Here’s our weekly round-up of events from October 3 – 9 on Mercer Island:
Shofar
in the Park
Monday, October 3, 5 pm
Luther Burbank Park, 84th Ave SE
This October 3rd duck out of the hubbub for an hour of reflecting in Luther Burbank Park. Return to a simpler, more essential state, together with fellow community members. Hear the stirring, unadulterated blasts of the Shofar as we reflect on our collective birthday. Featuring and Apple & Honey Bar and a special prize for the children.
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, October 4
Young Toddlers (12 – 24 months) – 10:30 – 11:00 am
Toddlers (2 – 3 years) – 11:30 am – Noon
Thursday, October 6
Infants (0 – 12 months) – 10:30 – 11 am
Preschoolers (3 – 6 years) – 1 – 1:30 pm
Life after High School Series:
Big Changes in Admissions and What They Mean for Families
Tuesday, October 4, 7 – 9 pm
Mercer Island Library, 4400 88th Ave SE
Students are facing big changes in college admissions this year—a new SAT, new applications, and a new timeline to apply for financial aid. What do these changes mean and what should your family be doing to respond? We’ll tell you everything you need to know to keep your admissions process successful. Both students and parents welcome. Presented by CollegeWise. Registration not required. Sponsored by the Friends of the Mercer Island Library.
Storybook Corner
Wednesday, October 5, 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, October 5, 10:30 am – Noon
Mercer Island Library, 4400 88th Ave SE
Have fun singing songs, telling stories, reading books, creating art and playing.
Mercer Island School District New Family Welcome Event
Wednesday, October 5, 6 – 8 pm
Northwood Elementary School, 4030 86th Ave SE
Families new to the Mercer Island School District this year are invited to a special welcome event on October 5th in the commons of the new Northwood Elementary School. A light dinner will be served. At the event families will be able to meet members of the Mercer Island School Board, Superintendent Dr. Gary Plano, and other key school district leaders. Also, community organizations, including PTA, youth sports, and childcare providers will be in attendance to offer information about their services. Several parents who are serving as new parent ambassadors, including some who also serve on the District’s Diversity Advisory Committee, will be there to help families learn about the MISD or direct them to the resources they may need.
Learn more >>
Chamber of Commerce Membership Luncheon
Speaker: Fred Jarrett, Deputy King County Executive
Thursday, October 6, Noon
Mercer Island Community & Event Center, 8236 SE 24th St
Did you know? King County includes: 2131 square miles, 760 lakes and reservoirs, 975 wetlands, 3 federally protected salmon species, 3000 miles of streams, 100 miles of marine coast line, 850 acres of forest lands and with a population of 2,007,440, it is the 14th most populated county in the US (out of 3.033).
Mercer Island resident, Deputy Executive King County Executive Fred Jarrett is the highest-ranking staff position in the Executive’s Office. He oversees and directs the work of the executive branch of King County government.
Previously a state senator, Jarrett also served four terms in the state House of Representatives, four terms as Mercer Island Mayor, and as a city council and school board member. Fred had a 35-year career at The Boeing Company. He and his wife Susan live on Mercer Island, and most mornings he can be seen at the I-90 Park-and-Ride getting on Sound Transit’s 550 for the trip to work.
Luncheon cost is $15 for members and $20 for non-members and members without reservations. Call the Chamber office, 232-3404 to reserve your space and to pay by credit card. It is the Chamber’s policy to bill for reservations not cancelled 24 hours prior to an event.
Chamber of Commerce website >>
First Thursday: Art + Wine Event
Thursday, October 6
Suzanne Zahr / SZ Gallery
2441 76th Ave SE, Suite 160
Meet the Artist – 5 – 8 pm
Suzanne Zahr and L+B Design, both Mercer Island-based creative studios have teamed up to bring the work of internationally renowned artist, Kosta Kulundzic to the Pacific Northwest.
Kulundzic’s new show, “Bloody Icons!”, opens at the Suzanne Zahr Gallery on October 6th at the SZ Gallery. Meet the Artist that evening from 5 – 8PM, where he will debut the piece “The Desperate Plea of Modern Technology Facing St George’s Dragon”, featuring Seattle’s very own Bill Gates, Paul Allen & Jeff Bezos.
