Your guide to life on
Mercer Island, WA
Brought to you by The Sirianni Group
Here’s our weekly round-up of events from October 16 – 22 on Mercer Island:
Fall 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-minute programs designed especially for you and your young child.
Tuesday October 17
Young Toddlers (12 – 24 months) – 10:30 – 11 am
Toddlers (2 – 3 years) – 11:30 am – Noon
Thursday October 19
Infants (0 – 12 months) – 10:30 – 11 am
Preschoolers (3 – 6 years) – 1 – 1:30 pm
Fall Concert: Mercer Island Orchestra Program
Tuesday, October 17, 7 – 8:30 pm
MIHS Performing Arts Center, 9100 SE 42nd Street
The Mercer Island Orchestra Program serves over 230 students from grades 5th through 12th. Come support local student musicians! This event is open to all. Free admission.
Pros and Cons of Community Colleges: The Last College Bargain
Tuesday, October 17, 7 pm
Mercer Island Library, 4400 88th Ave SE
Dr. Jonathan Brown has worked for both four-year universities and community colleges. He uses history and current data to challenge the societal myths about community college. Come to this workshop to learn all about the pros and cons to community college! This event is co-sponsored by MI ParentEdge and the KCLS “Life After High School” series.
Community Coffee Hour
Wednesday, October 18 & Friday, October 20, 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, October 18, 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, October 18, 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.
Sing With Our Grandkids!
Wednesday, October 18, 6:30 – 8:00pm
Mercer Island Library, 4400 88th Ave SE
Whether your grandchildren live across the street or across the globe, the relationship you build with them in the first years will last a lifetime. Come and learn how simply singing with your grandchildren helps build reading readiness (and so much more) from birth! Remember your favorite songs, learn about brain development, early literacy, and how to use technology to stay connected. Sponsored by KCLS and Sing With Our Kids. Presented by Nancy Stewart. No registration necessary.
John Clauson, Author of Missileman
Wednesday, October 18, 6:30 – 8 pm
Island Books, 3014 78th Ave SE
John Clauson grew up believing he was the son of an IBM salesman when actually he was the son of a math savant who worked with the Department of Defense on their missile program during the Cold War. Missileman is the true account of how Wallace Clauson kept his real work hidden from his family and his neighbors for fifty years. It’s a story of intrigue and wonder and discovery as son John Clauson reveals how his father, a stealth government agent working against the Russians during the Cold War, somehow managed to maintain a double life and keep his family safe and sheltered from the many dangers inherent in his secret life as a missileman.
Learn more >>
German Jewish Cooking Class
Wednesday, October 18, 7 – 9 pm
SJCC, 3801 East Mercer Way
Not just your bubbe’s apple strudel! Make a traditional meal of hand-grated potato dumplings, slaw, and krokerle (spiced hazelnut chocolate cookies). Taught by Gabrielle Rossmer Gropman and Sonya Gropman, mother-daughter co-authors of The German-Jewish Cookbook: Recipes & History of a Cuisine. Cookbooks will be available for purchase. Tickets available for purchase online.
Learn more >>
Tabletop Thursdays
Thursday, October 19, 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].
Jumpstart Your Health in 4 Easy Steps with a NSM Nutritionist
Thursday, October 19, 6 – 7 pm
New Seasons Market, 2755 77th Avenue Southeast
We’ve come up with a simple, four-step plan to help you eat better and feel great. Join a New Seasons Market Nutritionist for a store tour focused on the foundational concepts and tools you need to develop new healthy eating habits. This event is free, but registration is required.
Learn more >>
The Halloween Detective and the Case of the (Not So) Haunted Mansion
Saturday, October 21, 10 am – 2 pm
Sunday, October 22, 1 – 3 pm
Emmanuel Episcopal Church, 4400 86th Ave SE
In contrast to a traditional haunted house, Youth Theatre Northwest’s Halloween activity is a non-scary, 30 minute guided adventure specifically created for the most imaginative tots, preschoolers and early elementary age children (ages 3 – 8). This fun detective story, paired with your child’s problem solving skills, will make for an incredibly creative afternoon where your child gets to save the day. Halloween costumes are encouraged! Also, please note that The Halloween Detective is an outdoor, rain or shine event. All guests are encouraged to dress weather appropriate and wear suitable shoes. (This event will also be on October 2th & 29th!)
Restoration Event – Planting Event!
Saturday, October 21, 11 am – 1 pm
Wildwood Park, 7265 87th Ave SE
Meet: west entrance of park on 86th Ave SE.
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. *This event will be all about planting!*
Beatlemania / Beatlemedia! How Talent, Timing, and Technology Created the World’s Biggest Musical Sensation
Saturday, October 21, 3 – 4:30pm
Mercer Island Library, 4400 88th Ave SE
With over 600 million record sales worldwide, The Beatles remain the most successful act in history. Learn from historian Lance Rhoades how this band from Liverpool, England grabbed the world’s attention and kept turning out hit after hit, creating an unprecedented and lasting impact on music and popular culture. This event is sponsored by the Friends of the Mercer Island Library.
2nd Annual MI Pumpkin Walk
Saturday, October 21, 5 – 8 pm
Pioneer Park, Island Crest Way and SE 68th Street
This free, festive event will start at the Northwest Quadrant of Pioneer Park! Take a walk along NW Perimeter Trail to see a glowing display of carved pumpkins for all ages to enjoy. No flashlights or headlamps, and costumes are optional. Glow stick necklaces and hot chocolate will be provided for the kiddos while supplies last.
The community is encouraged to contribute pumpkins to help make this event a success again this year! If you’d like your carved pumpkin to be on display, you can drop it off that day anytime between 9am and 4pm. Meet at the corner of SE 68th St. and 84th Ave SE. They are also still looking for volunteers for this year’s event!
Learn more >>
Parents Night Out: Halloween Party!
Saturday, October 21, 5 – 10 pm
MI Community & Event Center, 8236 SE 24th Street
This Halloween Party is open to ages 5 – 12! Drop the kids off in costume for a night of ghostly fun with the Mercer Island Parks & Recreation staff. They will be playing some Halloween games, making some horrific crafts and of course watching a Halloween movie. Reservations are required, so please call (206) 275-7609 to reserve your spot. (Course: 17297) Cost is $25/Child; $15/Sibling.
Israeli TV Dinners: False Flag
Saturday, October 21
6 pm for episodes 1 & 2 | 7:30 pm dinner and episodes 3 & 4
SJCC, 3801 East Mercer Way
Get lost in the Israeli heart-pounding TV drama False Flag (Rated R), a gripping political thriller that puts five Israelis at the center of an international crisis. Watch the first two episodes of season one before a Mediterranean dinner, and episodes three and four after. Concessions for sale will include wine and beer. Tickets may be purchased online.
Learn more >>
Local Author Festival
Sunday, October 22, 2 – 4 pm
Island Books, 3014 78th Ave SE
It’s time for another Local Author Festival! Island Books always has a great time when they host a motley crew of the authors who make the Northwest such a great literary destination, and so will you. You’ll be able to meet and greet some of the top writing talents in the region, sample their work, ask questions, and even take home an autographed book. Or two, or three, or … Be sure to visit all the author stations for a chance to win a $50 gift certificate good on your next visit. Here’s the slate of esteemed guests:
In addition to this great lineup, there will be drinks and snacks to share. Come on down and bring your friends!
Learn more >>
Brought to you by The Sirianni Group