“If I Can Help Somebody” — 4th Annual Tribute to Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

The fourth annual tribute to Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is set for Monday, Jan. 17, produced by Lift Every Voice Legacy. Taking place at the Edmonds Center for the Arts (ECA), the event includes song, dance and spoken word and is presented in partnership with ECA. There will also be a free morning program with the Edmonds Waterfront Center focused on families and youth. It includes performances, storytelling, workshops and free COVID and flu vaccines.

The event at the Edmonds Center for the Arts takes place at 7:30 p.m. and tickets are $15 when purchased ahead of time ($5 for students), or $18 when purchased same day.

The morning program will run from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the same day. The morning program is specially designed for children and families.

Both the morning and evening programs meant to inspire Dr. King’s vision of a community free of hatred, injustice and poverty.

The evening event features Sean Goode, executive director of CHOOSE 180; performances by renowned gospel, R&B and jazz vocalist Josephine Howell and her band; Barclay Shelton Dance Centre and PRICEarts Dance Company. Seattle theologian Dr. Brian Bantum will help set the stage with the story of Dr. King’s last sermon on Feb. 4, 1968 at Atlanta’s Ebenezer Baptist Church. The Greater Everett MLK Celebration Ensemble also will be featured in the program for the first time.

To learn more about the event, click here. You can purchase tickets here. Note: Events at ECA require proof of vaccination or negative COVID test, so make sure to read the requirements before attending.

The 14th Evening of Laughter – Edmonds Comedy Night

I think many of us could say it’s time for a good laugh and a lightening of moods where possible. The perfect opportunity is coming up soon, so make sure to buy your tickets now so you don’t miss out!

Parent Leaders for the Edmonds School District are organizing Edmonds Comedy Night. Nationally recognized comics treat our community to two wonderful nights of comedy. This is a definite can’t-miss event!

The laughter takes place Feb. 18 and 19 at 7:30 p.m. at the Edmonds Center for the Arts. Tickets can be purchased here or at the ECA ticket box.

The lineup for the evening includes the following comics:

Birungi Birungi – An Ugandian comedian based out of Seattle, he was featured on the Best of the Fest list at the Burbank Comedy Festival and was a contestant in the last San Francisco International Comedy Competition.

Duane Goad – This Canadian-born, Seattle-based comedian has a sarcastic and self-deprecating style of comedy. He was a finalist in the Seattle International Comedy Competition.

Erin Ingle – Seattle’s tenderest feminist, doing stand-up since 2021 and currently headlining around the Pacific Northwest

Andrew Sleighter – He performed on Last Comic Standing and recorded a comedy special for Dry Bar. He’s also a regular at colleges and comedy clubs across the country.

The host is Kermet Apio, a resident of Mountlake Terrace and father of two students in the Edmonds School District. Apio is an internationally recognized comedian, having won the 2009 Great American Comedy Festival as well as the Seattle Comedy Competition. With the support of a dedicated team of sponsors and volunteers, Apio has led and hosted Edmonds Comedy Night for 14 years to benefit the Edmonds School District Parent Leaders Groups.

Edmonds Bookshop: Laurie Easter in conversation with Jeannine Ouelette

On Jan. 27, beginning at 6 p.m., Laurie Easter and Jeannine Ouelette will participate in an online author event on the Edmonds Bookshop Facebook page. Laurie Easter’s debut essay collection All the Leavings looks into the meaning of love, loss and finding strength in adversity. Easter uses experiences from living off-grid in rural Oregon to create meaning in these experiences. In its manuscript form, All the Leavings was a finalist for the 2018 Autumn House Press Nonfiction Prize. It was published in October 2021 by Oregon State University Press. To learn more about Easter, click here.

Author Jeannine Ouelette wrote the memoir The Part That Burns. Learn more about Ouelette here.

— By Rachel Gardner

Rachel Gardner has a heartfelt appreciation for art in all forms and believes everyone is an artist, some just don’t know it yet. A dedicated and involved Edmonds resident, she can often be spotted onstage cracking jokes between sets or in the audience enjoying local live performances. She enjoys being playful with her art and finding unique ways of expression, like forming a boho-grunge-folk ukulele trio with local Edmonds moms.