Concerts rock the park
Clinton Fearon and his Boogie Brown Band will bring the grooves of roots reggae music to Vashon Park District’s free Summer Concerts in the Park series at 7 p.m. tonight, Aug. 8, at Ober Park. The next concert up in the weekly series, with Vashon’s own Portage Fill big band, will take place at 7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 15, at Ober Park. The band has been a fixture on Vashon for more than 40 years, entertaining audiences with swinging, danceable music from the Big Band era and beyond. Vashon Events has curated the concert series.
New shows crop up at arts fest
Vashon Summer Arts Fest, at Vashon Center for the Arts, rolls on with openings of more exhibits at 6 p.m. Friday, Aug. 9. New exhibits will include “Threshold,” an exhibit by Alena Sinacola that explores the human figure in acrylic, ink and charcoal. Gale Lurie, a potter and teacher, will show raku pieces that are functional and inexpensive. A show of works in wood by Lyle E. Harris will include breadboards, salad bowls and vases. Art and objects by Jeaneen Bauer and Eric Nelsen will fill VCA’s gift shop. Bauer’s work includes fiber art, jewelry, altars and photos exploring ceremonial practices, tools and icons. Nelsen will exhibit a collection of Jizos — statues of the Japanese “protector of travelers.”
UFO madness at the movie theater
“The Maury Island Incident,” a film about a UFO sighting that put Maury Island on the map in 1947, will have a screening at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 13, at Vashon Theatre. The evening, which will include a Q and A with the film’s producers, is a benefit for the Vashon-Maury Island Heritage Museum, with a suggested donation of $10. The screening is also held in conjunction with Anne Gordon’s current art exhibit, “Vashon Maury Island After the Incident,” currently on view at Puget Sound Cooperative Credit Union.
A book tells the story of a wild day
Islander Rebecca Graves will read from her new novel, “That One Day in August,” at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 14, at Vashon Bookshop. The book, she said, is an irreverent romp through a summer day in 1996, on Vashon, when the Island Earthfair coincided with Tom Stewart’s Republican picnic, the Dog Days sidewalk sale and Islewilde, a freewheeling community arts festival. The book contains both real, imagined and embellished island characters and situations. Graves said that she jotted down some ideas for her book 20 years ago, but that when she recently returned to it, the story flowed out of her. “I have heard authors say that their characters take over and direct the writing, but I never believed it,” said Graves. “Yet that is exactly what happened. These people were apparently just hanging out in my head, waiting for me to tell their story.”
Call for young artists
Puget Sound Cooperative Credit Union is looking for young artists to participate in an upcoming exhibit of work by youth (up to age 17) to take place Sept. 1 to Oct. 31, at the credit union. Participants must be members of PSCCU or the children of members. Artwork must be turned in, ready to hang, by Aug. 29. Only one piece per artist, please. All sales will go to the artists or parents of artists. An opening reception will take place at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 4. Email jeaneenb@psccu.org with questions.
Shawn Mullins in concert
Indie darling Shawn Mullins will revisit his 1998 breakthrough album, “Soul Core,” in an intimate concert at 8 p.m. Friday, Aug. 16, at Vashon Center for the Arts. The success of “Soul Core” was propelled by the strength of its Grammy-nominated No. 1 hit, “Lullaby,” which catapulted Mullins from the folk circuit to the international spotlight. The concert, to be opened by Vashon’s own Danny Newcomb, is co-presented by VCA and Debra Heesch. Tickets range from $40 to $20; buy them at vashoncenterforthearts.org.
Micaiah Sawyer and Robin Alice play
Singer/songwriter Micaiah Sawyer and the Americana duo Robin Alice will play a concert at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 17, at Vashon Center for the Arts. In 2018, Sawyer was the first-ever female artist to win MoPoP’s prestigious Sound Off Competition, a premier 21-and-younger musicians’ showcase competition. Her sound combines gritty blues and folksy soul. Kelley Jakie and Jeff Hortillosa make up the duo Robin Alice, blending pop melodies, rock-n-roll and virtuoso performances. Vashon’s own Maijah Sanson-Frey will open the show. Tickets, from $10 to $20, are on sale at vashoncenterforthearts.org.
Take part in the Total Experience
A documentary about Pat Wright, the director of Seattle’s famed Total Experience Gospel Choir, will be screened at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 20, at Vashon Theatre. The film, third-place winner of SIFF’s Golden Space Needle Award in 2018, details Wright’s many accomplishments from 1973 to the present. Her choir has performed in front of four sitting U.S. presidents and traveled to 11 countries.
All proceeds from the screening, which is part of the Island Greentech nights at the theater, will go to the Bailey-Boushay House, an AIDS hospice in Seattle. The night is presented by islander Larry Flynn, who has brought the choir to the island to perform on many occasions. Admission is $10.
