Community Calendar | Tree lighting and Firehouse Munch this Friday

Published 10:48 am Tuesday, December 1, 2015

The Mercer Island Fire Department is hosting the annual tree lighting and Firehouse Munch this Friday, Dec. 4.

The tree lighting will be at Mercerdale Park from 6:30-7 p.m., followed by activities including arts and crafts, Santa photos, treats and musical entertainment at the north-end Fire Station from 7-8:30 p.m.

Attendees are encouraged to bring an unwrapped toy for the Toys for Tots drive.

St. Monica School will also host a tree lighting celebration from 5:30-8:30 p.m., also on Dec. 4. The event will feature Christmas caroling, hot cocoa and the lighting of the Christmas trees at the main school entrance.

WEDNESDAY | 2

Town Center Visioning Joint Commission Meeting: 6-9 p.m., City Hall, 9611 S.E. 36th St. The Planning and Design Commissions are convening together as the “Joint Commission” for the next phase of recommendations for actual Town Center development code language and directly-related updates to the City’s Comprehensive Plan. This is a working meeting and will not take public comment. Interested residents may use the Town Center Visioning online form to submit comments. Visit www.mercergov.org for more.

THURSDAY | 3

Mercer Island Visual Arts League Monthly Meeting: 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., Emmanuel Episcopal Church, 4400 86th Ave. Monthly general meetings are the first Thursday of every month and open to the public. Discover what MIVAL does and meet many artists of all mediums. Become a member and make new friendships through visual arts. For more, visit www.mival.org or contact Nannette Bassett at nannettebas@gmail.com or 206-232-8148.

December Chamber Luncheon: 12-1 p.m., Mercer Island Community and Event Center, 8236 S.E. 24th St. Speaker Autumn Martin founded Hot Cakes in 2008, selling the namesake Take-n-Bake Molten Chocolate Cake in mason jars at farmers markets in Seattle. In May of 2012, she opened Hot Cakes Molten Chocolate Cakery in Ballard and now on Capitol Hill, artisan dessert and craft cocktail bars featuring creative, small-batch desserts and fine spirits, to rave reviews. $15-20.

Caregivers Support Group: 2:30-4 p.m., Mercer Island Community and Events Center, 8236 S.E. 24th St. On the first Thursday of each month, caregivers are invited to share concerns, receive support and increase their knowledge about resources in a group setting. Facilitated by Betsy Zuber, MS, LMHC. $5 suggested donation. Please call Betsy prior to your first meeting at 206-275-7752.

Mercer Island Visual Arts League Gallery Opening: 5-8 p.m., MIVAL, 2836 78th Ave. S.E. Celebrate the holidays and join the festivities with you and your friends to meet the artists and see their art work. New handmade crafts and fine artwork with holiday spirit. Showing scarves, wreaths, ornaments, gift items, paintings, ceramics, fiber arts, jewelry, artwork note cards and much more. For more info, visit www.mival.org.

FRIDAY | 4

French Film – Le Plaisir: 7:30 p.m. Aljoya, 2430 76th Ave. S.E. The Mercer Island Sister City Association, the Mercer Island Arts Council and Aljoya will co-host this French film in which Ophuls brings his masterful art of direction to three stories by Guy de Maupassant: “Le Masque,” “La Maison Tellier,” “Le Modele.” Featured scholar Lance Rhodes will provide introduction and post-commentary for the film, which will be in French with English subtitles. No 6:30 pre-program. Free to the public. For more, call Carla Peterson at 206-232-5354.

SATURDAY | 5

Arts Council Annual Retreat: 9 a.m.-1 p.m. City Hall Council chambers, 9611 S.E. 36th St. Agenda items include current budget, core program recap and the 2016 work plan. Open to the public. Please contact Amber Britton at amber.britton@mercergov.org if you would like to attend.

Studio 904 Holiday “Angel for Animals” Sale: 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Studio 904, 3041 78th Ave. S.E. Come celebrate the magic of the season and shop for handmade gifts, purchase local author Kay Hirai’s new book, and enjoy light refreshments. All proceeds benefit animals and will be donated to Pasado’s Safe Haven, Precious Life Animal Sanctuary Senior Dog Haven and Ginger’s Pet Rescue. For more, visit http://studio904.com/category/news/.

Holiday Art Show and Sale: Dec. 5-6, Artist’s Studio, 6829 96th Ave. S.E. Featuring Marsha Karr’s magical landscape paintings, prints and cards and Bloom’s handcrafted wooden bowls. Ten percent of proceeds will be donated to Northwest Harvest Food Bank. From 2-6 p.m. Dec. 5 and 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Dec. 6. For more, visit http://marshakarr.com/.

SUNDAY | 6

Mercer Island Bike Drive: 12-3 p.m. Windermere, 2737 77th Ave. S.E. #100. Give an old bike new life and support community programming at Bike Works! Bike Works accepts all types of bikes, bike parts and bike accessories. We recommend bikes in good condition, including: 20” wheel BMX style bikes, 24” and 26” wheel mountain bikes, road bikes of any size, but especially smaller-sized road bikes.

MONDAY | 7

City Council Regular Meeting: 7 p.m., City Hall Council Chambers, 9611 S.E. 36th St. Held on the first and third Mondays every month unless otherwise posted. Special meetings and study sessions begin at 6 p.m. For questions, contact Ali Spietz by phone at 206-275-7793.

TUESDAY | 8

Mercer Island Utility Board Meeting: 7 p.m., City Hall Council Chambers, 9611 S.E. 36th St. The Mercer Island Utility Board is an advisory board to the City Council on matters regarding all utilities on the Island. The Utility Board meets on the second Tuesday of the month unless otherwise posted. For more, visit www.mercergov.org.

