Here’s my weekly round-up of events for the week of July 25-31 on Mercer Island:
We All Play in Our Own Way Concert 
Tuesday, July 26, Noon
Mercerdale Park, 77th SE & SE 32nd
Is it possible to have a game that has no winner or loser? It is when the game is called music. Bring the whole family and join in the singing, dancing as we learn and use our imaginations, there’s no need for stadiums or sports equipment. Sponsored by the Friends of the Mercer Island Library. Family program, all ages welcome.
Storybook Corner 
Wednesday, July 27, 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 >>
Open Book Club: Sweetbitter by Stephanie Danler 
Wednesday, July 27, 7:30 pm
Island Books, 3014 78th Ave SE
Stephanie Danler was working as a waitress in New York City when she encountered Penguin Random House senior vice president and editor-at-large Peter Gethers. While she was serving him, she told him she was writing a novel. After that conversation, Danler’s literary agent sent the manuscript to Gethers and he immediately offered his former waitress a pre-emptive, six-figure, two-book deal. It was every aspiring author’s dream.
Sweetbitter is the result of that fairy tale success story. Propelled by ambition but still essentially naive, 22-year-old Tess has fled an empty life in the Midwest and landed a coveted job as a server in a restaurant that strongly resembles the famous Union Square Café in New York City. At first crushingly lonely and exhausted by the arduous routine, Tess is mentored by longtime senior server Simone. Despite warnings to avoid falling for bartender Jake, and willfully blind to the strange relationship between Jake and Simone, Tess begins a passionate affair with him. Meanwhile, she becomes an accepted member of a select society of overworked, terminally tense and bone-tired wait staff. Danler writes about food with sensory gusto as Tess learns how to distinguish the fine points of every wine, how to identify an heirloom tomato or oyster, and how to shave a truffle. Tess also learns how to get seriously drunk and high. Early on, she defines the foods and condiments that are sweet and those that are bitter—and her relationships with Simone and Jake are ultimately just that: a sweet time of consummate happiness followed by bitter betrayal.
Island Book’s open book club meets the last Wednesday of every month at 7:30pm. Our staff facilitator chooses both fiction and nonfiction titles. All are welcome to attend.
Learn more >>
Mostly Music in the Park – Coco Loco (Latin)
Thursday, July 28, 7 pm
Mercerdale Park, 77th SE & SE 32nd
Join us in Mercerdale Park in July and August for the 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. Concerts are held on Thursdays from 7 pm to 8:30 pm at Mercerdale Park in downtown Mercer Island. If you would like to support the concerts to ensure they continue, please consider making a donation. Donations can be sent to: City of Mercer Island, Mostly Music in the Park, 2040 84th Ave SE, Mercer Island, WA 98040. Thank you for your support!
Shakespeare in the Park 
Thursday, July 28 & Friday, July 29, 7 pm; Saturday, July 30, 7 pm & Sunday, July 31, 7 pm
Luther Burbank Park Amphitheatre, 2040 84th Ave SE
Summer Outdoor Theater. Sponsored by The Mercer Island Arts Council, Wooden O presents two Shakespeare plays with multiple performances at the Luther Burbank Park amphitheatre in July and August. With open seating and an outdoor setting, Wooden O brings the Shakespeare plays to life, engaging audiences of all ages.
Love’s Labour’s Lost
Synopsis: The idealistic resolve of four young men gets tested by four young ladies who show up at their doorstep. The King and his friends vow to abstain from women’s company for three years. They plan to devote their time to academics. The Princess of France and her ladies arrive for a visit just as the vows leave the men’s lips. It’s will against want and heart against head in this delightful summer romance.
Hamlet
Synopsis: After receiving news of his father’s death, a young man comes home to a much changed world. Doubt, uncertainty, and grief dog him at every turn. Struggling to make sense of the new order, Hamlet faces a crossroad. He can consent, or rage against the injustice around him. Rich with soaring language, Shakespeare’s masterpiece opens up with fresh insights with each new viewing.
Youth Theatre Northwest Presents: Glinda of Oz 
Thursday, July 28, 11 am; Friday, July 29 & Saturday, July 30 7 pm; Sunday, July 31, 2 pm
Mercer Island High School Performing Arts Center, 9100 SE 42nd Street
There are three kinds of magic in the Land of Oz. Animals and beasts have their natural magic, Glinda and the Wizard practice sorcery, and Princess Ozma, supreme ruler of Oz, uses her fairy magic to keep the peace. But in a faraway corner of this enchanted land, a new kind of magic has been born. The kind of magic that leads to war.
It’s up to Princess Ozma and her dear old friend Dorothy to end a deadly feud between the Flatnoggins and the Skeezers. But things go horribly awry and the two princesses are trapped under a powerful spell. Who will return peace to Oz? Will their voices be heard in time?
Restoration Event 
Friday, July 29, 10 am
Clarke Beach Park
Meet: Parking Lot
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.
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Release Party 
Saturday, July 30, 10 pm
Island Books, 3014 78th Ave SE
Remember how exciting it was to gather with your friends, waiting until the stroke of midnight for the release of the new Harry Potter book? Well, we’re getting the band back together.
It’s a class reunion of sorts, a midnight party to celebrate the release of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, J.K. Rowling’s dramatic update about the lives of everyone’s favorite wizards. Harry, Hermione, Ron and the gang are all grown up, and so are their fans. Which means this time the butterbeer will have a kick.
Raise a glass with us!
Learn more >>
Cook Book Book Club with Jodi Liano 
Sunday, July 31, 3 pm
Island Books, 3014 78th Ave SE
July’s meeting is extra-special, as we’ll be joined by Jodi Liano, the chef who holds the reins of the San Francisco Cooking School. She is also the co-author of Cooking from the Farmers’ Market, this month’s featured title. It’s an essential resource that shows how to get the most from a trip to our own Mercer Island Farmers Market, and it includes scores of recipes that employ all the great local produce you can find there. It’s the perfect kitchen companion for anyone who enjoys cooking with the seasons.
We’ll start the festivities with a presentation from the author, followed by some Q&A and an autograph session, and then we’ll segue into our potluck party. Bring an even bigger appetite for food and fun than usual!
Free Outdoor Summer Movie: Up 
Sunday, July 31, 6 pm
Stroum Jewish Community Center, 3801 East Mercer Way
Get UP with kids Zumba—then watch a great movie for kids and the grandparents who love them. We’ll roast campfire s’mores for everyone. Bring your own vegetarian/dairy dinner and cash for a concessions stand.
The event is free, but please RSVP to let us know to expect you.
Learn more >>
Mercer Island Farmers Market 
Sunday, July 31, 10 am – 3 pm
SE 32nd Street at Mercerdale Park (between 77th and 78th Ave SE)
Visit the Mercer Island Farmers Market for the widest array of top quality Washington foods fresh from the farm, the field or sea, artisan produced and/or ready to eat – plus music, children’s activities, artisan gifts, and more!Here are the highlights this week:
- Featured Vendor: Juice Harbor
- Music by Ronnda Cadle
- Kids: Painting the Colors of the Market
- Sponsor of the week: MICA
