Here’s our weekly round-up of events from November 14 – 20 on Mercer Island:
Mercer Island Historical Society Meeting
Monday, November 14, 1 pm
Mercer Island Community & Events Center, 8236 SE 24th Street
Jim Lynch, author and journalist and MIHS graduate, class of 1980, will speak about growing up on the Island in the 60’s and 70’s. He will talk about how that led him to be an outdoor enthusiast, journalist, and novelist. His fourth novel “Before the Wind” was published in April. He will read and comment on the story of sailing, online dating and Einstein, and a funny, gifted and volatile Johannssen family. His other books are: “The Highest Tide”, “Border Songs” and “Truth Like the Sun”, all of which were performed on stage and won prizes. He now lives in Olympia.
Learn more >>
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 30 to 45-minute programs designed especially for you and your young child.
Tuesday, November 15
Young Toddlers (12 – 24 months) – 10:30 – 11:00 am
Toddlers (2 – 3 years) – 11:30 am – Noon
Storybook Corner
Wednesday, November 16, 10:30 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 >>
Play and Learn 
Wednesday, November 16, 10:30 am – Noon
Mercer Island Library, 4400 88th Ave SE
Have fun singing songs, telling stories, reading books, creating art and playing.
Wisdom Cafes: Gratitude – More Than Counting Blessings
Wednesday, November 16, 1 – 2:30 pm
Mercer Island Library, 4400 88th Ave SE
All the world’s spiritual traditions emphasize gratitude as a central practice. How does gratitude manifest in your life? Share your wisdom! These cafes provide an opportunity to converse and connect with others in discussions of universal topics. Come for one session or more in a facilitated small group conversation. Registration requested. Ages 50+.
Sing With Our Kids Free Felt Board Song Workshop
Wednesday, November 16, 6:30 – 8:30 pm
Mercer Island Library, 4400 88th Ave SE
For adults. Drop in anytime during this two-hour workshop and make a felt song kit for your child! You’ll make felt pieces for five popular songs, and a pizza box felt board for playing and singing on the go. Registration not required.
Mercer Island Mountain Bike Middle and High School Informational meeting
Wednesday, November 16, 7 pm
Mercer Island Country Club, 8700 SE 71st St, Mercer Island, WA
Looking for a fun late winter/spring sport for your middle or high school student, come check us out. All interested in being on the 2017 team, new riders and last season team members are asked to be present at the meeting. We encourage both parents and riders to attend together. If your are unable to make it but would like more information, contact Coach Heather at [email protected].
Learn more >>
Cookbook Book Club: Recipes by Ina Garten
Wednesday, November 16, 7 – 9 pm
Island Books, 3014 78th Ave SE
The Barefoot Contessa’s favorite holiday is Thanksgiving, so November is the perfect month to celebrate Ina Garten, the unflagging icon of home cooking and good living. Choose from any of her titles we have in stock and receive 20% off of your purchase of Garten’s newest, Cooking for Jeffrey, Garten’s 10th cookbook in honor of her husband of almost 50 years. In case you’re new to this popular recurring Island Books event, our Cookbook Book Club meets every other month to explore different cuisines and cookbooks and taste the dishes we’ve made. A festive potluck meal, in other words, and we’ll supply the drinks.
Learn more >>
Mercer Island Boys & Girls Club Business Breakfast with Mariners GM
Thursday, November 17, 7 am
PEAK, 4120 86th Ave SE
Jerry Dipoto, Seattle Mariners Executive Vice President and General Manager of Baseball Operations will be speaking at the MI Boys & Girls Club’s annual Business Breakfast. Join your neighbors in supporting the Boys & Girls Club at their single planned fundraiser.
We all know the club because many of us grew up there (before this beautiful new facility) or our children spend a lot of time there now. Whether it is the after school programs, athletics, middle school dances or any of the other services the organization provides. This is our chance to support the organization that does such a great job of supporting our community.
Whether you love baseball or the Mariners, you love the Boys & Girls Club organization or you just love our Mercer Island Community, I hope you’ll join us for a fun morning.
