The Crossing Guide Issue 2 by fifthonsixth

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Marisa Papetti editor@thecrossingguide.com MANAGING EDITOR Stacy Reynolds stacy@thecrossingguide.com ART DIRECTOR Tammy Findlay COPY EDITOR Wes Davis ASSISTANT ART DIRECTOR Roman Komarov

HAPPY HOUR

M O N - T H U R S 2 : 3 0 - 5 8 : 3 0 - C LO S E F R I - S U N 8 : 3 0 - C LO S E

PHOTOGRAPHY C9 Photography. All photography in this issue is by C9 unless otherwise noted. www.designc9.com WEBSITE Roman Komarov webmaster@thecrossingguide.com ILLUSTRATION Tammy Findlay CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Roman Komarov, Tom Gotchy, Mark Turner, Jessica Haag, Scott Kirkwood, Karlie Rowland CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Sheila Ireland, Davin Michael Stedman, Colleen Harper, Pamela Kuntz, Glenn Apollo Hergenhahn-Zhao, Lorraine Wilde, Alexa Peters, Stacy Reynolds, Katie Kavulla, Elisha Weinberg, Riley Sweeney, Thomas G. Hadley, Ramona Abbott, Lucas Nydam, Heather Hulbert, Shawna Matthews, Doug Ogg AD SALES Marisa Papetti: ads@thecrossingguide.com Dave Nellis: dave@thecrossingguide.com Sara Wright: sara@thecrossingguide.com Reatha Tom: reatha@thecrossingguide.com

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PUBLISHING Published on 10% post-consumer paper with soy-based ink. DISTRIBUTION Certified Folder Display Service, Inc. 2407 South 200th Street SeaTac, WA 98198 www.CertifiedFolder.com COVER ART Elaine McRory CONTACT INFORMATION The Crossing Guide 1155 N State St. Ste 510 Bellingham, WA 98225 www.thecrossingguide.com office: (360) 306-8073 fax: (360) 392-8015 editor@thecrossingguide.com

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WHAT’S INSIDE 60. LOVE ADVICE Romantic traffic jam? Let Elisha navigate.

62. THE HISTORY OF THIS Hankies: they’re back in fashion.

64.

THE LYNDEN PIONEER MUSEUM A lovely dose of Dutch heritage.

68. BELLEWOOD DISTILLING

FEATURE 48. THE NORTH CASCADES INSTITUTE Connect with nature through education, culture, art, and really, really good food.

Liquor, bitters, preserves: see where the locals get their goods. page 74

SUSHI The plates just keep coming and we keep eating.

74. FOODIE HAVEN Five

10. SERVIN’ THE BLUES The

delicious reasons to visit Anacortes.

Conway music scene is all fired up. That’s right, we said Conway.

78. POETRY College Locust Chatter.

16. PINBALL MACHINE

80. BOOKS Calling all

WIZARD You know the song... now meet the pinaholics.

Bibliohphiles.

82.

20. RUMBA NORTHWEST

FILM Out of Nothing: a local documentary about the work it takes to chase a dream.

Dance and cuisine collide.

26.

FAIRHAVEN VILLAGE INN Find peace in the heart of downtown Fairhaven.

page 68

86. FASHION Nautigirl, Nautiboy, Nautibabies—everyone get’s a little Nauti.

32. SHORT STORY My Old Man 34. THE SECRET CITY We’ll

90. FERRY & BORDER INFORMATION Everything you need to know.

give you a hint: it’s Snohomish.

42. BIKING GETAWAYS

96.

EVENT LISTINGS Additional listings found on pages: 19, 29, 38, 45, 57, 58 & 67

Five spots for family bike-time.

54. POETRY Your Violin Soul 56. STAGE LEFT Because you need a little more drama in your life. page 42

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70. FOOD REVIEW: ZEN

WHATâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S THIS?

These are QR codes. We put them throughout the magazine for your convenience. Instead of typing in a URL (website address), you can scan this icon with your phone or tablet. Many devices have this feature already built in and ready to use. You may need to download an app that reads QR codes. There are several free ones. We recommend I-nigma.

READ US ONLINE! The magazine is free for you to enjoy online as well. Visit us at thecrossingguide.com. From there you can also enjoy back issues.

ARTIST BIO

We are proud to feature Elaine McRory on this issueâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s cover am a long-retired art teacher who is finally doing art for pleasure. In l968, my husband Mike and I moved to Lummi Island; a year later, we had Eric. To support my childhood dream of raising horses, I renewed my teaching certificate in l983 at WWU and began substitute teaching. During the summers, Mike and I commercially fished for salmon. However, it was my ornament business that flourished. I used an obscure process of folding paper on curved, scored lines forming a sphere with accordion pleated insets. In l990, our focus shifted to enhancing salmon. I taught students all over Whatcom County the benefits of Riparian habitat restoration for salmon recovery. The Nooksack Salmon Enhancement Assoc. now has a great staff in my stead. Art seems to be the thread connecting the phases of my life. It has taught me to see the beauty in all things: both spectacular and mundane. It enriches my life. ~Elaine McRory

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THE

B LU ES

A N D OTH E R I M PR E S S I O N S F RO M TH E CO N WAY M U S E

by Davin Michael Stedman

arly Jazz fanatics like Al Capone would probably agree that sometimes the place to see live music isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t on the map. This was definitely the case as I tried to find a one-time Scandinavian dairy barn in Conway, WA. Since 2004 this barn has been the Conway Muse, a Skagit County destination venue for the best in American roots music. My reason for this visit came down to sensational rumours swirling around magazine headquarters that this patch of farmland was the hub of a minor blues revival. It couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be all jive, for this talk came down from a trusted and reliable source: the spitfire mother of the Editor-In-Chief.

But the real challenge before me as I raced up and down I-5 was figuring out where the heck I was going, because according to my GPS, Conway doesn’t exist. My very first move was setting up a lunch date with Janice Cleven Gage, Entertainment Director at KSVR 91.7 FM, to get the lay of the land. But the real challenge before me as I raced up and down I-5 was figuring out where the heck I was going, because according to my GPS, Conway doesn’t exist. Thanks to some countrified directions from Janice such as “hang a left before the train tracks and take a right by the grain silo,” I found myself in a postcard perfect old brick and shopfront village barely hidden from the interstate. That afternoon over beer and burgers, Janice and I talked about how she came back from Florida and fell into a local blues scene that after a lifetime of searching, gave her the genuine feeling that she was finally home. Local bands she encountered, like Gary B’s Church of The Blues, and Blues Playground, re-stirred a passion she first felt upon discovering the blues through the British Invasion’s greatest acolytes such as Peter Green of Fleetwood Mac. She explained that for millions of Americans like herself coming of age, British musicians were a gateway drug to discovering her own country’s considerable heritage, and the contributions of so many forgotten African American musicians. For Janice, blues represented a road that had come full circle. It was that road that brought her to the Conway Muse. We talked about the Muse, and we kept talkin’ the blues. But what cut

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me to the bone as Janice and I traded stories, was that while I was talking about what happened sixty years ago, she was talking about the hardships facing local musicians in terms of yesterday. Sure I may have knocked her out with some fables and tall tales about Memphis. I kept Janice on the edge of her seat recounting an alleged Mexican standoff at Stax Studios that Isaac Hayes barely survived as he was outgunned by his own ex-manager Johnny Baylor and various other rifles and stick-up kids. But that was just smoke compared to her own stories about the dignity of men that could just as likely walk through the door and then be gone tomorrow. They were the stories that bring tears to your eyes: men who wrote great songs that sometimes only a few people would ever hear.

you find yourself in a parlour room & bar covered in tchotchkes, paintings, photos, and precious reminders of a lifetime of friendships and travel. You get the feeling you’ve just come round the mountain and jumped off the wagon. I wouldn’t have been surprised if Dolly Parton herself had embraced me at the door and welcomed me to her latest holiday special. There was even a guy at the bar that looked an awful lot like Kenny Rogers; he tipped his hat as I took in the scene. Before long I was at the bottom of a gin fizz and soaking up some acoustic Blues from the able hands of Randy Norris & Jeff Nicely. They served up a good vintage cut from the mold of men I’ve always admired, the late and legendary harmonica and guitar duo, Sonny Terry & Brownie

Inside the establishment, you find yourself in a parlour room & bar covered in tchotchkes, paintings, photos, and precious reminders of a lifetime of friendships and travel. You get the feeling you’ve just come round the mountain and jumped off the wagon. I wouldn’t have been surprised if Dolly Parton herself had embraced me at the door and welcomed me to her latest holiday special. Before we parted, Janice agreed to take me to the Conway Muse when the doors opened for business that weekend to catch some heavy blues of the local variety. On Friday, March 7, as the sun melted into the trees, I stood before the Conway Muse. It was clearly once a barn and retained an idyllic farmhouse charm. Its founders, Elfa Gisla and Tom Richardson, lavished love and attention to detail upon every square inch. Coming through the door, you were entering a German fable, or story you might vaguely remember as a child. Inside the establishment,

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McGhee. Norris & Nicely had a genuine range of repertoire and emotion that can take a listener from the red clay of the Cross Roads, to the heartbreaking hope of Sam Cooke’s “A Change is Gonna’ Come,” a song as big as a monument, where hope is really about the only thing you can hold onto. As I leaned into their performance with a drink in hand, an attractive woman sat down at the bar next to me and introduced herself as Elfa Gisla, co-owner and operator of the Conway Muse. Elfa’s a television star and national treasure from Iceland, who came to America and fell in love with a Seattle firefighter. Ten

years ago she and her husband dreamed up the Conway Muse and helped transform their community by giving voice to a now thriving local theatre and music scene. With her doting husband moonlighting behind the soundboard and their made-forthe-silver-screen story, I wondered how long before this scene made its way into a Hollywood production. The folks around the Muse love to say that this place is where the magic happens, and I won’t disagree. With Elfa’s biography (written in Icelandic) peeking from behind the stage; watching the theatre crowd from upstairs pouring in to greet Randy Norris’ soaring vocals; seeing men up front slapping their thighs as they grabbed their wives to dance, I wasn’t the only one being swept away. Sure it’s hard to say if I witnessed a Revival. But as Janice, the local community radio DJ with a heart of gold, gave the concert a brief pause to testify to the duo’s armful of upcoming nominations from the Washington Blues Society, and as I imagined future generations of musicians as wide eyed as I was walking through that door, it’s safe to say this is a place where such a miracle, and that certain kind of magic, may someday take hold. Come see for yourself. But remember: Exit 221. If there’s one thing you won’t find in Conway, it’s your location on a GPS. conwaymuse.com

Retreat Recharge Renew

A stunning location for your next corporate meeting or retreat! Hotel: 360.756.1005 thechrysalisinn.com Bellingham, wa

PINBALL MACHINE

WIZARDS by Colleen Harper photos by C9 Photography & Roman Komarov

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n February 9th, 2014, Canadian pinball champion Robert Gagno of Burnaby, BC travelled to Bellingham, WA to compete in an International Flipper Pinball Association (IFPA) tournament hosted by local restaurant and rock venue, The Shakedown. It was Bellingham’s first IFPA tournament, and Gagno took first place among 34 IFPA registered competitors. Gagno is ranked 11th in the world, and 1st in all of Canada.

