Here’s my weekly round-up of upcoming events for the week of March 21st – 27th on Mercer Island:
Mercer Island Historical Society Presentation
Dustin Kaspar – Seattle International Film Festival
Monday, March 21, 1 pm
Mercer Island Community & Events Center, 8236 SE 24th St
Come hear all about the Seattle International Film Festival from Dustin Kaspar, SIFF Educational Programs Manager, including how to navigate the film festival, the ups and downs of having a theater, and how the festival works all year. Dustin Kaspar has been the Educational Programs Manager at SIFF since 2008, designing engaging programs connecting filmmakers to school classes, teachers to training to use the film crafts creatively in their classrooms, and public classes in filmmaking and film appreciation for youth, professional filmmakers, and general audiences. He has also been a feature and short film programmer with the Seattle International Film Festival specializing in films for youth audiences and the cinema of Sub-Saharan Africa. Before getting involved with SIFF, Dustin was a secondary choir director at Lakewood High School and Middle School and he performs in the Seattle Opera Chorus.
Learn more >>
Sing With Our Kids – Pajama Family Sing Along & Stories
Monday, March 21, 6:30 – 7:30 pm
Mercer Island Library, 4400 88th Ave SE
Bring your guitar or other instrument for a true community sing-along. Lyrics and chords will be projected on a screen so you can read, sing and play along. Nancy will be glad to tune your guitar and help you with chords before we start. Linda will share a special bedtime story before your leave.
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, March 22
Young Toddlers (12 – 24 months) – 10:30 – 11:15 am
Toddlers (2 – 3 years) – 11:30 am – Noon
Thursday, March 24
Infants (0 – 12 months) – 10:30 – 11 am
Preschoolers (3 – 6 years) – 1 – 2 pm
Rotary Club Presentation
David B. Williams, Author of Too High & Too Steep
Tuesday, March 22, Noon to 1:30 pm
Mercer Island Community & Event Center, 8236 SE 24th St
Residents and visitors in today’s Seattle would barely recognize the landscape that its founding settlers first encountered. As the city grew, its leaders and inhabitants dramatically altered its topography to accommodate their changing visions. In Too High and Too Steep, Williams uses his deep knowledge of Seattle, scientific background, and extensive research and interviews to illuminate the physical challenges and sometimes startling hubris of these large-scale transformations, from the filling in of the Duwamish tideflats to the massive regrading project that pared down Denny Hill. In the course of telling this fascinating story, Williams helps readers find visible traces of the city’s former landscape and better understand Seattle as a place that has been–and still is being–radically reshaped. Presentation co-hosted by the Rotary Club and Island Books.
Learn more >>
Storybook Corner
Wednesday, March 23, 10:30 – 11 am
Island Books, 3014 78th Ave SE
Bring your little ones in to the charming children’s section of Island Books to enjoy popular picture books read by our staff.
Learn more >>
Play & Learn at the Library
Wednesday, March 23, 10:30 am – Noon
Mercer Island Library, 4400 88th Ave SE
Have fun singing songs, telling stories, reading books, creating art and playing. Play & Learn is in English. Sponsored by the Mercer Island Friends of the Library.
Excellence Through Equity – A Discussion With Dr Pedro Noguera
Wednesday March 23rd, 6.30–8pm
MIHS Performing Arts Center, 9100 SE 42nd St
Free event for all members of the community
The Mercer Island School District, the City of Mercer Island and the Mercer Island PTA Council are co-hosting a community discussion with nationally renowned professor and author Dr. Pedro Noguera. Dr. Noguera is a Distinguished Professor of Education in the Graduate School of Education and Information Sciences at UCLA. His research focuses on the ways in which schools are influenced by social and economic conditions, as well as by demographic trends in local, regional and global contexts.
MIPA Circus Reunion
Thursday, March 24, 7 – 9 pm
Mercer Island Beach Club, 8326 Avalon Dr
Come enjoy some sweets and sips as we reminisce the last 50 years of this amazing community event! If you’ve ever helped out with circus in the past, please enjoy an evening of celebrating memories hosted by the current MIPA Circus crew. We are looking for artifacts, pictures, and memories from the past 50 years. Please send them to [email protected] and bring them to the reunion as well!
Learn more >>
Film and Fashion Presentation
Saturday, March 26, 1 – 3 pm
Mercer Island Library, 4400 88th Ave SE
Fashion and film have always shared a powerful symbiotic relationship. Sometimes trends are memorialized in films, and sometimes films inspire brand new styles. If you are a fan of film or fashion–or both!–join us as film historian Lance Rhoades looks at the close relationship between cinema and fashion, from the work of important costume designers, to famous cinematic fashion statements.
Lil’ Ones Egg Hunt
Saturday, March 26, 5 pm SHARP
Mercerdale Park, 77th Ave SE and SE 32nd St
Cost: Suggested donation of $5/family
Kids ages 1 to 6
Hop on over to Mercerdale Park for the annual Eggstravaganza Egg Hunt just for the little ones! Our resident bunny & frog have been hard at work putting togetheeggs, candy and prizes for everyone and plan to make a special visit to the egg hunts to say “hello”. Bring a basket and your sweet tooth and get ready to hunt for goodies. Find a golden egg for the “eggstra” special surprise. A separate section will be reserved for the 1 to 3 year old hunters. Please, no children over the age of 6. No parents on the field for kids ages 4 to 6. No registration required.
Flashlight Egg Hunt
Saturday, March 26, 8:30 pm SHARP
Mercerdale Park, 77th Ave SE and SE 32nd St
Cost: Suggested donation of $5/family
Kids ages 7 to 10
That’s right! This one is done in the dark and was created exclusively for older kids! Bring your flashlight and a basket to haul off your loot. Lots of eggs, candy and prizes for everyone. Find the golden egg during our Eggstravaganza for an “eggstra” special surprise. No parents on the field. No registration required.