Learn more & register >>
Senior Thanksgiving Luncheon
Thursday, November 17, Noon
Mercer Island Community & Event Center, 8236 SE 24th Street
Join old and new friends at the Mercer Island Community & Event Center for our Annual Thanksgiving Lunch. We’ll have all your traditional favorites including roast turkey with all the trimmings. Registration is required by November 10! Transportation is available. Call (206) 275-7609 to reserve your spot and a ride.
Study Zone
Thursday, November 17, 4 – 6 pm
Mercer Island Library, 4400 88th Ave SE
Drop in during scheduled Study Zone hours for free help with homework and study skills. Proofreading help is also available. Volunteer tutors are trained by KCLS. Ask at the desk for location. Grades K-12.
Open Book Club: The Miracle Life of Edgar Mint by Brady Udall
Thursday, November 17, 7:30 pm
Island Books, 3014 78th Ave SE
“If I could tell you only one thing about my life it would be this: when I was seven years old the mailman ran over my head. As formative events go, nothing else comes close.”
With these words Edgar Mint, half-Apache and mostly orphaned, makes his unshakable claim on our attention. In the course of Brady Udall’s high-spirited, inexhaustibly inventive novel, Edgar survives not just this bizarre accident, but a hellish boarding school for Native American orphans, a well-meaning but wildly dysfunctional Mormon foster-family, and the loss of most of the illusions that are supposed to make life bearable. What persists is Edgar’s innate goodness, his belief in the redeeming power of language, and his determination to find and forgive the man who almost killed him. The Miracle Life of Edgar Mint is a miracle of storytelling, bursting with heartache and hilarity and inhabited by characters as outsized as the landscape of the American West. Island Book’s open book club meets the last Thursday of every month at 7:30pm, though this November meeting falls earlier because of Thanksgiving.
Learn more >>
Israeli TV Dinners: FAUDA
Thursday, November 17, 7:30 pm
Doors/Dinner | 7 p.m.
$25| $20 SJCC members, seniors, students, youth (prices include dinner)
Watch the first two episodes of Israel’s hottest TV drama and enjoy eating Middle Eastern food. You’ll be on the edge of your seat as we follow undercover IDF solders as they carry out anti-terror operations in this heart-pounding drama. Co-created by Middle East analyst Avi Issacharoff and former Israeli soldier Lior Raz, the series – called “authentic and honest” by Y-Net – draws on their in-depth experience to craft a brilliantly realized depictions of the conflict. Rated PG-13 (language, violence).
Learn more >>
Shabbat Unplugged
Saturday, November 19, 10 am – 2 pm
Pioneer Park, Island Crest Way and SE 68th Street
Join us as we celebrate Shabbat and engage in a tikkun olam (healing the world) project. We’re teaming up with Earth Corps to plant trees and shrubs in Pioneer Park. We’ll provide gloves, tools, and water, and give you a safety lesson before we begin. Wear long pants and long-sleeved shirt and sturdy, close-toed shoes – and be sure it’s clothing that can get dirty. Bring a water bottle and snacks. All ages welcome. Waivers needed for children under 14.
Learn more >>
Restoration / Planting Event
Saturday, November 19, 10 am – 2 pm
Pioneer Park, Island Crest Way and SE 68th Street
Each year, Mercer Island citizens donate hundreds of hours of their time to maintain the community’s parks and open spaces: picking up litter, planting trees, cutting down ivy, painting over graffiti, or repairing trails.
The Lyric Arts Ensemble
Saturday, November 19, 7 – 9 pm
Mercer Island Presbyterian Church, 3605 84th Ave SE
The Lyric Arts Ensemble, a 16-voice Choir and Chamber Orchestra, is excited to open the holiday season with a celebration of musical enlightenment and joy. Conducted by Kenneth De Jong, they are celebrating their 19th season with treasured musical favorites you know by composers you’ll love. The program features arrangements of both old and new sounds of the season.
Learn more >>
Mercer Island Farmers Market – Harvest Market
Sunday, November 20, 10 am – 3 pm
Town Center – SE 32nd Street at Mercerdale Park (between 77th and 78th Avenue SE)
It’s almost Thanksgiving and the holiday season is nearly upon us. You know what that means, Islanders . . . the Harvest Market is finally here! The MI Farmers Market is excited to present this special holiday market where you can shop for delicious, quality farm-fresh ingredients from your favorite vendors for your Thanksgiving table along with local arts and crafts.
Learn more >>