The tournament was planned by Collin Topolski, Heather Seevers, Josiah Cox, and Steve Prehoda (pictured far left). The four friends were drawn together by their fanatical love of pinball, and have spent many hours in each others‘ basements and garagestinkering away at machines. Moving eleven pinball machines twice in one day is no small feat, especially at 115–180kg apiece, but truly it was a labour of love. “We go play pinball and we want to make

A growing number of amateur players and hobbyist tinkerers are breathing new life into pinball. They call themselves ‘pinheads’ and ‘pinholics.’ sure the machines are at the top of their game,” says Topolski. He chose not to compete because two of the five machines in the tournament were from his own collection, and a third had also spent weeks there. “I knew the machines too well, it just didn’t seem fair.” Playing a machine is only a small part of the allure of pinball for these enthusiasts, and they are not alone. A growing number of amateur players and hobbyist tinkerers are breathing new life into pinball. They call themselves ‘pinheads’ and ‘pinholics.’ IFPL-endorsed tournaments are happening, somewhere in the world, just about every weekend. Many pinheads grew up playing in arcades, so nostalgia is definitely part of the draw. “When I was a little girl, I had this friend named Jenny who had a pinball machine at her house. That was like the height of luxury to me then, owning your own pinball machine,” says Seevers, with a self-satisfied grin. In the digital 21st-century, pinball machines are refreshingly mechanical. As a player, it is your own skill versus the laws of physics, pushing a metal ball around a complicated play field, scoring points and unlocking surprises. A truly great pinball game can absorb a player into its story, with visceral action and rewarding sounds, until you run out of quarters to feed the machine. The rising popularity of video console games starting in the late 1970s took a big bite out of the market for pinball machine manufacturers. With all of their intricate moving parts, solid state pinball machines are significantly more difficult to maintain than arcade video games, and they take up about twice as much space. For Seevers and other vintage pinball enthusiasts, however, it’s exactly those intricate mechanics

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that make pinball machines so fascinating and fun to work on. Seevers describes herself as “infatuated with process.” A love of playing pinball is just the beginning. Deconstructing and repairing the machines is a whole other level on which to enjoy them. Many pinheads take it a step further, introducing “mods,” special customized modifications. Prehoda and Cox have replaced the all-incandescentlights in most of their machines with brighter LEDs. On Cox’s Monday Night Football table, he changed the lights to Seahawks football colours: “If I’m going to have a football-themed pinball machine in the basement where I watch football, it’s going to have Seahawks colours, period.” The machine has hundreds of blue and green LED lights. Seevers, Topolski, Cox and Prehoda are forming a collective. Their goal is to bring high-quality and well-playing machines to the general public. The machines will have QR codes so that players can use their smartphones to track machines: where they have been and where they are going, as well as to send in repair requests and report cosmetic damage. As a group, each member brings their own enthusiasm and skills to the table. Seevers jokes, “I have the smallest hands.” In the tight mechanical landscape hidden underneath the polished play field, small hands are an asset. Each machine has hundreds of moving parts that must be cleaned, repaired, oiled, and sometimes replaced, to fully restore a machine. “We’ll spend a whole evening taking one apart and just cleaning it. Then you have to wait for the parts to arrive, a week or more, and then another evening putting it back together,” says

Cox. “I’ve probably spent 40 hours working on my No Good Gophers machine,” laughs Topolski. It’s hard to follow the rapid fire references to specialized parts and acronyms when the four get together to play. They use acronyms for their machines, because the names are often long. EATPM is the official accepted acronym for Elvira and the Party Monsters, Seevers’ latest project, and a highly desirable machine in the collectors market. The Internet Pinball Machine Database lists every machine, its technical specs, accepted acronym, and known repair issues. The acronyms help out in internet forums, where the global pinball community goes to ask questions, find machines, and mingle with their fellow pinholics. Playing on a machine that has been lovingly cared for feels great. When I toured Cox’s basement, they levelled the playing fields as soon as I got there. “An un-level playing field can be a real bummer,” says Prehoda, carefully timing his flipper punches on

Monday Night Football. “I think I liked this one better before it was levelled” he states as the last ball slips SDTM (that’s straight-down-the-middle in internet pinball forum lingo). These are not the rundown, forgotten pinball machines you find in dive bars and pizza joints, with sticky flippers and bumpy playing fields covered in decades of grit. Each piece is polished, and each ramp is levelled, checked, and adjusted for optimal play. You can feel the care put into a pinholic-tended machine when you play it. The cacophony of wild colors, smooth-coil springs, and trilling bells create a multisensory experience thanks to detailed preservation. They go by many names: pinheads, pinholics, and hobbyists, but I like to think of them as Wizards. bellinghampinball.com

JUNE 12 Cinema Thyme: I Am Love Cinema Thyme is offering a prix fixe menu (and wine!) from Ciao Thyme with a showing of I Am Love at the Pickford Film Center. Tickets sell quickly! pickfordfilmcenter.org

ciaothyme.com

Join the at the Burned Children Recovery Foundation 1ST ANNUAL

Music Festi al v

+CAR SHOW Cuisine classical Mexican disHes with new regional favorites.

416 Commercial Ave Anacortes, WA 98221 360.299.2120 Mention The Crossing Guide Magazine and recieve $8 off any bill over $35. Limit one per party

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Live Music • Classic Cars • Food • Beverages

June 28th, 2014 Sat, 10 am Lynden, WA $10 Admission • 16 yrs old & under FREE Bring the family and enjoy a day outside filled with music, hot rods, and delicious food. All funds raised at the event are to support the Burned Children Recovery Foundation and its future philantropic projects.

www.memphisrain.com

burnedchildrenrecovery.org Contact Nicole Gruendl: bcrfmarketing@gmail.com

RUMBA

“I feel happy every single time I leave class. I can walk in grumpy and by the time I leave I am happy.”

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t first I tried to settle my nerves by talking with the others in the room. Not much help there, as they were ‘newbies’ too, so we shared our nerves, crossed our arms, and leaned against the wall to wait. We had showed up early enough to watch Café Rumba, a Peruvian Deli located at 1140 North State Street in Bellingham, transform into a salsa club. Antonio Diaz, co-owner and our salsa teacher/DJ for the night, moved tables and chairs and set up the sound system. At 10:00 p.m. there were six of us ready to dance and by 10:15 p.m. that number easily passed

thirty. A salsa club immediately emerged. Music, sweat, rhythms, footwork, partners, isolations, and undulations instantly filled the room. I was soon to learn… I had definitely worn the wrong shoes. Rumba Northwest (RNW), directed by Antonio Diaz and Heather Haugland, is a Latin dance company based in Bellingham that hosts salsa night most Saturday evenings at Café Rumba. The night starts with an introductory lesson and is followed by Latin music, including salsa, bachata, reggaeton, and merengue,

NORTHWEST by Pamela Kuntz

for those in attendance to dance the night away. RNW also offers classes in the community on Monday and Wednesday evenings. “I feel happy every single time I leave class. I can walk in grumpy and by the time I leave I am happy.” Maggie Bates started dancing in 2010 when her second child left for college. Between classes, practice, and social events, Maggie now dances 4–5 times a week. “Dancing is kind of like making the perfect pie. In Casinostyle salsa, when you and your partner connect with the music and each

other, the ensemble is complete. Antonio teaches us how to create this ensemble.”

Rumba Northwest in 2010 when they moved to Bellingham to be closer to family in the Seattle area.

Originally from Lima, Peru, Antonio trained in Cuba (with legendary rumba instructor Juan de Dios, among others), Puerto Rico, Peru, Seattle, San Francisco, and Vancouver, BC. He danced for years in Seattle and won first prize at the Seattle Salsa Contest in 2000. He and his wife Heather Haugland lived in Juneau, Alaska and ran a successful dance company, Rumbalaska, from 2002–2010. They founded

“In the world of Latin dance, Antonio has a breadth of knowledge, both of the music and the dance,” says Heather: “Many Latin dancers only teach one style, but he can teach a huge range of styles. Likewise, many DJs are only familiar with a few specific rhythms, whereas he plays music from different countries, time periods, and rhythms. He is a musician himself so that adds to his understanding of the dance and music.”

This may explain why, when watching Antonio dance, the music is actually visible. He plays inside the quality and rhythm with as many body parts as possible. On a Monday night in the Belltower studio, eighteen students filled the room at RNW’s Cuban Salsa beginner’s class to learn how to play in the

“Building community is one of our main goals in teaching dance.” Heather goes on to state, “We don’t get too hung up on technicalities, we want people to have fun, enjoy moving their bodies, and connect with other people.”

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music like this. “Bend your knees, free your hips, soften your arms, and listen to the music.” While Heather taught the step pattern, “one, two, three, hold four,” she stressed the importance of the connection with the music as well as the style. The room was filled with both smiles and confusing stares. One student’s facial expression clearly said, “You want me to WHAT?” But it didn’t take long for that same student’s expression to say, “A-HA!” Heather and Antonio are able to create the space for students to figure it out. They are experts at guiding our straight-spined, non-undulating-pelvis culture into salsa. Beyond the dance and the music, RNW’s events provide something else: “Building community is one of our main goals in teaching dance.” Heather goes on to state, “We don’t get too hung up on technicalities, we want people to have fun, enjoy moving their

bodies, and connect with other people.” According to Maggie this is working. “There is a feeling of fun and friendship. You become a part of a super healthy community.” This community is palpable in Café Rumba on salsa night. As the night went on, I watched the more experienced dancers take to the floor. I now understand Maggie’s draw to salsa. I witnessed the perfect pie, the ensemble. No amount of words on a page can capture what this looks or feels like; you will have to experience it yourself. I dare you. rumbanorthwest.com

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VILLAGE BOOKS & PAPER DREAMS

The Heart of the Historic Fairhaven District

—Home to Over 80 Unique Shops, Restaurants, Hotels and Spas

Open Daily at 1200-1206 11th St. • Bellingham, WA VB: 360.671.2626, PD: 360.676.8676 • VillageBooks.com • PaperDreamsFairhaven.com

FA I R H AV E N

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estled in the corner of Fairhaven, set against the blue-grey expanse of Bellingham Bay, the quiet Fairhaven Village Inn waits patiently for its next guest. Situated next to other shopfronts in similar decor, it blends in—a credit to the Inn’s ability to immerse itself, and its guests, into the Fairhaven community. That seamless immersion is the genius of the Fairhaven Village Inn: it turns guests into community members the minute they arrive, and stays with them for days after they leave.

I feel the hospitality immediately as I saunter up to the front desk, behind which sits a fresh-cheeked young woman, hair done up in a tight bun, and a warm, close-lipped smile on her face. “Can I help you?” she asks, watching me fumble with my cellphone. I tell her that I have a reservation, and my eyes wander to the plate of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies on the counter. Suddenly I am in my kitchen at home, brandishing oven mitts and wiping sticky bits of dough from the stovetop. “You have Room 312,” she says, rousing me from my cookie trance to hand me a

VILLAGE INN by Alexa Peters Photos by Mark Turner

That seamless immersion is the genius of the Fairhaven Village Inn: it turns guests into community members the minute they arrive, and stays with them for days after they leave. welcome packet: two keys and an envelope of coupons I can use at local businesses around Fairhaven.

“Let me know if you need anything else,” she calls out as I begin to ascend the stairs. I open the door into a large room with a bathroom, desk, TV, and the show-stopper: a huge, luxurious bed with crisp white linens—just a comfortable as it looks. From the bed, I notice the white light of the horizon peeking around the curtains. I brush them aside and open a sliding glass door onto a small deck equipped with table and chairs and boasting a stunning view of Bellingham Bay.

Later, I sit with the Inn’s owner, Connie Shannon, and learn that each of the rooms are similar to mine, except one suite that includes a family-style dining room table, fold-out living room sleeper, and a private King bedroom with a separate jetted tub. As I chatted with Connie, it was clear how much she loves her job, despite telling me, “It was never my dream to own an inn.” For the last ten years since moving to Bellingham, that is what she and her husband Gene have done.

Lummi Gateway Center Seafood Market • Tribal Arts & Crafts • Café

Orca Beads & Things

360-303-3661

Schelangen Seafood Market • 360-933-4211

A wide selection of beads & beading Fresh seafood from local Lummi Fishers! The highest quality prodsupplies. Beading classes offered ucts every time. too - Call for dates & times.

Open Tuesday - Saturday 10:30am - 5:30pm

Open Tuesday - Saturday 10:30am - 7:00pm

360-306-8554

4920 Rural Ave. Ferndale (I-5 Exit 260)

Tribal Images • 360-393-3110 Traditional and Contemporary Lummi & Native American artwork.

Open Tuesday - Saturday 10:30am - 5:30pm

Also, come visit: Northwest Massage Therapy, Ramon Murillo Drummaker, LCAA (Lummi Cultural Arts Association) and Lummi CDFI (Community Development Finance Institute)

JUNE 5 Handbags for Housing Come see a bazaar and a fashion show benefiting local homeless families, and enjoy Boundary Bay beer. lydiaplace.org

JUNE 21 Marysville Strawberry Festival The 83rd annual Strawberry Festival celebrates Marysville this year, with everything from shortcake eating contests to a talent show..

