Edmonds summer concert series returns

It has been a while since we shared the Edmonds Concert in the Park schedule. and we don’t want anyone to miss them. The popular Summer Concerts in the Park series is back. The public is invited to enjoy free music each Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday at City Park, Hazel Miller Plaza and Hickman Park. They started July 9 and will run until Aug. 27.

Summer Concerts in the Park is a program of the Edmonds Arts Commission with sponsorship support from Lynnwood Honda, Carter Motors/Lynnwood Acura and the Hazel Miller Foundation.

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Edmonds Waterfront Center hosts photography exhibit with the Puget Sound Camera Club

Through Oct. 3.

Edmonds Waterfront Center 

220 Railroad Ave.

A brand-new gallery exhibition at the Edmonds Waterfront Center features work by 19 members of the Edmonds-based Puget Sound Camera Club (PSCC). The 36 works displayed feature a variety of photographic styles and subjects, and nearly all are for sale. The exhibit runs through Oct. 3.

The camera club’s presentation is the latest in a series of three-month exhibits by regional arts organizations hosted in the dedicated gallery space at the Edmonds Waterfront Center.

Chris Currie, president of the PSCC, describes the group as a vibrant, welcoming community of photographers. Although based in Edmonds, it draws members from across the region and the US. The club, open to photographers of all skill levels, encourages a free exchange of ideas on both the artistic and technical aspects of photography. Members can show their latest work and receive constructive feedback from experienced commentators. Each month, the club hosts two meetings:  a “Digital Projection Night” in which members can participate either in person or via Zoom, and a “Print Night” which is in-person only.  The club meets at Maplewood Presbyterian Church, 19523 84 th  Ave W. Edmonds, but is not affiliated with any religious organization. Visitors, guests and new members are welcome.

The Edmonds Waterfront Center is open for EWC programs from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and for City of Edmonds programs from 4 to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday.

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Edmonds Marsh Estuary Advocates Paint the Edmonds Marsh Contest

Submissions due Monday, July 17, 5 p.m.

There’s still time to enter. The goal of the contest is to help more people appreciate the beauty and function of the Edmonds Marsh and to advocate for its future restoration. The subject, of course, is the marsh, with submissions invited in two categories: the beauty of the marsh as it is now or a vision of the marsh as a large, functioning estuary. Artists need not be residents of Edmonds. Anyone who loves the marsh is welcome to enter up to three paintings in any medium. Submissions are due by 5 p.m. Monday, July 17. Two $1,000 top prizes will be awarded, along with honorable mentions and a prize for an artist under 18.

Jurors will include Marni Muir and Lynn Hanson.

Marni Muir is a member of the board of the Cascadia Art Museum. She served as a member of the Edmonds Arts Commission for eight years. As an art broker, dealer and artists’ representative, Muir has a broad appreciation of the arts. She has lived in Edmonds almost her entire life and been involved in the local arts community for more than 40 years. Muir demonstrated her passion for the need to protect the Edmonds Marsh in 2014, when she completed an art installation at the marsh itself, as noted in this MyEdmondsNews article.

Lynn Hanson is a member of the Lynnwood Arts Commission and serves on the governing board of Arts Walk Edmonds. She is the owner of the Lynn Hanson Gallery, representing over 25 artists, in Pioneer Square and she has an art studio in Lynnwood. Exhibited internationally, her own work has also been featured in the Seattle Art Fair for three years. Her work stems from a rapt attention and visceral connection to the natural world: from a childhood spent stalking garter snakes at Whiskey Ditch in rural Minnesota to a daily ritual of exploring. Learn more on her website.

More information about the contest entry, prizes and the marsh can be found here. You can learn more about the Edmonds Marsh at the EMEA website.

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Shakespeare in the Park

Lynndale Park Amphitheater

18927 72nd Ave. W., Lynnwood

Enjoy an evening of theatre for the whole family at Lynndale Park Amphitheater this summer. Performances by Wooden O Productions and Green Stage.

Thursday, July 20     The Tempest

Thursday, July 27     Henry VI Part 1

Thursday, Aug. 3   Romeo and Juliet

All performances begin at 7 p.m., rain or shine.

