Youth Theatre Northwest is conjuring up a gala evening fundraiser on Saturday, April 16.
The evening will include dinner and performances to celebrate the magic and legacy of YTN.
Every year when I review the stats for the incoming class of freshmen, I feel a sense of dread knowing that each year the percentage of admitted students drops. This year almost feels laughable with Harvard and Columbia admitting only 6 percent of students, with Yale and Stanford following close behind with a 7 percent admittance rate.
Writing books is not exactly a new venture for longtime author Clare Hodgson Meeker. The Island resident has published several books, but her most recent is one that touches the community of soccer in Seattle.
Maggie Bennett is best known for her folk music, but this longtime resident of Mercer Island has recently published her first book, “Windy Stories,” which is based on her Ph.D. dissertation. Bennett has traveled most of the world, and has heard many stories.
Along with the mood-elevating effect of warm temperatures and sunny blue skies, there’s nothing like a little whimsy in the air to brighten things up — the kind that Saint Patrick’s Day brings our way. How can anyone of any age not be charmed by the enchantment of fairies, leprechauns and the big unifying embrace from a holiday that says, “Everyone’s Irish on Saint Patrick’s Day.”
Mercer Island resident and author AC Christensen recently E-published her two books, “Motorbikes and Murder,” a mystery, and “Patrick the Naughty Pony,” a children’s chapter book.
Sun Valley is in the middle of its 75th operational year, and celebrations of its status as America’s first ski resort have been ongoing throughout the season. If you ever wanted an additional reason to visit, you might consider going from March 27 to April 3. This is when the Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame will be inducting six new members in conjunction with Ski Heritage Week, and the package prices are an incredibly good deal. How about $75 per person per night for lodging plus a lift ticket?
On November 16, 1959, “The Sound of Music,” the timeless Rodgers and Hammerstein musical, began a three-and-a-half year run on Broadway at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre. Several weeks before the show’s opening, Oscar Hammerstein was diagnosed with stomach cancer. Prior to being admitted for surgery, the famed lyricist stopped at the theatre to convey encouragement and inspiration to his leading lady. He passed a piece of paper to the young actress playing Maria von Trapp.
Island resident Ana Ko Glass has a role as a “Good Fairy Attendant” in the Pacific Northwest Ballet’s production of “Cinderella” and was photographed during a full dress rehearsal at McCaw Hall in Seattle on Thursday, February 3, 2011.
Anne Rosellini, a 1987 graduate of Mercer Island High School, is “one-third elated, one-third horrified and one-third nervous” about being nominated for two Academy Awards. Rosellini and her co-producer, Alix Madigan-Yorkin, are nominated in the Best Picture category for their film, “Winter’s Bone.” Rosellini and Debra Granik, who is the film’s director, are nominated for best adapted screenplay.
The nominee is a member of the well-known Rosellini family of Washington state.
As the year comes to an end, these photos offer a glimpse of 2010 on Mercer Island: the city celebrates 50 years in July, tulips bloom in the spring, a new historical sign commemorates the Roanoke ferry dock, Islanders join the Summer Celebration and homecoming parades and Third Thursday Art Walk, Earthcorps volunteers take a break at Clarke Beach, the Blue Angels return for Seafair, Friday night football features the Mercer Island High School marching band, children learn and play, and snow falls just days before Thanksgiving.
After chuckling at a cover portraying a TSA agent patting down a compliant passenger, it is likely that a few Islanders opened their New Yorker magazine last week to find a local connection to the subject of one of the storied magazine’s features.
On page 90, there is a review on a new book, “The Petting Zoo,” by author Jim Carroll. The review of the book, published posthumously last month, includes a black and white photo taken of the artist as a young man. The image conveys the intensity of its subject in a single jolt.
Islander Fred Milkie Jr.’s 2010 book, “Alone Around the Mountain: A Visual Memoir,” is the result of over 10 years of hiking, observing, contemplating and photographing in Mt. Rainier National Park.
The book was a collaboration between Milkie and gifted designer and longtime friend, Teri Nakamura. It has been nominated as “Best Book” by the Pacific NW Booksellers and was awarded silver by the International Association of Printing House Craftsmen.