JULY 25-27 Lake Stevens Aquafest Parades, on land and water, as well as a carnival and food to celebrate summer and community. aquafest.org

maryfest.org

JUNE 7-8 Anacortes Waterfront Festival It’s the Waterfront Festival’s 25th year! Come enjoy car shows, boat rides, and more! anacortes.org

ALL DURING JULY Bellingham Festival of Music From Brahms to Vivaldi, a home-grown Bellingham orchestra brings you the classics.

JULY & AUGUST Skagit River Shakespeare Festival Macbeth and Much Ado About Nothing are performed by a very talented troupe of actors. shakesnw.org

bellinghamfestival.org

JUNE 13-22 ALPACA-WACAWOO-HOO!

JULY 27 Bite of Skagit

AUGUST 23-24 Whatcom SkillShare Faire

Come see and learn about alpacas with a world-renowned Alpaca judge. You can also buy them!

Restaraunts from all over Skagit County offer “bites” of their menu to benefit the Skagit Food Share Alliance.

A two day event where anyone can come learn from people more experienced in their crafts and trades.

casadearboles.com

biteofskagit.org

whatcomskillsharefaire.org

“We were planning on moving to Bellingham and my husband was looking for a building to own or build. We found this inn [which was built in the 1990s] and kept coming back to it. I knew that if we bought the inn then I’d need to run it. Luckily, I was really ready to do something new.”

On the way up we pass one of the hotel’s best features: a the large deck overlooking the bay. “During the summer, this is the spot to be.” Connie takes me on a tour of the beautiful inn, stopping first at the large guest library. The atmosphere is dark and rustic, like the interior of forest cabin, and the walls are lined

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with books and board games. I gawk at the fireplace and a peculiar green leather throne-like chair. “That’s where Santa sits during our Christmas events, “ Connie adds. Next, Connie takes me up the stairs, an act in itself that stops me in my tracks. At every twist of the staircase there is a huge window overlooking the steely bay. As we climb, I pause and pick out different parts of the scene—the pristine mountains, the ebbing tides, the docked Alaskan ferry, the train tracks that weave alongside the bay shore. “This inn is so convenient for guests from all areas, with all of these transportation hubs nearby,” Connie explains. On the way up we pass one of the hotel’s best features: a the large deck overlooking the bay. “During the summer, this is the spot to be,“ says Connie, gesturing to the beckoning

horizon at the left, and the charming city of Fairhaven to the right. “We’ve had people ask from the sidewalk below, ‘How do we get up into your restaurant?’ They always look disappointed when we tell them that we don’t have a restaurant, and that the deck is just for guests of the Inn.” (The Inn does have a cozy kitchen and eating area where they serve continental breakfast for guests.) I nod; it would be easy to feel disappointed to be left out of any part of this Inn. Once inside, you become a part of Fairhaven, a ward of two loving guardians, Connie and Gene, a morethan-welcome addition to the family. fairhavenvillageinn.com

S H O RT STO RY My Old Man by Sheila Ireland

ll morning the cars had been turning up at the grounds of the university, most of them modern and expensive, reflecting the success of the men who drove them, the fathers of my peers, my fellow students, my friends for the past four years. I watched the cars arrive from the window of my room on the campus, halfhoping that my father might emerge from one of them, but knowing in my heart that he wouldn’t. The men who got out of those big cars with their well-dressed wives were obviously men of some achievement, in industry, management, or commerce. Men who had done something with their lives. My old man never did much with his. Up until I was five I never even knew what he did. He simply left home in the morning and came back at night; that was all. He always seemed very pleased to see us, mum and me, my two older sisters and my big brother. After dinner he would sit me on his knee and read to me from my storybook, and after a while I would fall asleep and he would put me to bed and tuck me in. When one of us got sick with cold or flu, he would walk to the pharmacy for some medicine, even if it rained or snowed. When my mum got very ill, he stayed at home and took care of her. But she had to go to the hospital anyway. More cars swung into the quadrangle below me now, and I glanced at my watch, but it was all right. There was still time for him to arrive before the ceremony began. I hoped the bus he caught from home to the railway station had been on time, and that his train hadn’t been delayed.

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My cap and gown lay across my bed; I had rented them from a shop in tow. When I was a kid I used to wear my big brother’s hand-me-downs, but every winter my father bought me a brandnew pair of shoes.

True, he had never been anywhere. We hurried into the big hall, which was already packed. My father didn’t mind standing at the back.

It was winter when my mother died. My sister Kate was 18 and she took care of us while my father went to work. He was a labourer. He never did anything of any importance.

It was almost like being in church, the hall with its stained glass windows, high stone walls and sculptured ceiling. The rector and the teaching staff sitting on a platform behind the dais. Then the hush before the sermon. And, at last, the beginning of the ceremony.

He didn’t smoke or drink or gamble. He came home at night and helped me with my homework. He laughed at the jokes I’d heard at school, even though some of them were very corny. He listened to all my moans. He was never too busy.

The names of the graduates were read out, one by one. I stood with my father, waiting to hear mine. I wondered what he was thinking. He had never won an award or a prize in his life.

The cars had stopped coming now. It was getting near time. I could see some of my friends standing with their parents below, already wearing their robes. The grass they stood on looked very green.

Every Sunday he went to the cemetery to visit my mum. He lived alone: my sisters were both married and my brother lived in Australia. He never complained. My name was called out, and I walked down the aisle and accepted my Honours Degree. My friends grinned at me

and a couple of them raised their thumbs. I was thinking of my father, how when I was a kid he taught me to ride my first bike. He ran behind me for miles until I got the hang of it. Outside, he unzipped the little bag he was carrying and took out the camera that was packed beside his flask and sandwiches, and I let him take my picture outside the main university building. My father had taken many pictures but was never in any himself, so I made him stand where I had stood, and clicked the camera twice. A group of my friends were standing with their parents under the trees. Rich people. Successful people. I took my father’s arm and we went across to meet them. He was a bit reluctant. He thought he was a failure compared to them, and maybe he was right. My old man never did much with his life. I don’t know why I’m so proud of him.

I wished my old man would turn up. Sometimes he was late home from work. My sister Kate would wait until he came before she went out. He was always very tired, but I always fell asleep before he did. Sometimes I dreamed of him working. Digging holes in the road; filling them up again. He never did much. It was time to get ready. Down below, my friends and their parents were making their way into the big hall. I turned from the window, slipped on the robe and took the cap in my hand. My father wore black at my mother’s funeral. He just stood there with his head bowed. I went back over to the window, just in case, and then I saw him; my old man, looking lost. He wore his best suit. It was a bit creased and a bit shiny. His hair was combed flat. His shoes were polished. He was carrying a small bag. “Hi, Dad. You made it all right, then?” “Only just. Never was much at travelling.”

THE SECRET CITY by Stacy Reynolds

It’s off the beaten path, while still being ideally located: close to the Cascades, the beautiful Snoqualmie Falls, and only an hour-and-ahalf south of the border.

he quaint town of Snohomish, WA, is easy to miss: I have lived in the Pacific Northwest for 16 years, and not once set foot in the city until just a few weeks ago. I didn’t really know what to expect. I had heard the name countless times, but knew of few people who had visited the town itself; when you mention the name Snohomish, it usually elicits the response, “Oh, I keep meaning to go there!” With Seattle so close, and a growing music scene in Everett, Snohomish usually gets overlooked, simply because there is so much else going on in this particular area. I decided it was time to stop asking about Snohomish, and go see for myself what I was missing. What I found was a wonderful surprise waiting for me; a beautifully kept secret in the heart of Snohomish county.

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Snohomish is a quick drive off I-5 on Highway 2, just east of Everett, WA. I’ve driven by it a thousand times, unknowingly, during day trips to Seattle. I’ve even cruised right by the exit on the occasional visit to Mount Index—a great hiking area further east on Highway 2—and still haven’t stopped. That’s what makes Snohomish such a lovely secret: you don’t drive through the city, like you would Bellingham or Mount Vernon. It’s off the beaten path, while still being ideally located: close to the Cascades, the beautiful Snoqualmie Falls, and only an hour-and-a-half south of the border. The city could not be more centrally located to all the Pacific Northwest has to offer without feeling smothered by the weight of metropolis. It’s removed from the flow of freeways and the mass of bodies

Photo courtesy of Flickr Creative Commons

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visiting the more popular cities. And truly, that’s fine by me; I don’t want it to change one bit. Firstly, Snohomish is great for those who appreciate a little bit of history in their town. Originally named “Cadyville” after one of the city’s founders, E. F. Cady, Snohomish was a central

The store clerks not only sell their goods, but serve as makeshift museum guides—nearly every business in town is housed in a historic building. hub for commerce in the late 1800s. The main military route connecting Fort Steilacoom to Fort Bellingham ran right through it, making Snohomish a resting place for troops heading north. Although today its larger neighbouring cities are the modern commerce hubs, one can still get a sense of Snohomish’s historic vivacity. Nearly every building tells a story: the character of each structure restored without sacrificing functionally of thriving local businesses. The old courthouse, for example, houses the Sweet Bee, an eclectic, shabby chic home décor and paper goods boutique, whose owner will not only sell you incredible home creations, but can give you the building’s entire history. The old jail is still intact underneath the courthouse; purple glass circles peppering the sidewalks just outside once functioned as “windows” for the underground jail cells. The store clerks not only sell their goods, but serve as makeshift museum guides—nearly every business in town is housed in a historic building. Antiquity doesn’t just thrive in the structures of Snohomish—the antique shopping is prolific. In fact, to say Snohomish has great antiquing is not quite specific enough to fully express the shopping experience to be had.

There are antique shops for all types of antiquers. Those few reading this know what I’m talking about; the term antique is too broad for the Snohomish shopper. There’s the accurately restored antique store, the multi-floor antique mall, the up-cycled antique shop, the elegant boutique, the bargain treasures—Snohomish has honed the art of preserving the past and giving it a category. The city’s claim of being the Antique Capital of the Northwest is no vain boast—it is fact. However, what most makes Snohomish so dynamic is its active spirit. Snohomish doesn’t rely solely on its beautifully preserved architecture or pristine downtown to recommend it to out-of-towners; Snohomish houses an active and thriving community. There is truly something for every adventurer: there are romantic hot air balloon rides (complete with champagne), there is year-round skydiving for the traveller who needs a little more adrenaline during their trip, there are even flying lessons. I would venture to say that the title, Antique Capital of the Northwest, is not quite inclusive enough. There is just so much to do, and it’s closer than Seattle. It’s like discovering a secret treehouse you never knew existed in your backyard. The city doesn’t just have a strong tourist appeal—people live there. Vastly different from the clichéd historic town that waits for tourism to come alive, Snohomish has a lovely bustle that infers a sense of authenticity. It’s not just a destination, it’s a home. That at-home quality is felt everywhere. Retail clerks are energetic, and take a distinct sense of pride in their town. There’s a culture, a wide spectrum of people from all walks of life, and in all walks of life. In restaurants and coffee shops, I detected a certain “neighborhood” atmosphere filling the general ambience. I particularly felt it during lunch at Gorilla Bites, a funky vegetarian-friendly sandwich cafe. The restaurant felt as though it catered to the locals, with-

out losing its sense of hospitality to visitors. People were popping in and out, chatting with the employees, picking up their regular sandwich without needing to place an order— all the things you see in local towns. Another instance of this particular quality was during my stay at the Countryman Bed & Breakfast. The owners, who restored and have lived in the beautiful painted lady for almost forty years, were so welcoming, without any sense of their hospitality being feigned. There’s a notable difference, staying at a family-run establishment; their business thrives because they’re excited to share a piece of history with their guests. They’ve created an experience that allows visitors to get a taste of what home life is like in such a special place. This sense of home, permanency, integrity and authenticity are the corner stones of Snohomish’s charm. It’s so much more than a historic town that relies on it’s preserved buildings to lure in tourists. Snohomish has a dynamic personality behind its pretty face; it’s a city removed from the roar of the I-5 corridor, sheltered from the Everett rush hour traffic, and free from the inflated populousness of Seattle. I cannot wait to visit this city again. There is so much to take in, so much to experience. Its authenticity was palpable the moment I hit the pavement. It’s a city that has embraced its hospitality-driven economy without forsaking an exciting local lifestyle. In fact, the city doesn’t need to cater to tourists, at all—welcoming visitors is an innate part of its personality. It does this without even trying. ci.snohomish.wa.us

JUNE 7 Farmer’s Day Parade 2014

JULY 18 Northwest Raspberry Festival

One of the longest-running parades in the Northwest salutes the Agricultural department with a colorful and fun parade.

