Coming Up: Special Election, Kayaks, Wine

Quiet weekend on the Island with winter struggling to be itself: we’re in for a warming trend this week.

We’re in for a few other things this week too:

Special Election Tuesday Feb 3

We’re voting for Director of Elections this Tuesday in an all-mail ballot. I’m voting for Sherrill Huff because she has the job now and by all accounts seems to be doing a good job. She’s also endorsed by 35 County Auditors, an amazing feat which means she must be good at keeping to the straight & narrow. No one could food 35 auditors. Location: the mail.

Wine Tasting on Thursday Feb 5

And there’s a wine event on Thursday. Scott Paul Wines Burgundy & Willamette Valley Wine Tasting, $10. Here’s what they’ll be tasting.
Location: Cellar 46

Sea Kayak and Canoe Winter Festival, Feb. 7th and 8th

Wondering how to dress for paddlesports? What are the ins & outs of the paddlezone? This event from the Washington Water Trail Association’s for you. Other topics that I didn’t even know I didn’t know include:

• Capsize Recoveries & Rescues-Which ones are best for you?
• Sea Kayaking the Inland Northwest and Lower Columbia River
• Chart Reading 101

Find more on the website. Location: Mercer Island Community Center.

Vote button photo: Contra Costa Times

This Weekend’s Events: Caroling, Holiday Bazaar

From Island Crest Way and 40th:

There’s a Holiday Bazaar, with local artisans and merchants, today and tomorrow at the Club room at Island Square. That’s 2758 78th St SE.

And the Mercer Island Boys’ and Girls’ Club is looking for donations.If you haven’t heard, they’ve been planning and raising funds for a new facility.

What kind of things does the Boys and Girls Club do? Just look at the next sign:

It’s basketball season too.

From Mercerdale: Caroling Today and Tomorrow

The Island Children’s Choir will be at Mercer Island High this weekend.

And if you need a tree, go see the Lions in the Farmers’ Insurance  parking lot:

And finally, a reminder that on Dec. 21, you can go to Luther Burbank Park to see the Argosy Christmas Ship and hear caroling.

7 pm Friday- Lighting of the Mercer Island Christmas Tree

Tomorrow (Friday) at 7 pm the city will light the official Holiday tree at Mercerdale (details).

That’s not the Mercer Island tree!
Brings an unwrapped toy for the Toys for Tots program.

If that weren’t enough holiday fun, on the Winter Solstice– that’s Dec. 21– you can go to Luther Burbank Park to see the Argosy Christmas Ship, along with caroling. Details.

Photo credit: Sister 72 on Flickr.

After the Election…

Life does go on. In fact, a few things are going on:

Ski and Snowboard Swap

Celebrate democracy by buying used ski gear.

Día de Los Muertos

This tip from Ken Glass:

Next Friday night the MI community is invited to celebrate Día de Los Muertos (the Oaxacan celebration) at Islander Middle School from 5-7pm. Includes entertainment, food for sale and artist-residence-led sand paintings developed by students in the school.

Girls’ Soccer Tonight

MIHS Home Football Game

And Hopefully All These Signs Will Come Down

Voting on Mercer Island

No lines here. It was pretty quiet at West Mercer Elementary.

The poll workers were friendly and efficient. No cookies, though.

One of the fun things about voting in person is you get to see a part of the community you might not otherwise. I’ll miss voting in person at the next election. Here’s some art from Mrs. Phillips’ class:

This morning the get-out-the-vote crowd was at Island Crest Way and 40th, and caught on camera by Richard Sprague.

Recycle Electronics and Watch Football for MIHS

MIHS is hosting electronics recycling next weekend. Thanks to Ken for the tip. You can go to the parking lot of Bayley Construction, next to the Shell Station in North Island, next Sat and Sun (the 26th and 27th) between 10 and 4 pm. They’ll do the right thing with your electronics if you can’t.

Well, that’s our first direct-to-blog post on the Mercer Island Bulletin Board. What else is going on this week?

More MIHS: There’s a home football game this Friday.

And a Sherwood Forest Fair this Sunday.

Is you can’t read the fine print on the admittedly poor photo of the Sherwood Forest Fair, here’s the info:

• At Youth Theater Northwest, 8805 SE 40th St
• Sunday October 19th, 1-4 pm
• Free

That’s it from the Mercer Island Bulletin Board, except for all the politico signs. We’ll talk about those later.

1st Football Game Tonight at MIHS

On the Mercer Island Bulletin Board, MIHS announces the 1st football game of the season:

With a strategic rider by Dave’s BBQ, who’s been all over the Island. They have some marketing department for a BBQ joint, or a sign-maker on steriods.

Boys’ Basketball is recruiting, and so is Yoga:

Earthcorps is still at it, and there’s a garage sale today and tomorrow.

Rest assured that I am fully committed to my spotty coverage of the Mercer Island Bulletin Board, and there’s a decent-to-strong chance that if a new sign goes up, I’ll be right on it within a week or two.

Bonus link #1:Amazon Fresh is delicious, but also noisy

Sounds like Amazon Fresh is waking people up, but not in a good way. The P-I reported that The Fresh may be breaking noise ordinances here on the Island with early-morning deliveries. Now as you know, we luv us some Amazon Fresh, but we’ve started getting afternoon instead of morning deliveries because those trucks are loud. As soon as we started leaving our windows open at night this spring, I heard how loud the friggin’ truck was.

Bonus link #2:MIHS radio station now at 88.9 FM

Again from the PI, sounds like the MIHS radio station got in a tussle with a station from The Dalles down in Oregon. Hot Jamz Radio is now at 88.9 FM.

Mercer Island Now Has a Farmers Market!

Just saw this sign at 40th and ICW:

Finally! We’ve been pining for one since we moved to the Island. If we weren’t going camping this weekend, I’d stop by on Sunday and take a few pictures and a few tasty, probably organic and locally-grown morsels.

Other goings-on at the Mercer Island Bulletin Board:

Youth Theater Northwest is performing Charlotte’s Web through August 10th.

Keytime claims you’ll learn to type in one hour:

And there’s a Boys’ Lacrosse camp, but I’ve been slow on keeping up with the Bulletin Board, so it looks like it’s over.

And it’s that season of the year: political signs are all over.