WEDNESDAY | 9

Arts Council regular meeting: 6:30-8:30 p.m., Mercer Island Community and Event Center, 8236 SE 24th St. For questions, contact Amber Britton at amber.britton@mercergov.org or 206-275-7864.

EVENTS | LIBRARY

Teens

Chocolate Holiday Gift Making for Teens: 12:30 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 5. Join pastry chef Laurie Pfalzer to learn how to make chocolate gifts for the holiday season. Make dark chocolate ganache and turn it into beautiful hand-rolled truffles. Learn to temper chocolate and make dark chocolate and peppermint bark, white chocolate popcorn, and caramel corn with dark chocolate drizzle. At the end of class, you can package your gifts to give away, or take them home to enjoy!  For middle and high school students. Please register starting Nov. 15.

Adults

Winter Mini Book Sale: Dec. 3-6 during library open hours. While it’s a mini-sale, there are so many great books, you will have no trouble finding lovely gift selections for family and friends or a special book for yourself.

Sumi Art Workshop: 11 a.m. Thursday, Dec. 3. Explore what you can create using authentic sumi painting tools of handmade brushes, handmade rice paper and sumi (ink). You will leave the workshop, presented by art specialist, Midori Thiel, with a completed sumi painting. Registration required, visit www.kcls.org/mercerisland for more.

Talk Time: 1 p.m., Mondays. Improve your speaking and listening skills in this English conversation group. Learn more about American culture and meet people from around the world. Walk-ins welcome.

The Dickens Carolers: 1 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 5.  Holiday favorites sung in beautiful four-part harmony. Also taking place Sunday, Dec. 6 at 1:30 p.m.

STARS Workshop – Talking to Parents about Limiting Technology Use: 6:30 p.m. Monday, Dec. 7. Presented by Kathy Slattengren, M.ED., Priceless Parenting. Talking to parents about their kids’ use of technology can be touchy. How do you approach parents when you believe their child is spending too much time on screens or perhaps viewing inappropriate things? How do you set expectations for parents around their own technology use when dropping their kids off or picking them up? We’ll discuss these questions and more. Registration begins November 23. STARS credit available, please bring your number to program.

Motivating Your ADHD Child or Teen: 7-8:30 p.m., Monday, Dec. 7. Parents will learn motivation myths that you can throw out, what actually motivates ADHD children and teens, and the one thing you can do immediately to build confidence in your child. For more, visit http://GiftedWithADD.com.

EVENTS | SJCC

Parents Night Out: 5-10 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 5. It may be called Parents Night Out, but it’s really for the kids. All evenings will be gym and swim: your favorite games and splashing in the pool, followed by dinner and a movie. Cost is $25. For more, visit www.sjcc.org.

Israeli TV Dinners – Florentine: 6-8 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 5. Israel’s most popular TV series, “Florentine” (1997-2000), is back for a binge run at the J! Enjoy a Middle Eastern dinner and watch the first six episodes of season 1. Peace may be on its way, but for residents of this bohemian Tel Aviv neighborhood, personal matters override politics. Think: “Friends” with an Israeli edge. $10-15.

The Big Chanukah Show: 7-9 p.m., Sunday, Dec. 7. A free musical variety show featuring Jewish Chanukah-related music and other entertainment during the winter holiday season. This year’s show features the Shalom Klezmer Band featuring Chava Mirel, Hazzan Isaac Azose, and other local Jewish artists. For more information, contact Rabbi James Mirel at jamesmirel@earthlink.net or 206-234-7600, or visit http://jewishsound.org/event/the-big-chanukah-show/.

Tween Fitness, Ages 9-13: 3:45-4:45 p.m., Wednesdays. Kids will learn to use bands, balls and their own body weight to work on cardiovascular and weight training as well as balance, stability, and stretching. Free for members, $10 for guests. Contact Dana Azose at danaa@sjcc.org or call 206-388-0836.

EVENTS | ONGOING

Mercer Island Lions Club annual Christmas Tree sale: Farmers Insurance lower parking lot, 3003 77th Ave. S.E. Buy a beautiful tree from the Lions Club and support: Mercer Island Boys and Girls Club, Youth and Family Services, local senior citizen’s programs, Mercer Island community events and Lions Club sight and hearing projects. Fresh mixed green wreaths and cedar garlands available too! Sale began Saturday, Nov. 28. Open from 2-7 p.m. Wednesday through Friday, and from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

MIVAL 2015 Holiday Show: Nov. 2-Dec. 18, Mercer Island Community and Events Center, 8236 S.E. 24th St. Mercer Island Visual Arts League (MIVAL) will showcase paintings, fiber arts, photography, as well glass, jewelry, ceramics, and more. A great place to find holiday gifts for someone special on your list! Call 206-275-7609 for more info.

Genealogy and Family History Workshop: 7 p.m., Thursdays, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, 4001 Island Crest Way. Free, no obligation, family history and genealogy weekly workshop. Beginner to advanced training hosted by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. All are welcome. Contact Peter Selden at peterselden@gmail.com or 206-412-8252.

EVENTS | UPCOMING

Community Blood Drive: 9 a.m.- 3 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 19, McDonald’s parking lot, 2807 78th Ave. S.E. Help ensure this precious resource is available for ill and injured people in our community by giving blood. Plus, get free cookies and burn 650 calories just by laying there. To sign up, visit https://schedule.psbc.org/DonorPortal/GroupLanding.aspx?s=4155.