Lynden celebrates its largest harvest of raspberries in North America with concerts, family-friendly activities, and of course, raspberry picking.

business.lynden.org

facebook.com/pages/ Northwest-Raspberry-Festival

JUNE 27 Girls’ Night Out in Fairhaven A fundraiser for Peace Health St. Joseph’s Cancer Center, this night invites you to shop, try local vendors, and party the night away for a good cause! girlsnightoutfairhaven.com

AUGUST 9-10 Stillaguamish Festival of the River & Pow-Wow A family-friendly festival featuring cultural exhibits and entertainments in a beautiful natural setting. festivaloftheriver.com

JULY 26 Samish Island Arts Festival

AUGUST 12-13 Lynden PRCA Rodeo

Original local artists sell their beautiful artisan work. Everything from jewelry to metal to paintings will be shown..

Some of the nation’s top cowboys and cowgirls riding horses and bulls. nwwafair.com

samishisland.net

JULY 4 Yes We CAN! Canned Craft Beer Festival Celebrate your Independence Day with local brewers, live music provided by Hot Damn Scandal, and an all-around good time. calendar.bellinghamherald.com

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AUGUST 1-3 Mount Baker Blues Festival

AUGUST 16 Everett Craft Beer Festival

Over twelve different blues artists play on 180-acres of campground.

Come sample beers from 30 different local brewers. Best of the Northwest!

festivalnet.com

washingtonbeer.com

redlight 1017 n state st Open 4pm-2am

Redlight offers a full bar with house cocktails, infused liquor, a carefully selected array of European wines, local craft beers and hand-picked European and domestic bottles/cans. We use mixers and ingredients with NO High Fructose Corn Syrup.

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f o r m o r e i n f o v i s i t: w w w . r e d l i g h t b e l l i n g h a m . c o m

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**Move-in Special: Receive a thank you dinner on us at the Hotel Bellwether Lighthouse Bar and Grill on Bellingham Bay when you sign a 1-year lease.** Landmark Real Estate Management: Excellence in Real Estate Management $39 Application Fee Per Adult, $15 Cosigner Fee, Landmark Requires First Month’s Rent and Deposit along with a Single $95 Administrative Fee Prior to Move In. (Additional Deposit May Be Required). Please Note: All terms and descriptions are subject to change without notice. Please confirm all information prior to submitting an application.

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Lopez Island: Photo courtesy of San Juan Island Visitors Bureau

hatcom County: South Bay Trail Stretching 3.7 km (2.3 mi.) from Fairhaven to downtown Bellingham, the South Bay Trail is the perfect family biking excursion. Fairhaven Bike and Ski rents bicycles right at the trailhead. The gravel trail leads to Taylor Dock and the long boardwalk connecting Fairhaven to Boulevard Park. The views are incredible on a sunny day: calm blue waters, flecks of white sailboats, and the rolling San Juan islands frame the quintessential Bellingham vista. Make sure to take a break on one of the park benches lined along the boardwalk to absorb the sights and smells of the sea. The trail ends at Boulevard Park, with a playground for the kids and Woods Coffee for the grown-ups, capping off the perfect family bike-ride. Fairhaven Bike and Ski 1108 11th Street Bellingham, WA 98225 (360) 733-4433 fairhavenbike.com

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Snohomish Foot Path: Photo courtesy of Snohomish County Tourism Bureau

B I K I NG G E TAWAY S by Stacy Reynolds

South Bay Trail: Photo courtesy of Bellingham Whatcom County Tourism

Snohomish River Park: Photo courtesy of Snohomish County Tourism Bureau

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Skagit County: Tommy Thompson Trail Another beautiful bay view bike ride is Tommy Thompson Trail in Anacortes, WA. With a mixture of pavement and a boardwalk, the trail is a smooth 5.2 km (3.2 mi.), making it perfect for bikers of all ages. Following the corridor of the abandoned Burlington Northern Railway, the trail offers multiple park benches so you can rest and take in picturesque Fidalgo Bay with Mount Baker serving as backdrop. You might even spot pieces of the old forgotten railroad along the way. The trailhead is just two blocks away from Skagit Cycle Center—you can park at the shop and cycle directly to the trail. Skagit Cycle Center 1620 Commercial Ave Anacortes, WA 98221 (360) 588-8776 skagitcyclecenter.com

Snohomish County: The Centennial Trail This trail has a lot to offer. Connecting Snohomish, WA, to Bryant, WA, the trail boasts 48 kilometres (30 miles) of smooth pavement through the wooded farmland of Snohomish County. While every spot on this trail is incredible, we recommend the Lake Stevens access point. Head north 6.4 km (4 mi.) for scenic views of Mount Pilchuck until you reach Lake Cassidy, where picnic tables and soft grass provide the perfect spot for lunch. If you want to add a few extra miles, begin your ride in Snohomish, WA. Snohomish Bicycles is a few blocks from the Centennial Trail, and starting here offers a longer ride up to Lake Stevens. You really can’t go wrong with this trail—the views of Snohomish County are spectacular from every starting point.

Snohomish Bicycles – Lake Stevens Frontier Village Shopping Center 517 C State Route 9 Northeast Lake Stevens, WA 98258 (425) 322 - 5554 snohomishbicycles.com/lake-stevens/ Snohomish Bicycle – Downtown Snohomish 1007 1st Street Snohomish, WA 98290 (360) 862 – 8300 snohomishbicycles.com

San Juan County: Lopez Island Of the four most accessible islands in the San Juans, Lopez is the best biking spot for families. Being the least hilly of the islands, though not completely flat, makes it a rewarding ride. Not to mention the views—the sights from the San Juan island are a must for any authentic Pacific Northwest experience. Parents should note that nearly all cycling happens on the road; however, island traffic is much slower and cars are accustomed to sharing the road with cyclists. With multiple places to stop for lunch, Lopez Island is perfect for an afternoon ride or a full-day adventure. Village Cycles even offers guided bike tours—organic lunch included! Village Cycles 9 Old Post Road Lopez Island, WA 98261 (360) 468-4013 villagecycles.net Lopez Bicycle Works (Open May though September) 2847 Fisherman Bay Road Lopez Island, WA 98261 (360) 468-2847 lopezbicycleworks.com

Island County: Ebey State Park and Kettle Trails Biking on Whidbey Island is for the experienced family. The best cycling lies in Coupeville, WA, at Ebey State Park, located on the west side of the island. Decent trails wind throughout the park, but the Kettle Trails System offers the best cycling. These dirt and gravel trails gently twist through lightly wooded areas with occasional pavement. The labyrinth of bike paths seems to be suited for a variety of riders, from street to mountain biking. There are limited bike rentals on the island, making Skagit Cycle in Burlington, WA the ideal place to snag your wheels. The drive itself is an adventure, requiring a trip across the bridge at Deception Pass. Overall, Island County cycling has trails suited for the entire family, not to mention incredible views. Half Link Bicycle Shop (adult bikes only) 5603 Bayview Rd Langley, WA 98260 (360) 331-7980 halflinkbikes.com Skagit Cycle Center 1620 Commercial Ave Anacortes, WA 98221 (360) 588-8776 skagitcyclecenter.com

AUGUST 29-31 Oak Harbor Music Festival Held in Historic Downtown Oak Harbor, this familyfriendly festival features arts & crafts booths & much more! oakharborfestival.com

Authentic Mexican Cuisine 117 W. Magnolia St. (Exit 253 Lakeway St/Downtown) 360-756-0711 â&#x20AC;˘ www.tacolobowa.com Voted #1 Mexican Restaurant in Bellingham 10 Years Running

NORTH CASCADES INSTITUTE “We want everyone to become friends with nature so that they appreciate it, love it, and protect it for future generations...”

BY LORRAINE WILDE

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Desolation lookout, North Cascades. Photo by Tom Gotchy

was a little baffled at first—how could one place, tucked away in forest-draped mountains that loom over a remote lake, also offer stunning green-built facilities, locally-sourced organic meals, fascinating excursions, and educational opportunities for any age or skill level? I didn’t think it was possible until I took it all in over three glorious days at North Cascades Institute (NCI).

mental Learning Center on Diablo Lake, WA, a collection of forest-ensconced, LEED-certified facilities that include classrooms, laboratories, and lodging for over 90 visitors.

Since 1986, through a partnership with the City of Seattle and the National Park Service, NCI has been a unique synthesis of natural and cultural history, science, humanities, and the arts. In 2005, NCI opened their Environ-

Environmental Education Is a Cornerstone: As a teacher, I discovered this magical place with my children and their fourth and fifth grade classmates while they attended Mountain School, just one of the many outdoor educa-

After only an hour in this enchanting place, I knew my family would be back many times; we’d never exhaust the vast opportunities to learn, and make lasting memories.

PHOTO CREDITS: Printmaking: JESSICA HAAG Children & watercolor: SCOTT KIRKWOOD Butterfly & butterfly hunters: KARLIE ROWLAND Old photos next page: courtesy of Seattle City Light

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Seattle City Light Diablo Lake boat tour. Photo by Nick Mikula

tional programs offered at NCI. We rode the school bus 105 km (65 miles) east on WA State Route 20 off I-5: a beautiful two-hour drive through the lush Skagit River Valley and thick forests before reaching the majestic mountains of the North Cascades. NCI’s mission, to conserve and restore Northwest environments through place-based education, shines in each of their programs. The Mountain School message from day one was respect: “Respect yourself, respect each other, and respect nature. We want everyone to become friends with

ham Kerr of The Galloping Gourmet, or world-class outdoor adventure photographer Garrett Grove, then NCI’s biannual Sourdough Speaker Series should be on your bucket list. Both national talents will present at informal gatherings in mid-May which include a gourmet dinner, overnight accommodations, and a naturalist-led activity in the ample surrounding habitat. Kerr will focus on the evolution of food and eating over the decades, while Grove’s breathtaking mountain photography will accompany a celebration of American Craft Beer Week, pairing dinner entrées

