the 49th Annual All Island Track Meet for 4th and 5th graders from Mercer Island elementary schools. Athletes from each school are chosen to compete in a variety of events including long jump, softball throw, shot put, 50-meter dash, 100-meter dash, 200-meter dash, 400-meter dash, and a co-ed relay.
For more information, call Boys & Girls Club at 206-436-1939 or email at [email protected].
Wine Tasting & Live Music
Friday, June 14, 4 – 8 pm
Barrels, 7605 Southeast 27th Street, Suite 107
Stop by for a wine tasting and listen to Blues and Jazz guitarists, Chris Stevens and Jack Cook, play some classics!
Restoration Event
Saturday, June 15
Gallagher Hill Open Space, 9611 SE 36th Street | Meet at City Hall Parking Lot
Homestead Park, 8100 SE 40th Street | Meet at Playground
Gallagher Hill is an 11 acre natural area that is part of Mercer Island’s open space system that includes 35 parks, 350 acres of open space and over 50 miles of trails. Volunteers recently worked to build a new trail through this open space that serves as an important connection between City Hall on SE 36th Street and residential areas along E Shorewood Drive. You can also help restore the forested areas of Homestead Park. While Homestead is host to ball fields and playgrounds it is also home to around 2.5 acres of urban forest in need of rescue from invasive weeds!
Super Sitters, Babysitting Course
Saturday, June 15, 9 am – 2 pm
Mercer Island Community & Event Center, 8236 SE 24th Street
This program is designed to train young people in basic babysitting and home-alone skills. Students completing this course will be better prepared to provide a safer and more positive child care experience.
First Annual Mercer Island Fitness Crawl
Saturday June 15, 2 – 4 pm
Event starts on the patio outside The Islander & Suzanne Zahr – 2441 76th Ave SE
We’re taking fitness on the road. This progressive workout event joins together Barre Rev, MI Athletic Club, Orangetheory Fitness and Yogabliss so you can experience all 4 facilities on one day. A specialized 20 minute instructor-guided workout will be featured at each location. Along the way you’ll breeze by Sano Cafe and enjoy a small bite and sample of their energizing juice. When it’s over, please join us for a beverage at Barrels Wine Bar. All proceeds support Mercer Island Parks & Recreation Scholarship Program. Currently this event is sold out, but put your name on the waitlist for information about future events.
Comedian Monica Piper: “Farmisht, Farklempt, and Farblungit”
Saturday, June 15, Happy Hour at 7 pm | Show at 8 pm
Stroum Jewish Community Center, 3801 East Mercer Way
Monica Piper, Emmy Award-winning comedy writer (“Rugrats,” “Mad About You,” “Roseanne”), actress (Off-Broadway’s “Not That Jewish”), and comedian, explores her Jewish roots and presents life in this honest and hilarious biographical blend of stand-up and storytelling. Audiences leave laughed out, a little teary-eyed, and happy to be Jewish … even those who aren’t.
Chocolate Class
Saturday, June 15, 7 – 9 pm
Oh! Chocolate, 2703 76th Ave SE
Oh! Chocolate hosts “Chocolate” classes at our Mercer Island chocolate shop for those who want to know more about their favorite indulgence and for those who just want to “play in the chocolate!” The classes usually last from 1.5 to 2 hours and includes the art of tempering chocolate and dipping special treats to take home. The class is $79 per person. Class sizes are limited and regularly sell out so please be sure to register in advance.
Father’s Day at Yogabliss
Sunday, June 16, all day
Yogabliss, 7803 SE 27th Street, # 174
Take your “Dad” to yoga day! This Father’s Day, anyone you consider a positive role model for masculinity in your life gets into class for free. Share your practice with an uncle, an older brother, a mentor, someone who has filled the role of a father in your life. If you are a Dad who already has a membership with us, bring a friend or family member to enjoy class with, on the house.
Farmers Market
Sunday, June 16, 10 am – 3 pm
Mercerdale Park, North End, 77th Ave SE & SE 32nd Street
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.
Dinner at Our House
Sunday, June 16, 5 pm
Stroum Jewish Community Center, 3801 East Mercer Way
Whisk, simmer, flip, bake, and blend as we cook a Sunday dinner in the SJCC kitchen for homeless teens. A great family activity to help make a difference for homeless teens. Dinners are delivered to YouthCare, a Seattle organization working to get homeless teens off the streets and prepared for life.
Youth Theatre Northwest’s Faculty Showcase
Sunday, June 16, 7 pm
Emmanual Episcopal Church, 4400 86th Ave SE
In this rare, once-a-season, performance event, Youth Theatre’s faculty and staff perform on the Mainstage. Witness artists and educators perform astounding feats of skill and foolishness — all to benefit YTN and its programs! If you are a Youth Theatre student and are planning to attend, you must repeat after us, “Do as we say, not as we do.”
Daytime Open Book Club: The Mars Room
Monday, June 17, 10:30 – 11:30 am
Island Books, 3014 78th Ave SE
In June, our Daytime Open Book Club will read and discuss The Mars Room by Rachel Kushner. It’s 2003 and Romy Hall, named after a German actress, is at the start of two consecutive life sentences at Stanville Women’s Correctional Facility, deep in California’s Central Valley. Outside is the world from which she has been severed: her young son, Jackson, and the San Francisco of her youth. Inside is a new reality: thousands of women hustling for the bare essentials needed to survive; the bluffing and pageantry and casual acts of violence by guards and prisoners alike; and the deadpan absurdities of institutional living, portrayed with great humor and precision.
Call for Entries for MIVAL’s 45th Annual Junior Art Show
Monday, June 17 – August 23rd
Wells Fargo, 3001 78th Ave SE
MIVAL is pleased to host the 45th Annual Junior Art Show in conjunction with the Mercer Island Branch of Wells Fargo Bank and the Mercer Island Community and Event Center. This art show is open to all students in Kindergarten – 12th Grade. Artwork will be accepted in two categories: Two-dimensional wall art (2D): Painting, Drawing, Photography, Digital Art, Collage, etc.; and Three-dimensional art (3D): Crafts, Jewelry, Sculpture, etc. There will be an awards ceremony and cash prizes! Art submissions are due June 17!
Talk Time
Monday, June 17, 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.
