February Story Time at Edmonds Bookshop

9:30 a.m., Friday, Feb. 28, Edmonds Bookshop, 111 5th Ave. S., Edmonds

Local author Audrey Barbakoff will read her picture book, The Schlemiel Kids Save the Moon, for February’s Story Time at the Edmonds Bookshop. All children and their grownups are welcome to this before-the-store-opens storytime. There will be a special craft time afterward. Barbakoff is a librarian, educator and CEO of library consultancy Co/lab Capacity LLC. She holds a Doctorate of Education from the University of Southern California and a Master of Library and Information Science from the University of Washington. She specializes in #ownvoices Jewish kidlit, humor, and library education. Audrey lives with her husband, two children and chickens on an island in Puget Sound. Learn more about her and her work on her website.

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49th Annual DeMiero Jazz Festival

Thursday and Friday, March 6-7, Edmonds College, 20000 68th Ave. W., Lynnwood

7 p.m., Friday, March 7, Edmonds Center for the Arts, 410 4th Ave. N., Edmonds

The 49th annual DeMiero Jazz Festival is at a new location this March 6-7. The daytime festival will be held in several buildings on the campus of Edmonds College. Over 40 jazz choirs will participate in this music education event, which offers a non-competitive, inspiring chance to perform and work with professional jazz artists. Daytime performances, clinics and master classes are free and open to the public.

Close out the festival Friday night with a thrilling concert for students and the public at the Edmonds Center for the Arts. Tickets are available through the Edmonds Center for the Arts website (see more details below) and at the door.

Headline artists for 2025 include The LHR Project and Christie Dashiell. The LHR Project is a vocal collective committed to celebrating the legendary vocal trio Lambert, Hendricks, and Ross and perpetuating the art of vocalese. The artists representing The LHR Project at the DeMiero Jazz Festival are Trist Curless (Manhattan Transfer, m-pact), Janis Siegel (Manhattan Transfer), and Mark Kibble (Take 6.) Dashiell, one of the most sought-after artists in the scene today, has worked with Sweet Honey in the Rock, Wynton Marsalis, and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, among many others.

See why generations of jazz choir students have attended this festival for more than 49 years, learning from international artists and clinicians.

For more information, visit the DeMiero Jazz Festival website.

Note that the ECA and DeMiero Festival are teaming up to streamline ticket sales on the ECA website. While the link isn’t live yet, stay tuned and check back for updates.

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Day of the Dude Edmonds

7 p.m., Thursday, March 6, the Edmonds Theater, 415 Main St., Edmonds

Join the Edmonds Movie Club as they celebrate their first event, the International Day of the Dude. Dress as your favorite Big Lebowski character for a chance to win a costume contest, groove to Dudeworthy tunes from DJ MizRhi and cheer on a lucky couple as your local Dudeist Priests marry them in a short ceremony before a special screening of The Big Lebowski. Don’t miss the after party at Bar Americano from 10 p.m. -midnight.

Tickets are coming soon. Buy tickets here.

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Enter the ECA’s annual WE SPEAK Youth Poetry Competition

The deadline to submit is Monday, March 10

Edmonds Center for the Arts invites youth in the Puget Sound to submit samples of spoken word performances for a chance to appear on the ECA stage during WE SPEAK and receive a $1,000 scholarship.

The theme for 2025 is “The Stories We Tell.”

Share a story that is meaningful to you. You may respond to themes of Identity, Injustice, and Mental Health. You may want to share what community means to you. Do you have reflections on the history of slam poetry? Are you passionate about politics, the environment, or giving voice to marginalization?

Tell a story as only you can. Three finalists will be selected to perform their work during WE SPEAK on Thursday, May 1.

The first-place winner will receive a $1,000 scholarship, and the second and third-place winners will each receive a $500 scholarship. In the weeks before the performance, all three finalists will participate in a workshop at ECA with a local poet mentor.

Click here to learn more and enter.

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Learning Italian from Opera’s Superstars 

1 – 3 p.m., Mondays, March 3 and 10, online event

The saying goes, “When Pavarotti sings, we are all Italian.” Edmonds author, lecturer and former Metropolitan Opera violinist Erica Miner, who first learned to speak the language of opera by accompanying the likes of Luciano Pavarotti from the orchestra pit, will present “Learning Italian from Opera’s Superstars” online for the Creative Retirement Institute at Edmonds College. The event runs from from 1-3 p.m. on March 3 and 10. Erica will share some of her favorite Italian-flavored anecdotes and video excerpts from beloved Italian operas like La Bohème. The $45 course is available here.

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Save the date: Edmonds Chamber Foundation’s annual Laugh-a-thon Comedy Night

7:30 p.m. doors open, show starts at 8 p.m. Saturday, April 26, Old Edmonds Opera House, 515 Dayton St., Edmonds

Join the Edmonds Chamber Foundation and Chamber of Commerce for their annual Laugh-a-thon Comedy Night.

Proceeds from the show will help the Edmonds Chamber Foundation WISH Fund. Even a small disaster can potentially ruin a business’s chances of success. The Edmonds Chamber Foundation has created a WISH Fund (When Inconvenient Stuff Happens) to help businesses get back on their feet faster after a catastrophe. This program assists in disaster recovery when insurance does not cover an incident, or a business is underinsured.

Tickets for ages 21-plus run from $60 for VIP and $40 for general admission online purchases, The cost is $45 for general admission at the door.

Affordable sponsorships are available. Sign up now to maximize your benefits. Email Lillyan Hendershot for more information.

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. She can be reached at elmm22@gmail.com