After only an hour in this enchanting place, I knew my family would be back many times; we’d never exhaust the vast opportunities to learn, and make lasting memories. nature so that they appreciate it, love it, and protect it for future generations,” shares NCI Youth Leadership Instructor Matt Kraska. In addition to Mountain School, NCI administers a service-learning-based Youth Leadership Program for ages 14 to 22, teaching physical skills while encouraging environmental responsibility in their own communities. NCI also oversees a Master’s in Education (M.Ed.) program in cooperation with Western Washington University. Many of the leaders and counselors who taught my kids about local wildlife, weather, and geology were graduate students earning their advanced degree. While education is their focus, NCI’s creative, unique approach to adult and family recreation has garnered them worldwide attention. “Our programs are designed for specific audiences so we have something for everyone, regardless of age, background, or skill set,” notes NCI Communications Coordinator Christian Martin. RUB ELBOWS: If you could have dinner with anyone, who would it be? My answer would be Tina Fey, but if your answer was celebrity chef Gra-

with local microbrews from Leavenworth’s Icicle Brewing Company. EXPLORE NATURE CREATIVELY: NCI’s adult classes combine art and nature like no one else. June’s “Landscape Watercolors in the North Cascades” and “The Artful Map: a One-Page Nature Journal” classes offer a productive yet restful weekend retreat to learn from talented artists while being literally surrounded by inspiration. If painting and drawing isn’t your thing, there are also printmaking and wild poetry classes with NCI founder and Executive Director Saul Weisberg to satiate your creative appetite. GET OUTSIDE WITH EXPERTS: May’s adventure to Yellow and Jones Islands in the San Juan’s aboard a 1934 wooden sailboat with an emphasis on seabirds, marine mammals, and rare island wildflowers, sounds transcendent. Wandering among the scarlet paintbrush and lilies of Yellow Island, a habitat managed with periodic fire, is an experience as rare as the wildflowers themselves. Bird lovers can enjoy both Eastern WA’s Methow Valley and Western WA’s Upper Skagit Valley in a single

weekend in a comprehensive spring birding weekend, or specialize with University of Washington wildlife biology Professor John Marzluff, an expert in the crafty, clever corvids, the family of birds that includes ravens, crows, and jays. I’m most excited about the San Juan Islands excursion, “Wild Eats from Land to Sea,” where participants learn to identify and harvest healthy, edible foods from the forests, fields, and intertidal zone of beautiful Lopez Island. Natural delicacies on the menu include nettle pesto, rose petal truffles, ginger-sesame seaweed salad, and Douglas-fir sorbet. FOOD AND FACILITIES COME FULL CIRCLE: When I asked my kids what they enjoyed most, the answer was clear: the food! After a long day of discovery, exercise, and fresh air, there was nothing better than the fresh, local, sustainably-produced, and often organic buffet-style dining of the lakeside Salmonberry Dining Hall. Chef Shelby Slater, whose experience includes 19 years aboard an Alaskan commercial fishing boat, supervises all the food for NCI’s classes, events, and weekend stays. He manages NCI’s Foodshed Initiative, whose goal—to offer healthy, sustainable food purchased locally—is achieved with the help of more than ten local Foodshed partner farms, offering menus full of Puget Sound shellfish, Whatcom County grass-fed beef, and organic produce grown in the fertile Skagit Valley. “What’s unique about our program is that very little goes to waste. We collect and compost food scraps and leftovers here on-site, and then return them to our Foodshed farms as rich, fertile soil. It really does come full circle here,” says Chef Shelby. That attention to quality and detail is echoed throughout the Learning Center’s modern facilities.

T A K E

T O U R

From the window of NCI’s dining hall, escapists and adventurers can see majestic Diablo Lake, an area rich in local history. J.D. Ross, known as the Father of Seattle City Light, led the public utility from 1911 to 1939. He accomplished his lifelong goal to provide affordable power to the public through the Skagit Hydroelectric Project, which included the placement all three of the dams on the Upper Skagit River (Gorge, Diablo, and Ross Dams), and which now supplies at least 40% of Seattle’s electricity. Ross went to great lengths to gain public support for the project by introducing public tours to the area, a tradition still carried on today.

T H R O U G H

Ross did a few other things that would be frowned upon today, like opening a zoo at Diablo, introducing non-native species of birds, trees, and shrubs to Skagit Valley (still around today), broadcasting phonograph music to the hillsides, and populating what is now known as Monkey Island with the real thing. NCI’s Christian Martin says, “The Incline Lift that once transported rail cars and tour passengers up Sourdough Mountain has been replaced by three different, safer, but equally entertaining Skagit Tours.” More than 4000 visitors per year attend one or more of these fascinating tours. The Diablo Lake Boat Tour, guided

“What’s unique about our program is that very little goes to waste. We collect and compost food scraps and leftovers here on-site, and then return them to our Foodshed farms as rich, fertile soil. It really does come full circle here,” NCI’s neat, ADA-accessible, dormstyle lodging is offered for most Learning Center events and is available for event rentals like staff retreats and destination weddings. My room slept four in two comfortable bunk beds and was close to the women’s bath and shower room. I was too busy hiking to spend time in the cozy common room that would have been perfect for a book and blanket. Their “no shoes” dorm policy, ample gear drying and storage space, and “just right” room temperature management were much appreciated. After my long days wandering through the woods, listen-

52 VOL 1. ISSUE 2. MAY/JUN/JUL 2014

ing to bird calls and gurgling streams, I actually slept “like a log.” Do Your Own Thing: You’re spontaneous. You don’t want to commit to anything unless it feels right in the moment. I get it, and so does NCI. Base Camp and Family Getaways could be a great fit for the impulsive, with the freedom to investigate the area at your own pace and whim, while still enjoying the comfort and ease of Learning Center lodging, education programs, and food service.

T I M E :

by a naturalist and park ranger, highlights the influence of local glaciers and geology, dam history, and wildlife. Nerds like me will likely enjoy the Skagit Power Tour, a guided shuttle tour of the North Cascades finest lookouts and, according to Martin, “rare access to a high-security area inside Seattle City Light’s powerhouse, a unique experience limited to a couple hundred people per year.” A free walking tour of historic nearby company town Newhalem, WA highlights the town’s unusual past and still includes the colourfully lit Ladder Creek Falls in honor of J.D. Ross himself.

At the end of our last day at NCI, our student group, the Banana Slugs, gathered around the campfire to say farewell. Instructor Matt Kraska asked us each to think of a single unselfish wish. Mine was echoed widely among the scruffy 10-yearolds, “I wish that future generations will have the opportunity to experience firsthand the splendor of the North Cascades.” ncascades.org

POETRY

Your Violin Soul by Thomas G. Hadley I believe we all seek to play the Stradivari within us whether to an audience, or empty hall... itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s strings of fancy we pluck with our nimblest fingers with our imaginations to strike a chord ethereal to harmonize within to seek the Music of the Spheres... play on, Meister and Meisterin, play on!

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CROSSING

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Street with No Parade: Theatrical Reviews of Non-Theatrical Events by Glenn Apollo Hergenhahn-Zhao

unrise I want you to leave aside your usual expectations concerning plot and character development. In those departments not much happens in Sunrise. Curtain times drift with the seasons, and it’s difficult to know exactly when the performance begins and when it ends. These problems aside, Sunrise is surprisingly moving. At this morning’s production, the lighting design was the best I have ever seen—a black silence like death gives way to an all encompassing soft grey light. Cats are seen in some urgent business; a car here and there. The light itself seems to stir up distant memories of mornings from some forgotten life. And here I think is the true subversive genius of the piece: with the set inhabited only by muffled cars and padding cats, the character of yourself seeps onto the stage, as if the play was staged for you alone, as if the sun—93 million miles away—

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breaks through the earth’s magnetic fourth wall and grabs you. It doesn’t demand you change or do battle. It brightens until it is day and the show is over, and you go about your business unable to shake the feeling that you have spent too many of your precious hours fast asleep. Kirby Brilliant staging to hide the main action of the play in a back room, all but invisible to the audience, viewed only

tion of the planet, and even though in retrospect what the character was saying was clearly insane, there was something about his familiarity that made me, for a moment anyway, trust him… then he turned to me and put his hands on my shoulders and said, “I know Al Gore. Al Gore is an effing space alien.” And the trust was gone. Schizophrenic Man on Railroad Avenue is a piece that will challenge your view of the world and yourself. Though I can’t say I laughed during the actual perform-

...there was something about his familiarity that made me, for a moment anyway, trust him… then he turned to me and put his hands on my shoulders and said, “I know Al Gore. Al Gore is an effing space alien.” And the trust was gone. through a picture frame: a clue to those in the know to take notice, to abstract what you see here as though it is a living painting and infuse it with meaning; a history of one man’s life told through frantic cooking. Kirby is the name of the cook in this production at the Homeskillet restaurant. Bearded and spectacled, this whirling dervish of a man cooks a thousand plates a day—gourmet gut-bombs piled to absurdity. To say the food is a bonus is to understate its role in the visual and gastronomical spectacle. Kirby is at its heart a dance piece. The Sisyphean parade of breakfast orders seems almost nightmarish, but through Kirby’s cool, efficiency of movement, through his complicated juggling gestures, this nightmare is transformed into ballet. The history and travels and tragedies of Kirby’s life, countless days in countless kitchens, all present in each double armed sauté. Schizophrenic Man on Railroad Ave As solo performances go, this is one is not for the faint of heart. I entered this performance without knowing I was even doing so, and suddenly the title character was walking with me stride for stride. He spoke to me (it was one of those pieces) with great urgency about something a woman told him about the imminent destruc-

ance, it is the type of play that with a little distance and perspective is retrospectively hilarious. Opera-Singing Cyclist I have seen this performance a few times and it never fails to delight me. It comes to you first in song. Rossini or Puccini or Mozart. A strong tenor carries across the air in a sudden burst. Your first thought is that it is amplified out of some shopfront speaker, but a hundred thousand years of auricular evolution tell you the sound is in motion. Then you see him: a cyclist of slight stature, singing. That same auricular wisdom refuses to let you make sense of such a powerful sound coming from such an unimposing commuter. As he goes, the song fades, though it stays strong for blocks to come, around corners, through streetlights, through alleys now unseen. Largo al factotum della citta Presto a bottega che l’alba e gia Ah, che bel vivere, che bel piacere! Handyman of the city Early in the workshop I arrive at dawn Ah, what a life, what a pleasure!

like petitioners to some royal court, or a flock of seagulls waiting to be fed. They watch the empty blacktop as if expecting some profound event that for minutes does not come. Finally, children burst into view, walking with their teachers like drunk soldiers around a beloved general, voices drifting on a chattering wind. Children are matched to parents like the worlds most gregarious hostage exchange. One spots me with wide eyes and a toothless grin and charges with a barrelling headbutt into my belly. With five performances a week, I have been many times. Though the ritual never alters, each performance is filled with subtle changes that put the focus on the ritual itself—these small daily reunions that will all be forgotten, distilled into the vagueness of memory. Though perhaps I’m wrong: perhaps the variations put the focus on detail, on things that will never be the same; that light right there on that mother’s head, that wild grin running toward me, never-to-be-thesame and someday-soon-forgotten. Street with No Parade It is the same street as always, with nothing memorable about it, but the small boy we walk past yells, “Stweet with no pawade!” And after that you can’t help but feel that something is missing.

JUNE 5 Ballet Bellingham From Bach…To Rock: Ballet Bellingham is offering a fun night of dance for audience members all ages at Mt. Baker Theatre. mountbakertheatre.com

Sunnyland Elementary School The parents gather just to the side of the school playground, looking

JUNE 13-15 Edmonds Art Festival On Fatherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Day Weekend, thousands of art-lovers attend the popular free 3-day event. One of the Pacific Northwestâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s oldest and largest arts festivals, we offer a rich array of visual and performing arts and events in a stunning natural setting. edmondsartsfestival.com

LOV E A DV I C E Elisha Loves Love by Elisha Weinberg I have been single for eight years since I split with my boyfriend of ten years. Since that time I have not gone out on a single date because I don’t want to meet someone in a bar, but I am paralyzed by the fear of internet dating. I don’t think I am creative enough or beautiful enough to attract someone who is just looking at a photo or reading my blurb. What can I do?

----Always a Shy Girl

Dear Shy Girl, You are not even close to alone. If I may be shameless for a moment, I wrote an entire book about the ins and outs of internet dating called The Internet Dating Bible (available on iTunes and Amazon). You may want to check that out for more detailed information. I’ll give you a little primer here and get you started on the road to what I think you need most: a confidence boost. The first thing you need to know about dating these days is that it’s not like it used to be (although if you are one of the lucky ones who meets your soulmate in yoga class, or while buying vegetables in Whole Foods, hats off to you). If you are like most of us, the prospect of meeting someone new in a bar seems more than a little horrible, and if all your friends are married with kids, and all their friends are too, then you can feel pushed into a corner. Luckily for you, that corner opens up into a HUGE chasm of wonderful just

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waiting for you to jump in. Your mission: jump in. I understand you feel like you may not be an ideal match for someone at first glance, and to that I say there is room for you to do a little self improvement. Perhaps counselling, perhaps soul-searching, perhaps a gym membership... or maybe you’re the kind of girl that just needs a few perfectly placed highlights. Whatever the direction your self-improvement takes, make sure you are fully invested in your outcome, which is getting to a place where you know you are a great catch! How is your mate going to find you attractive if you don’t? In case you haven’t noticed, the idea of beauty has been changing rapidly around the globe. Men and women are learning to be comfortable in their skins exactly as they are. Folks have been learning to run marathons in their forties. The sky’s the limit, but you are the only person who can make the shift, mentally and physically.

you single and looking. In order to know that someone is your someone, they have to recognize you: show yourself! You have no idea what that special person out there is waiting for: how do you know it isn’t you? I’m willing to bet it is! Since being us is all we can be, bringing that to the table and being proud of it is basically your best weapon! Photos: again, Shy Girl, take pictures of yourself when you are doing something you love. A radiance that is indescribable will flow through you, and everyone will see it! I know this seems daunting, scary, maybe impossible, but taking it step by step is the way to get that first date, and isn’t a first date way better than being single for eight years and wishing he would just show up on your doorstep? That doesn’t really happen; you have to do a little work.

