Live music venues drawing fans

Brad Bridge plugged in his amp while a busy restaurant wound down.

Soon, the sweet reminder of yesterday’s classics rang out in the cozy bar at Ivar’s Mukilteo Landing.

Bridge started his set singing two songs by folksy band America – “Tin Man” and “A Horse with No Name” – from their albums “Holiday” and “America.”

As the scattered crowd turned into a nearly complete audience, the foot-tapping picked up when Bridge’s acoustic set broke out songs from Elton John, Seals and Croft, Bread, and Neil Young.

Live music can be heard weekly at Ivar’s Mukilteo Landing (710 Front St.) at 8 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays and at Tapped Mukilteo (10809 Mukilteo Speedway) at 7 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. “I grew up on this music in the seventh grade,” Bridge said. “I listened to the radio station KJR, and it inspired me to start playing music.”

Due to Ivar’s intimate venue, acoustic music is ideal for entertaining patrons. But it’s the reason why bands don’t take the stage. When Bridge made his first appearance, he brought two other musicians, but realized it was too crowded.

“Playing acoustically is basically a strippeddown version of these great songs, and it works better considering the size of the room,” Bridge said.

Ivar’s started bringing in musicians in 2018. The news took a while to reach patrons, but in 2019, management started to see more people trickle in. Then COVID hit.

“We started playing live music before COVID, and it was good,” Ivar’s Mukilteo Landing manager Nicole Ley said. “Then COVID began, so we didn’t have people in the restaurant for a while. But it’s such a great positive thing for the community, so we are excited to get back into the groove. We keep noticing that we’re getting a great turnout.”

Ley said she’s not sure how long the music will play after summer, but there is no plan to end it anytime soon. She believes they’ll continue to offer it into October.

Roger Kehler will perform a variety of hits from the 1970s and 1990s on Sept. 14.

Now that COVID is slowly trailing off, and customers are allowed to enter restaurants and businesses, the music scene around the city is starting to catch on, even if it’s by accident. That’s how it happened for Bridge.

He was visiting Ivar’s one day when he heard music from the bar. After asking about it, a friend told his server that Bridge is a musician. He submitted a few samples and was soon invited to join the rotation, which he enthusiastically accepted.

“I had a table of regulars who came in on a Wednesday night, and they had no idea about our music,” said Ley, a 15-year Ivar’s employee with six years at the Mukilteo location. “They lit up when they heard that we have music every week. We have people who have been coming in forever who didn’t know about our music nights. Unfortunately, sometimes it’s about being in the place at the right time.”

Local artists offer a similar brand of acoustic oldies up the Speedway in the quaint and friendly Tapped Mukilteo dining room. “We tried to design the concept around a place we all would hang out and gather with friends and listen to great music,” owner Sean Drought said. “We think many awesome artists out there need a place to share their talents.”

Mukilteo’s “Legacy” is among many artists who play Tapped Mukilteo weekly.

“Aside from being local, Legacy is a killer,” Drought said. “We are lovers of live music ourselves, so it’s pretty awesome.”

Come to the Lighthouse!

Eliza grew up in Poland and spent summers with her grandparents and their big garden. She especially remembers her grandmother’s beautiful tomatoes. There was no TV to watch, so it came naturally to work in the garden, to gather food, and eat outdoors. Now Eliza shares her knowledge with daughter Lucja, who loves to learn. The hands-on work in the garden makes it easier to teach Lucja where food comes from, and Eliza believes learning to grow food is a lifelong skill.

Tilling Times

The Mukilteo Community Garden will host an open house from 9:30-11:30 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 10. All are welcome. Come learn about veggies you may wish to grow next season. Ask your gardening questions. Learn how MCG contributes nearly 2,000 pounds of organic produce annually to area food banks. And enjoy treats baked with garden produce. The garden is located at 44th Avenue West and 76th Street SW in Mukilteo (the upper trailhead to Japanese Gulch). For more information call 425-737-0351.

BY JEANNE CRISP mukilteo community garden

Stephanie has happy memories of gardening with her grandparents, which was a huge part of her life. Now gardening is a family affair with husband Juan, nineyear-old Emilia, and fouryear-old Antonio. She wants to teach them life skills and self-sufficiency, and be sure they understand where their food comes from.

What’s Stephanie’s advice on how to get kids engaged? She said her kids love to interact with other people in the garden, so she brings them to work parties. When they ate broccoli at home recently, Emilia and Antonio were happy to realize they grew it in their garden. And the kids like to see the wildlife in the garden, which ranges from roly-polys and worms to butterflies, birds, and the visiting neighborhood cat.

Peggy describes involving her kids at a preschool age. They helped pick the vegetables to plant, and Peggy instilled in them the magic of watching a seed turn into a marigold or carrot. She also said, “It’s a constructive activity to do while getting some fresh air.”

One multi-generational family at MCG is Becky, daughter Emily, and grandkids Olivia and Alex. Becky’s family were farmers in Michigan, including a grandmother who fed many people from a victory garden during World War II. Becky grew her own vegetable garden so her two children would have good nutrition habits. When her daughter Emily was a toddler, the whole family would eat out of the garden. As Emily said, “If I was hungry, I’d just run to the garden and help myself to something to eat.”

Today Emily is a mom – and a healthy eater. She’s carrying on the family tradition because gardening teaches you about your food, and where it comes from.

When asked how to keep kids interested, Emily suggested “Give them a sense of pride. Find a way for them to be involved.” Olivia, now 5, has been a champion bean and blueberry picker for three seasons. She also likes learning about plants. Alex, 2, likes the physical aspects of gardening such as weeding and watering. There’s certainly room for both types in the Garden. Emily also suggested letting the kids take ownership of some of their garden beds. Give up your own idea of perfection and let kids grow and learn in their own way. And, plant what they like to eat. As usually happens, Olivia and Alex are interested in tasting vegetables they’ve grown.

Half the beds at the Mukilteo Community Garden are used to raise produce for area food banks. All the kids mentioned in this column also help plant, weed, and harvest those crops. While they’re learning to garden, they are also learning to give to others.

So last but not least, the best advice on how to grow a gardener is: Let the kids feel like the Garden is a second home. They can learn from everyone else, and they can contribute as well. It’s a Community, and they are an integral part of it.

Slow down, summer

It’s hard to believe, but the third of the Mukilteo Chamber of Commerce’s Music at the Beach concerts has come and gone. Residents enjoyed the guitar playing of opening act Josiah Bogle and then rocked out to the sounds of Engage Saturday, Aug. 27 at Lighthouse Park. If you missed Engage, you have another opportunity to check out the popular cover band at this weekend’s Lighthouse Festival. Engage will be performing at 8:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 9, in the chamber’s beer garden.

Clockwise from top left: Opening act Josiah Bogle concentrates on the words at the Mukilteo Chamber’s Music at the Beach Saturday, Aug. 27, at Lighthouse Park. Engage’s Deb Curley takes a turn at lead vocals. Lead vocalist Tina Hart performs. Ray Coughlin plays the guitar. Dave Basen is into the song. Two women enjoy the sounds of Engage. Cam Cleveland bangs the cymbals (inset).

Sept. 9

Teen After-School Gaming

2-4 p.m. Board games, card games, party games, or bring your own. Snacks available while supplies last. For teens (grades 6-12). Mukilteo Library, 4675 Harbour Pointe Blvd., Mukilteo.

Sept. 9-11

9-11 ceremony

South County Union Firefighters Local 1828 will host a public ceremony to remember and honor the victims of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. 9/11 Memorial in Fallen Firefighter Memorial Park at Fire Station 17, 275 Sixth Ave. N, Edmonds.