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Cascadia’s Christmas cards on display

Cascadia Art Museum in Edmonds annual exhibition of vintage Christmas cards by noted Northwest artists and designers continues through Jan. 9.

This collection includes examples by many familiar names as well as some creative individuals now forgotten by time. The earliest card is a 1909 watercolor by John Davidson Butler (1890- 1976), given to his parents the same year he exhibited his paintings at the Alaska Yukon Pacific Exposition in Seattle.

This card stands in sharp contrast to the unconventional and somewhat bizarre foldout produced by the iconoclastic Seattle architect Robert Reichert (1921-1996) nearly 50 years later.

A book featuring many of the cards from the collection is available in the museum store.

Gallery North has ‘An Artful Holiday!’

Gallery North’s December exhibit is “An Artful Holiday!,” featuring works of art created by 16 local artists.

In addition to winter- and holiday-themed paintings and photographs, this exhibit will feature various interpretations of artful gifts. Gallery artists have created items to decorate the home, small artworks, jewelry, hand-crafted wood, medallions, and glass.

All artwork and gift items are available for purchase during the show. Gallery North is at 401 Main St., Edmonds.

Info: 425-774-0946, GalleryNorthEdmonds.com.

Driftwood Players performing ‘It’s a Wonderful Life”

Many know the classic story of Clarence and how he earned his wings, but have you seen a small cast of voice personalities play all the characters from the classic movie “It’s a Wonderful Life?”

Edmonds Driftwood Players returns for its first show since March 2020 with a transformation of the Wade James stage into WBFR Radio Station in 1946 Manhattan.

It runs Dec. 2-19. Shows are 8 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays.

The radio personalities play the characters to reenact the story of idealistic George Bailey as he considers ending his life one fateful Christmas Eve.

The show is directed by Craig Schieber. It features the voice talents of Nicola Amos (Lana Sherwood), Walt Foster (Harry “Jazzbo” Heywood”), Katelyn Hamilton (Sally Applewhite), Douglas Newell (Freddie Filmore), and Dan Ruiz Salvatura (Jake Laurents).

Tickets are $28, $25 for juniors, seniors, and military. Available online at edmondsdriftwoodplayers.org or 425-774-9600. Discounted tickets for groups of 10-plus people are also available.

Wade James Theatre is at 950 Main St., Edmonds.

Holiday Trolley continues at 2 locations in Edmonds

Back after a hiatus in 2020, the popular Edmonds Holiday Trolley is back this season. New this year is a route in the Highway 99 neighborhood 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 12, and Dec.. 19.The route will run from the southeast corner of the Safeway/Aurora Marketplace parking lot and head east then west on 238th St. SW to Edmonds Way. It then goes on 228th Street SW to Highway 99.

The trolley will run in downtown Edmonds on Saturdays through December – Dec. 4, Dec. 11, and Dec. 18 – from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. The trolley has six marked stops throughout the downtown core – Walnut Street Coffee, Hazel Miller Plaza, Slate Salon & Spa, Thai Cottage, Calypso restaurant, and Salish Crossing.

To see the route maps and for more information: edmondsholidays.com/holiday-trolley.

Public invited to help place wreaths on Veterans headstones Dec. 18

The Veterans Memorial Wreath Foundation invites the public to be part of a special event honoring veterans on Saturday, Dec. 18. VMWF will hold a military ceremony and wreath-placing event at 9 a.m. at Veterans Memorial Park at Evergreen-Washelli Cemetery, 11220 Aurora Ave N in Seattle. The event is free, and will include a small, informal reception immediately following.

This year, approximately 2,000 wreaths will be placed at Washelli. VMWF President and Founder Lorraine Zimmerman hopes that in the near future, each of the 5,000 veteran headstones at Washelli will have a wreath.

“Due to the ongoing pandemic, we could not have a public event in Seattle in 2020,” said Zimmerman. “This year’s event will be even more special as we are finally able to gather and remember our military heroes together.”

The wreath-laying is part of the Wreaths Across America program, which places 1.7 million wreaths annually on veteran headstones at more than 2,500 locations in the U.S. and its territories. More than 1 million volunteers nationwide participate in wreath events. Gov. Jay Inslee is expected to make a proclamation honoring wreath day.

The event includes a color guard presenting the colors, an invocation and a ceremonial wreath dedication where a person representing each branch of the military in dress uniform adorns a wreath that represents their branch of the military. The ceremony concludes with a bugler playing “Taps” and a 21-gun salute.

Following the ceremony, the public is welcomed to help distribute wreaths on veterans headstones. Those placing the wreaths are encouraged to state the name of the person on whose headstone the wreath is lain to help keep their memory alive.

In addition to individual contributions, this year’s wreaths funded through the Veterans Memorial Wreath Foundation were sponsored by Network for Good, The National Society Sons of the American Revolution, VFW Post #8870 in Edmonds and the Edmonds Daybreakers Foundation.

The cost of each wreath is only $15 each, with a portion going to VMWF’s Scholarship Foundation for military dependents. Donations can be made online at http://www.vmwf.org/give or by mailing a check made out to VWMF to PO Box 1611, Marysville, WA 98270.

Learn more about VMWF at http://www.vmwf.org.