I can’t emphasize enough that your confidence level and belief in yourself is the most important part of this process. Whatever is holding you back must be addressed. I think you know what that something is.

Again, my book goes into detail about all of this, but this is a great start, and a great question, and the fact that you are even asking for help proves it’s time for you to get into the driver’s seat of your life!

Next: your profile should be a true reflection of you. Find the thing that makes you special, different, and share that! So many folks get trapped in saying the exact same thing as everyone else, or they say what they think someone else would want to read. Both of those options will keep

Your person is waiting for you! Now get a move on! Do you need Love Advice? Email Elisha at love@thecrossingguide.com. Don’t worry, we will keep your information anonymous.

FOOD CO OP Bellinghamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Natural Grocer

T H E H I STO RY O F T H I S by Colleen Harper and to shield their heads from the sun. The start of the Roman games was signalled by dropping a handkerchief. High linen costs made sudarium an accessory for the rich, who waved them like flags to show excitement during gladiator matches.

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square of cloth, smartly decorated, becomes a fashion accessory, a bandage, a tissue, a flag, a small basket, or a love token. Handkerchiefs are useful, if somewhat old-fashioned, but utility isn’t even the half of it. The first written reference to hankies comes from the Roman poet Catullus in the 1st century AD. Called sudarium from the root sudor (to sweat), Romans used hankies to wipe the sweat from their brows,

The English called it a ‘coverchief’ (for covering the head) and then ‘hand coverchief’ for the smaller version meant to be carried. They were imported from France in great numbers in the 14th and 15th centuries. In the 16th century, Italy, well known for it’s exquisite ‘Venice lace,’ began producing richly embellished handkerchiefs for the well-to-do all over Europe. Ladies and gentlemen posed for paintings clutching lace handkerchiefs as a sign of wealth and prestige. Italian noblewomen, outraged that prostitutes were flaunting the accessories they felt should be exclusive to nobility, pushed to regulate the availability of hankies through price-setting in major cities like Florence and Milan. Queen Elizabeth I in England was particularly fond of handkerchiefs embroidered with real silver and gold, and was gifted many by admirers hoping to curry her favor. With its increasing popularity, the value of the hanky rose to astronomical heights. Henry IV gave two handkerchiefs, worth 1000 francs and 900 francs, to his mistress in 1594. They were so valuable that he asked for their return after her death! In 1785, Louis XVI issued a decree forbidding anyone from making handkerchiefs that were not square. Through World War II, handkerchiefs were an important part of European and American societies. They were

perfumed, and used to veil the face and mask the odors of pre-plumbing Europe, kept in special ‘sweet bags,’ given away as love tokens, and used as props for elaborate flirting rituals. During both World Wars, pilots would wear silk kerchiefs printed with maps of the areas they flew over: if they were shot down, they were wearing an escape map! Hundreds of hankies were printed specifically for soldiers. Ultimately, it was Kleenex’s “Don’t carry a cold in your pocket” ad campaign that signaled the slow demise of the hanky. No longer a symbol of wealth and prestige, modern advertising turned the handkerchief into a terrible breeding ground for filth and disease.

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LYNDEN PIONEER MUSEUM by Lorraine Wilde

y favourite books as a kid were from Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House series, set in the late 1800s. Life then sounded so simple, yet so tough and wild at the same time. I got that same feeling all over again when I took my tweens to the eclectic Lynden Pioneer Museum in adorable, historic downtown Lynden, WA. Whether you’re a kid who can’t imagine life before cell phones, a collector, a hobbyist, or just someone looking to reminisce over those stories your parents and grandparents once told you, you’ll relish this quirky museum’s collection of more than 37,000 historical objects. Located less than ten minutes south of the Aldergrove border crossing, the museum sits on beautiful, treelined Front Street, surrounded by charming antique shops, a bakery, and cozy mom-and-pop restaurants. The not-for-profit Lynden Heritage Foundation first opened the museum in 1976 in order to preserve and share with others the legacy of Lynden’s Dutch ancestry. The Dutch began immigrating to Lynden in the 1890s and the area has since become Washington state’s largest Dutch community. “What Southern British Columbians might not realize are the tremendous similarities between their family and business history and ours,” says Museum Director and Curator, Troy Luginbill. “Back then, people travelled freely back and forth across the border. Our history and theirs are intertwined. It wasn’t until prohibition in the 1920s that travel and trade became restricted.” Every inch of the place recalls the past. The smell of cedar and earth

and the creak of the museum’s worn wooden floors are remnants of its former occupants, North Washington Implement, the first John Deere Tractor retailer in Whatcom County. In 1984, the museum doubled in size to its existing 2,600 m2 (28,000 sq. ft.) on three floors, using trusses repurposed from an old Bellingham cannery, Pacific American Fisheries. Organized into three major areas, the friendly volunteer docents herded us first into the homestead and barnyard exhibit. This area portrays the daily life of Lynden’s first settlers. The farmstead includes examples of an 1880s kitchen, parlour, and bedroom, complete with period appliances, furniture, and now-rare but functional household items. Exhibits in this area also include the early logging and milling operations that eventually shifted toward the dairy, egg, and poultry farming that have supported Lynden’s economy over the last 100 years. Wandering downstairs we experienced “the transition from the horsedrawn to the motorized vehicle,” including a collection of more than 54 horse-drawn vehicles and related tack, a few antique cars in fantastic shape, and a host of brightly lit scale model cars. Perhaps half of the main floor and the entire second storey are occupied by 22 historic shopfronts arranged as a mini-town. There were the standards you might expect: a general store, post office, and pharmacy full of rare, period objects. But I most enjoyed looking into the more unusual shops and displays. The shiny silver tools of all shapes in the offices of the dentist and surgeon, the framed straightrazor collection above the padded

chair of the barber shop, and the vintage coffin in the micro-chapel were all idiosyncratic surprises, to name a few. My son’s favourite moment was lying on the uncomfortable metal bed of the jail while reading about the “silly-sounding laws that put you behind bars in the old days, like not buying televisions on Sundays and breastfeeding in public.” Although things have changed, some Dutch religious conservatism remains in Lynden, as many downtown businesses remain closed on Sundays. The kids explored at their own pace with their “Pastports,” small booklets ready for rubber stamping with a list of items to look for, strategically spread throughout the museum. I liked that there was a mix of precious “don’t touch” items behind glass as well as interactive exhibits where we could feel the texture of old barbed wire, create a cow bell musical, and plunk away on the many ornate antique pianos spread throughout the museum, all without any tsk-tsking from museum employees. The museum’s large collections are fairly organized and include some items you’ll likely never see elsewhere. Many were gathered by individuals who then bequeathed them to the museum in memoriam. The shelves and displays of this expansive space are lined with antique clocks, model trains, cameras, radios, coffee mills, firearms, Native American art, moving lamps, and even a substantial set of circus miniatures. A separate area houses war memorabilia from medals, uniforms, and sepia photographs, to delicate handwritten letters and newspaper clippings that range from the Civil War through the end of World War II. Many artifacts are from the era of the Netherlands’ occupation by Nazi Germany, between 1941 and 1945. In this modern era of fast food, plastic, and disposable electronics, our unconventional meander through the

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old days was a positive reminder of simpler living and just how far we’ve come. My rambunctious boys explored for more than two hours before I summoned them for lunch. “Mom, this place is so cool, I don’t think I’ll ever get sick of it,” said my ten-year-old. “Me either, sweetheart,” I replied, “me either.” lyndenpioneermuseum.com

JUNE 14

JULY 9

“Heaven On Earth” Dance Recital

Bellingham Downtown Sounds

in the Everett Civic Auditorium. The 17th annual dance recital for Reflections School of Dance’s theme this year is “Heaven On Earth.” It promises beautiful dance routines of all styles.

Downtown Bellingham Partnership will be presenting its Downtown Sounds Summer Concert Series, every Wednesday starting July 9th. It’s a series of all-ages outdoors concerts! Great for summer.

reflectionsschoolofdance.com

downtownbham.wordpress.com

Bellewood Distilling

OLD FASHIONED LIQUOR by Riley Sweeney

ucked just off the Guide Meridian, Bellewood Acres Farm is a frequent stop among locals for apples, corn and pumpkins in the fall but in the last year, they have expanded into spirits. Their tasting room, a black wood affair with old fashioned barrels and metal furnishings, looks in on their distillery, a mass of polished bronze. You feel part voyeur, as if peering in on an elaborate moonshine operation tucked away in fields, and part honoured guest. The tasting room sports generous pours and comfortable leather seats.

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The liquor lives up to the trappings. Bellewood Distillery sells five liquors, three vodkas, an apple brandy and a gin. Their standard vodka is made with a mix of apples harvested right onsite and provides a fresh, dry kick ($23 for 375ml). Their Honeycrisp Vodka ($25 for 375ml) provides a natural sweet warmth, while their Raspberry Vodka retains the tartness of the fruit and begs to be added to a glass of lemonade. Their apple brandy ($29.99 for 375ml), titled Eau de Vie, with its warm bouquet and light flavour, has already picked up a bronze award in 2013 from the American

Distilling Institute. You can taste the difference fresh apples make as the flavour feels like a natural outcome of the drink, warming the belly without overpowering the senses. However, the real star of the show is their gin. Infused with seven different botanicals (neatly displayed in mason jars for the taster to shake and smell), the gin ($25 for 375ml) provides a wonderful blend of citrus, cinnamon and cardamom flavours along with the traditional juniper berries. The aftertaste, rather than the harder bite of some gins, is a pleasant herbal finish. If you only taste one liquor at Belle-

wood Distilling, sample their gin: it will persuade even the most hardened gin critics. In addition to their brands of spirits, Bellewood Distilling sells bitters, ginger syrups and cocktail shakers, making their tasting bar an essential stop on any trip through the area. *Prices in US dollars bellewoodfarms.com

The variety and skillful combination of flavours makes every plate a dangerous siren, calling for just another bite.

en Sushi & Bar is an impressive visage, even from the street. Located in Barkley Village, just a few minutes from I-5 at the Sunset Drive exit (Exit 255) in Bellingham, the restaurant seems to be constructed entirely out of metal, glass and light. In its main room, a giant statue of Buddha sits cross-legged, as dainty little plates of sushi glide around it on a conveyor belt, past booths and bar seats. The restaurant seemed delicate and stylish compared to the bright lights of the movie theatre next door. I visited on a Friday night and the place was packed, every table a hum of activity. Mellow modern dance music floated through the space,

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ZEN SUSHI & BAR

Big City Feel, Small City Charm

by Riley Sweeney

whose lighting, seats and décor are of a sleek urban design; for a moment I thought that I had stepped into a bustling metropolitan sushi restaurant in Seattle or Vancouver. Looking over the crowd, I was impressed by the diversity of the customers: young hipsters grabbing a bite to eat before a movie sat next to families with lively children, mesmerized by the moving sushi plates. Next to us, a nervous pair of twenty-somethings stumbled through a first date. As we took our seats, we could see the busy sushi chefs, clad in green, skillfully assembling plates of sushi and carefully setting them on the conveyor belt. Aside from drinks—

Zen Sushi & Bar naturally serves a wide range of drinks—the pricing for meals is incredibly simple: the sushi is served on colour-coded plates, each of which corresponds to a price point; at the end of the evening, the customer pays for the number of plates consumed. For example, a basic California roll comes on a green plate, meaning it costs $1.75, while a more exotic seared tuna roll might be on a black plate and cost $4.25. You can even order directly from the sushi chef without flagging down a server—the system is simple and incredibly efficient. The restaurant provides a diverse selection of Sushi. I enjoyed their

crunch roll—fresh eel with a light cream cheese filling and a light salsa sprinkled on top. The filling had a sweet warm note without overpowering the eel. The special that night was a tempura-battered roll with fresh crab, drizzled with a tangy sauce over the top. While the rolls were decadent, I was pleased they served classics such as Nigiri and Sashimi for the sushi purists. The menu and plates listed all the ingredients and gave detailed descriptions, allowing anyone to feel like a sushi expert. The tables were equipped with fresh sliced ginger, little bowls for soy sauce, and of course, hot wasabi paste for the brave-hearted.