Learn more >>
Clarke & Clarke Art + Artifacts – Art, Antiques, Bubbles & Bonbons
7605 SE 27th St, Suite 105
Art & Wine Tasting Event – 5 – 8 pm
Join us for a glass of bubbly and bonbons! Our featured exhibit this month is “Women of the Ituri Forest,” a collection of beautifully painted geometric abstract designs on individual pieces of barkcloth each unique to the woman who painted them. We will be offering a limited number of pieces from our collection, which was acquired more than 20 years ago. This extraordinary art is destined to be the legacy of a vanishing culture. Additional pieces from the collection will be shown by appointment only.
Learn more >>
SJFF Encore & Educational Screening: Rosenwald
Thursday, October 6, 7 pm
Stroum Jewish Community Center, 3801 East Mercer Way
FREE: for SJCC members, students/youth and their teachers/parents, and education partners only
Director Aviva Kempner (THE LIFE AND TIMES OF HANK GREENBERG, SJFF 2000) tells the incredible true story of Sears & Roebuck owner and philanthropist Julius Rosenwald, a Jewish peddler’s son and unsung hero to African Americans in the segregated South. Educational screening for SJCC members, students w/ID and their parents and organizational/school partners only. Recommended for ages 8+. Co-presented with College Success Foundation and YMCA of GreaterSeattle.
Learn more >>
Opera Preview: Hansel und Gretel by Engelbert Humperdinck
Thursday, October 6, 7 – 8:30 pm
Mercer Island Library, 4400 88th Ave SE
Engelbert Humperdinck’s Hansel und Gretel is the most popular opera ever composed to be based upon a tale from the Brothers Grimm. First performed in 1893, Hansel and Gretel was performed in 50 different opera houses in 20 different languages in just its first year of existence. In the 20th century Hansel und Gretel became a holiday opera performed at Christmas time, often in conjunction with Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker. Humperdinck’s opera deserves its popularity as it contains some of the loveliest operatic music ever written. However, it does not shirk on the scariness of two youngsters lost in the woods overnight, only to face a weird old lady (played by a man–in an operatic “trousers role”) who would like to fatten them up for a future meal. It all ends happily, of course, with the sweet melodic finale that you would expect from a fairy tale. This free lecture, provided to increase enjoyment and appreciation of Seattle Opera productions, will feature Norm Hollingshead, with recorded musical excerpts. Space is limited. First come, first seated. Sponsored by the Friends of the Mercer Island Library.
Restoration Event 
Saturday, October 8, 10 am – 2 pm
Clarke Beach Park, 7700 block of East Mercer Way
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.
Mercer Island Farmers Market 
Sunday, October 9, 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:
- Vendor / Volunteer Appreciation Breakfast
- Light Rail Outreach Event
- Featured Vendor: Nosh
- Music: Warren G Hardings
- Kids: Squash People
Local Author Festival
Sunday, October 9, 2 – 4 pm
Island Books, 3014 78th Ave SE
Join us for our first-ever local author festival, and you’ll meet some of the top writing talents in the region, peruse their work, ask questions, and even take home an autographed book. Here’s the slate of esteemed guests:
- Biographer Cynthia Flash
- Historical novelist Denise Frisino
- Author/illustrator Jason Dorsey
- Northwest educator Heidi Bohan
- Guidebook author Judy Bentley
- YA novelist Kim Lampson Reiff
- Suspense artist Susan Spieth
- Native American historian Lawney Reyes
- Fictioneer and travel writer Pam Stucky
- Business advisor Brad Cochrane
In addition to this great lineup, we’ll have some drinks and snacks to share. A great time will be had by all, so come on down. And bring your friends!
Learn more >>
Leo Frank: Murder In Marietta
Sunday, October 9, 2 pm
Stroum Jewish Community Center, 3801 East Mercer Way
Cost: $12 | $8 SJCC member, seniors, students, youth
A century ago, Leo Frank, a young Jewish factory superintendent in prison on suspicion of murder, was kidnapped and lynched in Georgia. The incident inspired the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical “Parade,” a TV mini-series with Jack Lemmon (“The Murder of Mary Phagan”), a PBS special, and numerous novels, songs, and books. Lecturer Stephen Kalish, professor emeritus of legal ethics at Nebraska College of Law, helps us understand this earth-shattering story in legal history and popular culture.
Learn more >>
