My stomach muscles are still sore from laughing so hard during the Edmonds Comedy Night last weekend. Host (and Mountlake Terrace resident) Kermet Apio described himself as looking like Dwayne “the Rock” Johnson if he didn’t work out, and at that joke I almost shot wine from my nose on the person in front of me. Sorry neighbor! Highlights included an impromptu pie delivery, comedian Don Friesen’s jokes about the hilarity of double words in the English language (I’m sorry, but I’m not sorry, sorry), and jingles for all the participating sponsors. The My Edmonds News jingle was perfectly set to the tune of What’s Going On by Four Non Blondes. For attendees who also enjoyed the show or people who wished they had snagged tickets, get excited; there is more comedy coming to Edmonds in April!

Cascadia Art Museum’s Oscar story

Award-winning film The Whale features artwork from Cascadia Art Museum’s permanent collection. A few years ago, the director of The Whale, Darren Aronofsky, contacted Cascadia curator David Martin to request the use of a painting from one of their exhibitions as part of the set for the movie. If you see the film, look for the “Palouse Hills” painting (it’s a copy) on the wall. The artist’s son donated two of his father’s paintings to the museum’s permanent collection. For more information about the artist, click here.

Congratulations to Brendan Fraser for winning the Best Actor Oscar for his performance in The Whale. He graduated in 1990 from Seattle’s Cornish College of the Arts — the same college that gave Cascadia curator David Martin an honorary doctorate in 2017.

~ ~ ~ ~

Free music lessons in honor of annual Teach Music Week

The 9th Annual Teach Music Week will be celebrated Monday, March 20 through Sunday, March 26. This annual week-long holiday invites musicians, music schools, music stores and other music organizations to offer a free lesson or class to new students (both children andadults). This year, over 1,000 locations in a dozen countries will participate, including the U.S., Australia, France, India, Italy, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Nigeria, the Philippines and the United Kingdom.

Teach Music Week is celebrated annually during the 3rd week of March to coincide with national Music in Our Schools Month. Anyone interested in learning to play an instrument is encouraged to seek out a participating location or musician friend to help get them started. Teach Music Week also invites public, private, and charter schools to schedule activities that will encourage more students to sign up for music, band, and choral classes.

Music & Arts, the largest music lesson provider in the country, will participate in Teach Music Week by hosting a free group guitar lesson for kids 8 to 13 years old on Saturday, March 25 at participating locations. Guitar Center locations will bookend Teach Music Week with a free group guitar lesson on two Saturdays — March 18 and March 25.

Individual locations from additional chains participating this year include Long & McQuade, Kindermusik, Gymboree Play & Music, Music Together and the legendary School of Rock. For more information, to register as a location, or to find participating locations, visit the Teach Music Week website, call 610-874-6312, or email info@KeepMusicAlive.org.

~ ~ ~ ~

Author Noelle Salazar in Conversation with Elise Hooper 

Thursday, March 30, 6 p.m.
Edmonds Bookshop
111 5th Ave. S., Edmonds

Edmonds Bookshop will host author Noelle Salazar on Thursday, March 30 at 6 p.m. Noelle writes historical fiction and will be discussing her newest book, Angels of the Resistance, with fellow author Elise Hooper. Angels of the Resistance is about two sisters who are part of the Dutch Resistance movement during World War II. It is Salazar’s second novel following The Flight Girls, a USA Today bestseller, which was inspired by the real team of female pilots who trained World War II soldiers. Noelle lives in Bothell. More information about her and her books can be found on her website, here.

Elise Hooper also writes historical fiction, centering on the lives of women who have traditionally been overlooked. Her most recent novel, Angels of the Pacific, is based on the true story of WWII nurses serving in the Philippines during the Japanese occupation. More about Elise and her books can be found here.

Join the discussion for an engaging Women’s History Month author event. See more on the bookshop’s Facebook page and website.

~ ~ ~ ~

Cascadia Art Museum presents: Urban Scenes of Seattle (1910-1960)

Now – July 16
Cascadia Art Museum
190 Sunset Ave., Edmonds

This exhibition illustrates Seattle’s changing urban environment over a 50-year span as depicted by several of Washington state’s finest artists. Some of the earliest works were created by Roi Partridge and Paul Morgan Gustin, whose superb graphic abilities in drawing and printmaking introduce the initial architectural foundation and landmarks of the city.

Kenjiro Nomura and Kamekichi Tokita produced soulful, modern vignettes that evoke the regional atmospheric play of light on the familiar structures they encountered in their daily lives. Their paintings conveyed stability and optimism during the tough financial challenges of the Depression. A truly unique talent in Depression-era Seattle was Salvador Gonzalez, who combined a stylistic appropriation of folk art with a powerful modernist design aesthetic.

Yvonne Twining Humber and Blanche Morgan Losey used a hard-edged Precisionist style in oil and watercolor for their commanding observations. Both artists approached regional architecture as a formidable challenge that included urban decay and renewal.

Concluding the exhibition are several mid-century watercolors by Andrew Chinn. These paintings illustrate how successfully he merged his initial traditional art training in China with contemporary western techniques. His superb brushwork and sensitive response to natural and man-made forms allow an emotional connection with the subject that is universal and timeless.

~ ~ ~ ~

Edmonds Laugh-A-Thon tickets on sale now

Saturday, April 29, 8 p.m.
Old Edmonds Opera House – Edmonds Masonic Center
515 Dayton St., Edmonds

The Edmonds Chamber Foundation & Edmonds Chamber of Commerce are excited to announce a new event that you don’t want to miss: Edmonds Laugh-a-thon! Comedian and host Vince Valenzuela will lead you through five comedy acts featuring himself, Art Krug, Jessica Hong, Rod Long and Susan Rice. Proceeds from the show will benefit the Edmonds Chamber Foundation WISH Fund, which helps businesses get back on their feet after unexpected disasters. Join the chamber on April 29at the Old Edmonds Opera House (Masonic Lodge) for an evening of laughter, drinks and feel-good support of the Edmonds business community. This is an age 21-plus event.

Sponsorships are available — reach out to Chamber Foundation Board Member Lisa Epstein for information.

The chamber is also seeking volunteers! Support this event and enjoy the show. Sign up here.

~ ~ ~ ~

Get tickets to Olympic Ballet Theatre’s ‘Sleeping Beauty’

Saturday and Sunday, May 13-14
Edmonds Center for the Arts
410 4th Ave. N., Edmonds

This timeless ballet tells the fairytale of the conflicting forces of good and evil — lovely Princess Aurora, the wicked fairy who cursed her, the kind fairy who protected her, and the brave prince who set her free from the spell.

Enjoy this classical production featuring gorgeous costumes, stunning sets by Jeanne Franz, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s beautiful score, and choreography by Mara Vinson and Oleg Gorboulev, influenced by Marius Petipa. The Sleeping Beauty is the perfect entertainment for the whole family and will delight patrons of all ages.

Order tickets here.

— By Elizabeth Murray

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 and singing with The Band LeLe.