Your guide to life on
Mercer Island, WA
Brought to you by The Sirianni Group
Here’s our weekly round-up of events from May 28 – June 3 on Mercer Island:
Community Coffee Hour
Wednesday, May 28 & Friday, June 1, 9 – 10 am
Mercer Island Community & Event Center, 8236 SE 24th St
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, May 30, 10:30 – 11 am
Island Books, 3014 78th Ave SE
Bring your little ones in to enjoy popular picture books read by Island Books’ staff or special guests.
Kaleidoscope Play & Learn
Wednesday, May 30, 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.
Wine Wednesdays @ Caruccio’s
Wednesday, May 30, 5 – 9 pm
Caruccio’s, 2441 76th Ave SE, Suite 100
Purchase your wine by the glass from a rotating selection of wines. Each glass includes delicious appetizers served buffet-style. No need to purchase tickets for Wine Wednesday.
Lunchtime Lessons with Rose Rodda
Thursday, May 31, 11:30 am – 1 pm
Caruccio’s, 2441 76th Ave SE, Suite 100
This week’s Lunchtime Lesson is how to make an oil-free baked falafel burger with creamy lemon dill sauce. Come enjoy learning how to prepare this great lunch and dinner idea from Rose Rodda, who specialized in healthy, plant-based foods.
Senior Luncheon: Luau & Beach Party
Thursday, May 31, Noon
Mercer Island Community & Event Center, 8236 SE 24th St
Kick off the summer with our Luau and Beach Party lunch. Prizes for best dressed! Music, great food, and a game or two! Registration required and transportation is available. Call 206-275-7609 to register by credit card over the phone, or come in person to the front counter.
Tabletop Thursdays
Thursday, May 31, 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]
Open Book Club: The Mothers by Brit Bennett
Thursday, May 31, 7:30 – 9 pm
Island Books, 3014 78th Ave SE
In May, our Open Book Club will read and discuss The Mothers by Brit Bennett. Set within a contemporary black community in Southern California, Brit Bennett’s first novel is an emotionally perceptive story about community, love, and ambition. Island Book’s open book club meets the last Thursday of every month. A staff facilitator chooses both fiction and nonfiction titles. All are welcome to attend, and if you purchase your book in the store, you’ll get a 10% discount.
First Friday Art Walk
Friday, June 1
Come out for Mercer Island’s First Friday Art Walk. Art galleries on Mercer Island will be hosting their art walk events on the first Friday of the month (and some have free wine!). Clarke + Clarke and SZ Gallery will be participating.
Clarke + Clarke Art + Artifacts
Hours: 5 – 8 pm
7605 SE 27th St, Suite 105
Suzanne Zahr / SZ Gallery
Hours: 5 – 8 pm
2441 76th Ave SE, Suite 160
“Impressionism Meets Abstract Meets Artifact”
Friday, June 1, 5 – 8 pm
Clarke & Clarke Art + Artifacts, 7605 SE 27th St, Suite 105
Stop by on First Friday Art Walk for an opportunity to view selected abstract works by Karen Dedrickson, Sumi-e, Valaree Cox, Encaustics, and Sharon Carr, Oil & Cold wax, and a preview of their new artist to the gallery, Christine Hella Cott, an Impressionist Painter. Enjoy beautiful works of art, bon-bons, and bubbly.
“Vanitas” – Opening Reception
Friday, June 1, 5 – 8 pm
Suzanne Zahr Gallery, 2441 76th Ave SE, Suite 160
SZ Gallery will be featuring figurative oil paintings by Erin Milan in an exhibit called “Vanitas.” This series of paintings is titled after the Vanitas paintings by Dutch artists from the 17th Century, which contrasted luscious displays of food with symbols of death and decay, such as a rotting piece of fruit, a fly, or a skull. Each piece is a meditation on nourishment, desire, and the inevitability of loss. *Please note: Paintings include female nudity.* There will be complimentary refreshments and seasonal bites.
National Trails Day & First Day of Letterboxing
Saturday, June 2, 10 am – Noon
Pioneer Park, Island Crest Way & 68th Street
Celebrate the trails of Pioneer Park while hunting for hints and clues! Pick up your letterbox book, make a stamp, and start hunting. Pioneer Park has 6.6 miles of trails for hiking, running and walking. Come outside and play! Meet at the NW quadrant along 68th (across from Starbucks).
PJ Story Time with Nancy Stewart
Saturday, June 2, 6 – 6:30 pm
Island Books, 3014 78th Ave SE
This month’s storyteller is Mercer Island’s own superstar children’s performer, Nancy Stewart. Come and read some books, sing some songs, and do a little dancing. Geared especially for children ages 3 and up; refreshments will be served.
Zion80 in Concert
Sunday, June 3, 6:30 pm happy hour (cash bar) | 7:30 pm show
SJCC, 3801 East Mercer Way
Zion80 explores Jewish music – from Shlomo Carlebach to John Zorn – through the lens of the Afrobeat funkmaster Fela Anikulapo Kuti. The band arranges Jewish melodies to blazing hot, polyrhythmic grooves, blended with the madness of the Downtown scene. Spiritual, grooving, and endlessly exciting, this is essential Jewish music for the 21st century.
Mercer Island Farmers Market – Opening Day!
Sunday, June 3, 10 am – 3 pm
Mercerdale Park, North End, 77th Ave SE & SE 32nd Street
First Market of the season! The Mercer Island Farmers Market is open every Sunday from June – October. Say hello to your favorite vendors and kick the season off with us. There will be live music by the Silk Road Quartet from 11am – 2 pm. 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.
Native Plant Garden Summer Showcase
Sunday, June 3, 10 am – 3 pm
Mercerdale Park Native Plant Garden, 3009 77th Ave SE
Come explore the results of restoration and replanting efforts in the Mercerdale Park Native Plant Garden (over 500 volunteer hours with City support). Guides will be available to introduce visitors to native plants. Watch for the resident Anna’s hummingbird. There will be bird stickers for kids and a free raffle for a handmade cedar birdhouse. Buy lunch at the Farmers Market then enjoy it on a shaded garden bench. There will be a tour especially for children and families at 1 pm led by junior naturalists. Meet at the Native Plant Garden sign in Mercerdale Park. Visit the link for more information or email [email protected].
Brought to you by The Sirianni Group