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Ballyhoo Theatre presents: ‘Chicago: Teen Edition’

Performances run July 21-30

The Black Box at Edmonds College

20310 68th Ave. W., Lynnwood

Based on the 1926 play by Maurine Dallas Watkins, and set in roaring ’20s Chicago, the musical follows Roxie Hart, whose crime of passion lands her on Merry Murderesses Row, sharing the spotlight with vaudeville icon and fellow felon Velma Kelly. To keep their names in the headlines and themselves off death row, Roxie and Velma ultimately join forces in search of the “American Dream”: fame, fortune, and acquittal. Chicago: Teen Edition has a book by Fred Ebb and Bob Fosse, Music by John Kander and Lyrics by Fred Ebb, and is performed by students ages 15-21. The show has direction/musical direction by Shileah Corey and choreography by Mackenzie Neusiok.

Get tickets here.

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Story Time with author Ellie Peterson

Friday, Juy. 28, 9:30 a.m.

Edmonds Bookshop

111 5th Ave. S., Edmonds 

Author Ellie Peterson will read her books at a new Story Time event for children at Edmonds Bookshop, Friday July 28 at 9:30 a.m.

All are welcome to join in the fun at Edmonds Bookshop with Peterson, children’s author and illustrator of How to Hug a Pufferfish and many other picture books. According to her website, Peterson aims to create books that “amuse, intrigue, and inspire children of all ages,” so come for a morning of inspiration. Parents are expected to accompany their children for the duration of the 30-minute presentation, which will include some fun hands-on activities. Follow Edmonds Bookshop on Instagram, Facebook, or check their website to find out about this and future monthly story times.

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As If Theatre Company Announces the 2023 Kenmore Quickies – A Play on Art

Friday, Aug. 11, 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, Aug. 12, 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.; Sunday, Aug.13, 5 p.m.

Kenmore Community Club

7304 N.E. 175th St., Kenmore

As If Theatre Company announces its third annual short-play festival, The Kenmore Quickies – A Play on Art, running Aug. 11-13 at the Kenmore Community Club. Each year, the Quickies features eight prompted short plays written, directed and performed by local theater artists. At the June kick-off event, eight directors and 13 actors were randomly assigned to one of eight playwrights, who were given a specific prompt from which to write a 10-minute play in a four-week timeframe. The festival will be a weekend of performances of all of the plays, with a winning play chosen by the audience.

This year, the prompts are works of art created by local visual artists. Each playwright was assigned one of the selected pieces of art (ranging from paintings, sketches, digital design, photographs and glasswork) to inspire their storytelling.

“We’re so excited to be in our third year of the Kenmore Quickies,” says As If Theatre’s Artistic Director Cindy Giese French. “We continue to be overwhelmed by the talent that comes out to participate in this festival; as playwrights, directors, and actors. And the artwork we curated this year has raised the bar even further! The scripts are funny, heartfelt, a little weird and just wonderful.”

Playwrights include Holly Arsenault, Angela Gyurko, Romney Humphrey, P.H. Lin, Andrew Meyers, Anna Tatelman, Carolynne Wilcox, and Michael Yichao. Visual artists providing the works of art as prompts for each playwright are Staci Adman, Suzanne Bailie, Sam Gentry, Sara Solum Hayashi, Payal Patel, Kimberly Smith, Sebastian Vivas, and Bex Worrich. The following will be directing one of the eight plays; Jana Blumberg, Terry Boyd, Jack Conley, Dawn Cornell, Marianna de Fazio, David Dorrian, Keith Gehrig, and Yvonne Williams. Acting in the festival will be Jana Blumberg, Terry Boyd, Monica Chilton, Dawn Cornell, Tina Devrin, Kevin Finney, Sam Neer, Jane Martin Lynch, Kait Miller, Jennifer Nielsen, Elizabeth Shipman, Jay Vilhauer, and Christina Williams.

All of the plays will be presented at each performance. The audience favorite will be announced after the Sunday performance. Tickets are $20 and on sale and can be found here.

Elizabeth Murray is a freelance writer thankful to call Edmonds home. When she’s not busy wrangling her two kids (and husband), you can find her playing ukulele