The real danger of Zen Sushi & Bar is the temptation: even after several plates of sushi, another beautifully plated dish would drift past and I would think to myself, “Surely I have room for four more pieces of sushi, that looks too good to pass up;” Zen Sushi & Bar’s offerings are not limited to sushi: the magic conveyor brought cold sweet noodles flavoured with sesame seeds, a fruit

bowl, crunchy spring rolls, and seaweed salad. These offerings help round out the meal, making the outing feel more complete, and providing something for non-sushi enthusiasts to get excited about. They even provide Japanese cream puffs as a palate-cleansing dessert to wrap up the evening. Just like the restaurant, the bar does not disappoint. It’s separate from the restaurant, and has it’s own unique, atmosphere—sleek and sexy. Happy Hour is not to be missed: everyday from 2:30pm to 5pm, and 8:30pm to close, every plate on the conveyor belt is a dollar off with a drink purchase. The drinks are competitively priced at $3 Wells, $1 off all beer on tap, $5 house sake, and $2 off specialty cocktails. With a new patio fireplace and outdoor seating arriving this summer, Zen will be the go-to for great late night Sushi by firelight.

The real danger of Zen Sushi & Bar is the temptation: even after several plates of sushi, another beautifully plated dish would drift past and I would think to myself, “Surely I have room for four more pieces of sushi, that looks too good to pass up;” I would grab another plate, and then another. The variety and skillful combination of flavours makes every plate a dangerous siren, calling for just another bite. No matter the reason for stepping inside Zen Sushi and Bar, it is impossible not to enjoy the infectious excitement while dining in the shadow of that giant statue. The elegant design, the feel of the restaurant and the excellent dishes provide of a slice of the cosmopolitan with a local twist. *Prices in US dollars zensushibellingham.com

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Models Northwest • Model & Talent Management • Bookings • Workshops • Fashion Productions • Event Coordination

www.models-northwest.com

360-305-0106 114 W Magnolia St, St 506 Bellingham, WA 98225 Photography by: Courtney Bowlden (top) Oveth Martinez (middle) • Maegan Hay Imaging (bottom)

FOODIE HAVEN FI V E D E L I C I O U S R E A S O N S TO V I S I T A N ACO R T E S by Katie Kavulla

t’s been at least 10 years since I’ve been to Anacortes. Decades ago, I had extended family who lived on Orcas Island. I often made the trek to Anacortes to catch the ferry for weekend adventures with cousins, and just immerse myself in island life. It was blissful: simple and slow in the best ways possible, especially for a child.

With all that time spent hustling back and forth to the ferry, trying to time the line just right, I never once travelled the extra few blocks past the thoroughfare into downtown Anacortes; as I’ve come to discover, I was definitely missing out. It felt odd to bypass that infamous turn from Commercial Avenue onto 12th Street: making a rouge move to head straight toward downtown Anacortes, rather than turn towards the ferry following the long line of cars heading that way. It practically felt rebellious to do so—as if the islands were looking at me, shaking their head in disapproval,

knowing that I’d just discovered their best-kept mainland secret. Staying my course, I headed straight for a few blocks, passed under an arch, and found myself right in the heart of Anacortes’ thriving downtown. The streets are lined with a variety of vibrant shops, restaurants, and locals businesses that make up the hub of this just-passing-through city. My first stop was at The Brown Lantern Ale House where I bellied up to the bar. Filled with locals who were winding down their day with friends and family (children of all ages are welcome), this is the perfect spot to kill some time when you’ve missed the ferry and the next one isn’t due for at least two rounds of local microbrews. Make sure to order their signature burger alongside your beer, which is award winning. (Brown Lantern Ale House, 412 Commercial Ave., Anacortes.)

From the Brown Lantern, I popped next door to Frida’s. A far cry from your run-of-the-mill quickie Mexican food joint, Frida’s decor alone is

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The Brown Lantern Ale House

The Majestic Inn and Spa

Frida’s

A’Town Bistro

The atmosphere lends itself easily to a quiet date night for two, or an evening wrangling the kids to take “just one more bite,” as the menu backs up both dining experiences. worth the visit. The walls are covered with homages to the restaurant’s inspiration, Frida Kahlo, and anything you order from their extensive menu is just as visually appealing. Go straight to their famous mole dishes with a 46-ounce Frida’s Margarita to wash it down. (Frida’s Gourmet Mex-

Frida’s

ican, 416 Commercial Ave., Anacortes.)

Next on my foodie tour of downtown Anacortes was Adrift, a cozy restaurant with a menu that is busting at the seams with fresh seafood, meat, and seasonal produce, all locally sourced. The atmosphere lends itself easily to a quiet date night for two, or an evening wrangling the kids to take “just one more bite,” as the menu backs up both dining experiences. As an alternative to the pub-style burger you will find at the Brown Lantern, Adrift’s award-winning burgers put a unique twist on a familiar classic: their Badass Burger combines the best of the surf and the turf, topped with panfried oysters. (Adrift Restaurant, 510 Commercial Ave., Anacortes.)

A’Town Bistro was my favorite stop on my Anacortes visit. The space has been transformed into an open-concept dining experience, with an intimate kitchen, a warm bar, spacious tables, and oversized booths in the back that invite you to stay for hours visiting with friends and loved ones. A’Town has an atmosphere that reminds me of restaurants you’d find in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Seattle—minus the hour-long hunt for

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The Brown Lantern Ale House

parkin—with simple, rustic, comforting dishes that don’t require a lot of fuss to be delicious. (A’Town Bistro, 418 Commercial Ave., Anacortes.)

Before the sun could set in the Anacortes sky, I snuck across the street to The Majestic Inn and Spa to end my dining tour on their beyond-brilliant rooftop restaurant and bar. The rooftop, which is an extension of their restaurant, 5th Street Bistro, serves a comforting variety of local dishes and drinks that will have you questioning if you are actually dining at a hotel. I could have easily spent all evening up there, soaking in some of that coveted Northwest vitamin D, reluctant to end the incredible dining experience in downtown Anacortes. Getting to see Anacortes from a different vantage point was a lovely surprise. The best part? Not a ferryboat in sight. (Majestic Inn and Spa, 419 Commer-

Getting there: Downtown Anacortes is approximately 20 minutes from the freeway, pending traffic, and is easy to find. From I-5 Northbound or Southbound, take Exit 230 and follow the signs to Highway 20/Anacortes, which will take you directly into Anacortes. At the roundabout, take the first exit onto Commercial Avenue. Continue on Commercial Avenue, past the turn-off to the ferry terminal, into downtown Anacortes. You will find these featured restaurants just a few blocks down, within walking distance of each other. If you are arriving via ferry, follow the signs as you depart and follow Oakes Avenue/Highway 20 into Anacortes, which will turn into 12 Street. At Commercial Avenue, take a left. These featured restaurants are a few blocks down, on both sides of the street.

BrownLantern.com

FridasGourmet.com

Adrift Facebook

ATownBistro.com

MajesticInnandSpa.com

cial Ave., Anacortes.)

New Cheese Shop!

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POETRY

College Locust Chatter by Lucas Nydam Our laughter carries the fog as we curse the saggy beachball of a moon that floats, deflated of freshman backwash. We’re passing that needlepoint sailboat flask weightlessly, as it binds us buoyantly as bloodbuzzed brothers. You got that scholarship and you’re leaking rocket fuel all over my new shoes and misaligned trajectory crash site I had a date with that Indonesian girl last night and I can break rocks with my hands, I swear. We are the definition of pink carnations, you know? Colonials of the starlight! Pioneers of the wide-angle lens! We’ve collectively published several philosophy textbook solution manuals, but it’s late and I’m seasick from living on EBT, and we’re only two 100’s away from calling it a night.

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BOOKS reviews by Shawna Matthews

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iction: The Girls at the Kingfisher Club by Priscilla Warner Release date: June 3, 2014

easies, and the drama of young girls finding their way from under the rule of a tyrannical father.

This is one of the most original books I have had the pleasure to read. The main plot follows the overarching story of the Brothers Grimm’s “The Twelve Dancing Princesses,” but Valentine gives the narrative a fresh, unique voice by setting the action in 1920s New York. It’s a very rich re-imagining, lending the familiar childhood tale the glamour of the Gatsby Era, the excitement of speak-

My fear going into this book was keeping track of twelve different sisters, but Valentine pulls it off. She takes time in giving each girl her own distinct character, without bogging down the story with too many details. A a great summer read; well-written and original, while evoking nostalgia for stories past. For Those Who Enjoy: F. Scott Fitzgerald, Evelyn Waugh, and Amor Towles

Non-Fiction: The Age of Radiance by Craig Nelson Release date: March 25, 2014

Children’s: Saving Lucas Biggs by Marisa de los Santos & David Teague Release date: April 29, 2014

This book came out in March, so most bookshops should be carrying it, or be able to order a copy. Nelson tackles the science and culture of the Atomic Era, with humour (calling Madam Curie “one hell of a broad”), interest, and skill. This is a book for anyone with an interest in history, chemistry, accidental discoveries, or concern for the nuclear-powered world of today.

I can think of no way to describe this book without saying that it is like To Kill a Mockingbird with time-travel. Margaret is trying to save her dad who’s been sentenced to death for murder by a crooked small town judge. To do this, she travels through time to the climatic life-changing day when the judge turned corrupt and jaded.

The story covers everything from the unintentional invention of X-rays, to the catastrophe of Japan’s Fukushima nuclear plant meltdown in 2011. The sense of hope and wonder that accompanied the brilliant discoveries is captured, along with the devastation and fear of the tragedies. The writing is often humorous, and always relatable. It will have you astonished at the past, and thanking the Japanese Mafia of today... For Those Who Enjoy: Mary Roach, Deborah Blum’s Poisoner’s Handbook, or Sam Kean’s Disappearing Spoon.

Covering everything from corporate greed, friendship, and time-travel, the authors marvelously craft a beautifully written book that addresses tough themes without talking down to children. The publishers recommend this book for ages 8–12. As much as I love the messages of understanding, trust, and love, the book tackles serious situations (including a massacre), with a protagonist who is 13, so parental screening is definitely advised.

Revival Read – Classics You Might Have Missed: We by Yevgeny Zamyatin (translated by Mirra Ginsburg) Originally published in 1920, We is an early example of the dystopian science fiction novel. Set in a walled world where numbers and math rule and nature is defeated, the story surrounds the first attempt at space travel, by the protagonist, an engineer named D-503. (As with many early 20th century science fiction stories, one is entertained by both the author’s imaginative futuristic inventions, and his misses, such as how he can envision rockets to other worlds, but not mobile phones.) We travel with D-503 on his journey as he comes to grips with the idea that his world, with its cult-like government, is not the utopia he has been led to believe. For Those Who Enjoy: Orwell, Huxley, and Bradbury.

For Those Who Enjoy: Harper Lee, Diana Wynne Jones and Norton Juster’s The Phantom Tollbooth.

