An Island ceremony is set for June 6 to officially dedicate Riley Cove, a small bay off Lincoln Landing that is now named after Huston “Hu” Riley, a lifelong Island resident and U.S. Army veteran in the 1st Infantry Division.
Riley, who died at the age of 90 in 2011, was immortalized as “the soldier in the surf” in Robert Capa’s photo of the D-Day Invasion at Omaha Beach. The famous photo was featured on the cover of Life magazine.
Islanders are invited to attend the dedication, which will be held at 4 p.m. at Lincoln Landing (on 76th Avenue Southeast), and a reception at the VFW Hall (1836 72nd Ave. SE) immediately following the event. Attendees should park at the VFW Hall or the Lid Park parking lot and walk safely along the Interstate 90 trail to attend. Limited ADA parking will be available at the park site.
“We think this is a wonderful tribute to a pioneering Mercer Island family and are only saddened that this naming did not happen in our parents’ lifetime,” said Riley’s daughter, Erin E. Riley Borden, PhD, in a previous Reporter article. Her brother, Padraic, still resides on the Island.
Borden said that her father lived in the same house at 7436 N. Mercer Way his entire life. The abode, which Riley’s father built in 1914 and looks onto the cove, stayed in the family until Riley’s wife, Charlotte, passed away in 2018. It was sold in August of that year.
1964 British rock and roll story on tap at senior event
It’s time to rock and roll British Invasion-style at a free senior lunch and conversation event from noon to 2 p.m. on June 27 at the Mercer Island Community and Event Center, 8236 SE 24th St.
The city of Mercer Island and Belle Harbour will present “The Fab British Rock ‘n’ Roll Invasion of 1964” event, which will feature John Jensen telling the story of one of the most exciting times in music history.
Registration is required and must be three days in advance for lunch. Visit https://www.mercerisland.gov/parksrec/page/senior-lunch-conversation
Bus Route 216 temporary suspension on the way
Starting Sept. 2, King County Metro bus service Route 216 — which serves Mercer Island — will be temporarily suspended as part of a broad service-reduction effort to relieve pressure on King County Metro’s workforce. Route 216 shuttles riders from Bear Creek, Issaquah and Mercer Island to downtown Seattle.