Play Date! Great Family Events and Deals in the Sammamish Area

EVENTS FOR FAMILIES, July 20 – July 27

July 21: Youth Basketball Drop-In at the

• 5 to 8 p.m.
• Thursdays through Aug. 25
• For grades three to eight
• Fun program featuring a mix of instructional drills and pick-up games with instruction from coaches from the Youth Basketball League.
• First time participants must have a parent fill out a registration sheet and sign a waiver before participating.
• Cost: Free

July 23: Guided Canoe Trip Through the 

• 8:45 - 11:45 a.m.
• Explore the beautiful Mercer Slough Nature Park by water with your family. Bellevue Park Rangers lead the canoe trip that begins and ends at the  Boat Launch. You’ll see how this amazing ecosystem functions as you travel into the heart of Mercer Slough Nature Park, a 320-acre wetland. With a little luck, you may catch a glimpse of the otters, herons, turtles and other wildlife of Mercer Slough. Kids must be age five and up and there must be one adult caretaker present for every two children. Some paddling experience required and participants are required to paddle a distance of four miles.
• Cost: $16. Pre-registration is required. Call 425-452-6885 or go online.
  
  July 23: Masks of the Rain Forest program at the presented by Won-Ldy Payne and Village Drum
• 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
• Go deep into the Rain Forest of West Africa to discover the three types of ceremonial masks worn there. See dances, hear stories and music that will transport you to a typical Liberian village.
• Tickets are not required but come early as seating may be limited.
• Cost: Free

July 25: Pajama Story Time at the

• 7 to 8 p.m.
• Two to six year olds with an adult caretaker.
• It's a pajamarama! Enjoy engaging stories, puppets, music and movement in your pjs.
• Cost: Free 

July 27:

• 4 to 8 p.m.
• Featured free activity this week for kids is construct a hand-made windmill.
• Enjoy free live entertainment from the Honky-Tonk Swing band the Birdwatchers 
• Featured nonprofit organizations this week are the Sammamish Community Wildlife Habitat Project and the Washington Native Plant Society.

Sweet Deals

Plant Starts at the Bellevue Crossroads Farmer’s Market from Kitts North Hill Greenhouses

• Tuesdays Noon to 6:30 p.m. May - October
• Deal: Did you start your garden late this year – or not yet?  Would you still like to have fresh veggies by this fall? Or a planter outside your kitchen growing fresh herbs? Then stop by Kitts North Hill Greenhouses booth at the Crossroads Farmer’s Market located right across from the old Circuit City building, soon to be the Stone Gardens Climbers Gym. Meet the members of this family-run farm and enjoy great deals on starts of all sort of vegetables, herbs and flowers. And while you are at the market, enjoy an extraordinary ice cream bar from Whidbey Island Ice Cream and bring home some French macaroons and fine pastries from Lilli Pilli.
• Good through: Ongoing

Boredom Buster Kit Supplies at Bargain Prices at 

• Deal: Are your kids driving you crazy as they remain often trapped inside and bored by our soggy summer? Then hop in the car and head to Bellevue Art and Frame. Downstairs, you’ll find a 75 percent off clearance table with a week’s worth of activity supplies including fabric markers for make your own cool T-shirt designs, color pencils, paint, rubber stamps and card making supplies and books with project instructions.
• Good through: Ongoing