Last Friday night searching for an evening activity, I was thrilled to find there were three different plays as well as a musical event from a cello group visiting from Portland at the local arts center. I bought one of the few tickets lef and made my way into the town center. The center itself didn’t have parking, but I was able to park at no charge about five blocks away and made my way to the center passing a number of busy restaurants and interesting shops.

The hall was filled and the woman opening the show welcomed us and told how the group had spent the day working with local school children to develop their appreciation of music and encourage them in their own artistic pursuits. This work and the center were, she shared, made possible both by generous donors and support from the city. The performance was amazing (ranging from Bach to Taylor Swift) and people of all ages gathered during intermission to sip wine and support the band with purchases of T-shirts and CDs.

I left gratified by both the artists and being around so many patrons of the arts in this small community. Of course, I was not on Mercer Island, but in Olympia where I had attended a Farmers Market conference for two days. But I drove home renewed and re-energized to realize this same wonderful experience at home, through the Mercer Island Center for the Arts.

In the meantime while this vision becomes a reality, visit www.mercerislandarts.org/calendar to find about our own local events, happening wherever they can, by our wonderful arts community.

Anna Gordon

Mercer Island