FILM Out of Nothing by Ramona Abbott

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hen Whatcom County photographer Chad DeRosa began shooting photos of custom motorcycles, little did he know that it would lead him to a multi-year project working with a team of filmmakers in Whatcom Countyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s burgeoning film industry to create a full-length documentary, Out of Nothing. The film follows a group of four Whatcom County men, Jason Omer, Bill Woods and brothers Mark and Carl Bjorkland, who share a passion for

building custom motorcycles and racing them against world speed records at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah. But what started as a story about making motorcycles became much, much more. Chad started photographing the custom motorcycles the four men were building as part of his photography business. Soon he became intrigued with their quest on the Salt Flats, and began filming their efforts both in Bellingham and the races at Bonne-

ville. After coming home from Utah with over 80 hours of footage, he realized two things: this was a story that simply had to be told, and he couldn’t do it alone. “I had all this footage, and thought, ‘I’m a one-man show; I can’t do this all by myself.’” This led to his friend Andrew Lahmann agreeing to produce the film and assembling a team of local talent including himself, Producer Ryan Stiles, Director/Executive Producer Chad DeRosa, Associate Producers

Jordan Donovan and Colin Dalvit, and Executive Producers Logan Barnett and Mark Bjorklund. “The thing is, everybody has a dream. That’s just human nature,” says Chad. “This is a story about working hard, doing your day job, because we all have to survive, but it’s also a story about spending so much of the rest of your time chasing this dream. They spend 360 days a year building these motorcycles so that they can spend 5 days a year

racing them, and then it starts all over again. It became a story about the human element, what it takes to be that dedicated to a dream.” And in this case, the dream is racing at Bonneville, in motorcycles you’ve designed and built, not purchased. It’s a bit like the Olympics; getting to Bonneville is a huge achievement. If you should happen to set a record, that’s a gold medal; simply getting there is a huge triumph.

“One thing that’s great about these four guys,” says Jordan Donovan, “is that they each have their own specialties, things they are really good at, and they lend [those] to each other. That’s one of the many reasons for the title of the movie: they are building something out of nothing. Scrapping together from a pile of metal, and with this guy’s know-how, and that guy’s tools, you have your dream.”

“Anything is possible,” sums up DeRosa. “If you want something bad enough, you can put your mind to it. You can make something out of it.”

As the film moves into post-production, another level of similarity between the documentary and its subjects becomes apparent. “The film is about chasing your dream, and achieving that. That’s what’s happened for us as filmmakers,” says Donovan. “While we’ve been making a movie about people achieving their dream, we’ve done that as well.”

He pauses, then says, “The best thing so far: the friends I’ve made from the movie crew. They have all become friends of mine. Not only is the movie about the 4 of us, the whole group has become this greater team. The story has almost become about the greater team now too.”

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Jason Omer, whose next short-term goal is breaking 200mph, agrees: “There’s no limit. You can do whatever you can dream of. With our world, and the technology, with what’s possible, and initiative, you can do whatever you want.”

Whether it’s racing motorcycles you built out of a pile of metal—out of nothing—or seeing the inspirational

story of a group of friends and enthusiasts chasing their dream, and turning that into a full-length documentary—also out of nothing— everyone involved with this film is an example of what happens when you live your dream. Hard work, persistence, and a strong vision on so many levels are what made Out of Nothing, which will be coming soon to film festivals around the world. To see the trailer visit outofnothingmovie.com.

BELLINGHAM'S NAUTICAL PARADISE BY HEATHER HULBERT

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elcome to the beautiful Port of Bellingham. The Port is home to thousands of local boat owners, seasoned adventurers, and a hot spot for many Vancouver and lower mainland guests. Visitors and residents can’t get enough of the Scenic views of Mt Baker and the city skyline. Whether it’s a day trip or a weekend gateway, the Harbor has you covered. Just 20 minutes south of the Canadian board awaits a destination your family won’t forget: fun, food, boating, charters, whale watching, lodging, bike riding, running, and don’t forget the shopping. Be sure to check out the apparel of our featured guest, Nautigirl Brand Clothing. Don’t be surprised to find many passerby’s sporting their latest apparel designs. Are you a Nautigirl…or boy? Either way, they’ve got you covered. Bellingham’s own nautical brand clothing

company and accessories line, Nautigirl Brand LLC, is an online based apparel store for the boating enthusiast. Their emphasis is on adventurous, nautical active wears. From hats & t-shirts, coats & cover ups, to towels & tumblers, they’ve thought of everything. They’ve even addressed your entertainment needs with mugs & martini glasses, picnic accessories & playing cards, and wine glasses & candles. Don’t forget Nautibaby! Diaper bags, onesies, sweatshirts, and T’s are just a few of the unique items you’ll find. Visit Nautigirl Brands clothing at www.thenautigirl.com . You can find Nautigirl, Nautiboy, and Nautibaby Brands at many Bellingham locations such as The Hotel Bellwether, and in Fairhaven at Bay to Baker located on Harris Street. nautigirl.com

Navigating The Islands Getting around the islands in the Pacific Northwest may seem a little daunting at first: did you know some of these islands you can actually drive to? Here’s a handy little guide to help you plan your next Island adventure.

How to Ride There are three ways to ride the ferry: drive-on, bike-on, and walk-on. Prices scale up depending on vessel size, duration, and mode of transportation. If you are planning a day of walking or biking during your visit, leaving your car at the terminal will save you a vehicle surcharge.

Oversized Vehicles Your vehicle doesn’t need to be large to be considered “oversized.” If you are travelling with bikes, kayaks, or any storage container on top of your car, you could be consider an oversized vehicle, and charged accordingly. If you can, make sure to store your bikes on the back of your car, as over-length charges are easier to avoid. For more information on rules for oversized vehicles, loading procedures, and general information visit: www.wsdot.wa.gov/ ferries/infodesk/faq/general_info/

ada, driving is recommended even if you are travelling to the most southern point of Whidbey Island as ferry waittimes can affect your travel time. From Canada: From I-5 South, take exit 230 toward Burlington. You’ll be taking WA-20 West all the way to the island, crossing Deception Pass. There are incredible views along the way; driving there is a getaway in itself. From Canada (Ferry Option): From I-5 South, take exit 189 toward Mukilteo/Everett, and follow signs for WA-526 West/Whidbey Island Ferry. From Seattle: From I-5 North, take exit 182 toward Mukilteo/Everett. Follow signs for WA-525 North all the way to the ferry terminal.

Quick Facts: • Ferries depart every 30 minutes • US cash, US checks, and all major credit cards accepted: Visa, Mastercard, Discover, and American Express • Vehicles over 228.6 cm in height will be consider oversized • Parking lots available for ferry passengers (daily, weekly, and/or monthly rates, apply) Website: www.wsdot.com/ferries/schedule/ scheduledetailbyroute.aspx?route=muk-cl Insider’s Tip: If you are planning our Ebey State Biking Getaway on page 42, then this is your route!

Currency All ferries in Washington State DO NOT accept Canadian currency. While most credit and debit cards are accepted, it would be prudent to bring U.S. cash to simplify your trip.

Getting to Camano Island Camano Island is accessible via Highway 532 in Stanwood, WA. It’s an easy quick drive—about an hour and 15 minutes from the border via I-5 South—making it the easiest island to visit. From Canada: Via I-5 South, take exit 221 and continue to WA-532 West. Follow signs to Camano Island. From Seattle: Via I-5 North, take exit 212, and continue onto WA-532 West. Follow signs to Camano Island.

Getting to Whidbey Island This Island is accessible via ferry and car, depending on where you’re coming from. If you are travelling from Can-

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Getting to Lummi Island This island is only accessible via the Lummi Island Ferry in Bellingham, WA. From Canada: Via I-5 South, take exit 260 and follow signs for Lummi Island. From Seattle: Via I-5 North, take exit 260 and follow signs for Lummi Island.

Quick Facts: • Short ride: under a 10 minute ride • Runs every 20 minutes on weekdays (every hour on weekends) • Kids under 19 ride free!

• US cash, US checks, and credits with a Visa, Mastercard, and Discover logo are accepted (American Express is not accepted) Website: www.co.whatcom.wa.us/publicworks/ferry/index.jsp

• Parking lots available for ferry passengers (daily, weekly, and/or monthly rates, apply) • US cash, US checks, and all major credit cards accepted: Visa, Mastercard, Discover, and American Express Website: www.wsdot.com/ferries/schedule/ ScheduleDetailByRoute.aspx?route=ana-sj Insider’s Tip: If you are planning the Lopez Island Biking Getaway on page 42, this is your route!

Getting to Orcas, San Juan, and Lopez Islands Accessing the San Juan Islands requires a ferry ride from Anacortes, WA. From Canada: From I-5 South, take exit 230, and continue on WA-20 West From Seattle: From I-5 North, take exit 226 for WA-536 West, and continue on to WA-20 West

Other Useful Links: Ferry Cams: http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/ferries/vesselwatch/ CameraDetail.aspx

Quick Facts: • Ferry ride times vary from 30 minutes, to one hour, depending on your destination. • Discounted fares for Children 6 – 18 years old • Vehicles over 228.6 cm in height will be consider oversized

Photo courtesy of Flickr Creative Commons

Your Guide for Easy Crossing Crossing the border can be a stressful event if you’re not armed with the proper information. Keeping track of the numerous rules and regulations can be a bit over-whelming. We can help with that. Below we’ve condensed important need-to-know information into one spot for quick, easy planning of your next trip across the border.

Conversion Chart United States customary units - Metric system • 1 inch - 2.54 cm • 1 foot - .3 meters (1 meter is just a bit longer than what we call a yard) • 1 mile - About 1.6 km • 1 ounce - 28.35 g • 1 pound - .45 kg (1 kilogram is a little over 2 pounds) • 1 fluid ounce - 29.57 millilitres • 1 pint - .47 kilolitres (a little over 2 pints to 1 kilolitre) • 1 gallon - 3.785 litres • 30 miles per hour - 48.3 kilometers per hour • 40 miles per hour - 64.4 kilometers per hour • 50 miles per hour - 80.5 kilometers per hour • 60 miles per hour, or mph - 96.5 kilometers per hour Quick tip! Here’s some easy math you can do in your head for an approximate temperature: • Fahrenheit to Celsius: Subtract 30 from the current temperature, and divide by 2. • Celsius to Fahrenheit: Multiply the temperature by 2, and then add 30.

Common Local Practices • For establishments that offer a tip line on your receipt (i.e. restaurants, coffee shops, hotels, taxis, etc.), 15% is considered fair gratuity. 20% is even better. • When you’re driving, the left lane of the road is commonly called the “fast lane,” or the “passing lane.” Use this lane to pass slow moving traffic. • Chip bank cards (i.e. Interact) are not commonly

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accepted at many local shops in the states. However, debit cards with a Visa or Mastercard logo are accepted—same goes for major credit cards. • Using cash is the best way to avoid international fees/charges that can incur with debit or credit card use. • Roaming charges for your phone can quickly add up. Contact your mobile provider at home for travelling data plans.

Coming Home: What To Declare Going From the U.S. To Canada Exemptions Absence less than 24 hours: No personal exemptions for same-day crossing

Absence 24 hrs-48 hrs: You can claim up to CAN $200 without paying duty. You must have the goods with you, and tobacco and alcohol aren't included.

Absence 48 hrs+ You can claim up to CAN $800 without paying duty. You must have the goods with you. Tobacco and alcohol is allotted to a certain amount, depending on your province.

Absence 7 days+ You can claim up to CAN $800 without paying duty. You must have tobacco and alcohol products with you, but anything other than these can arrive later by mail. Minimum duty may apply to tobacco products.

Allowances Alcohol: You may bring: • 1.5 litres of wine (about 2 750-ml bottles) • 1.14 litres of spirits (one large standard bottle) • 8.5 litres of beer (about 24 cans)* *Approximately 4 Growlers of beer is 7.58 litres

Tobacco: • 200 cigarettes, 50 cigars, 200 grams (7 ounces) of manufactured tobacco, and 200 tobacco sticks

Currency: You must report any amount of currency greater than or equal to CAN $10,000

Foods, Plants and Agriculture: Certain foods are not allowed because they pose a health risk. For a complete list of allowable foods, see the appendix at the bottom of this guide.

Jewellery:

Bellingham Airport

Amtrak

BC Ferries

Blue Cab

Bolt Bus

Greyhound

Skagit Bus Lines

Snohomish Bus Lines

WSDOT

Whatcom Bus Lines

Yellow Cab

The Crossing Guide

Because jewellery is often very valuable, and can be difficult to identify, you should travel with as little as possible. If you plan to purchase jewellery, check with the most recent Canadian regulations first.

Restrictions Partial list: • Cultural property • Explosives, fireworks, and ammunition • Banned firearms and weapons (switch blades, silencers, replica firearms, etc.) • Prohibited consumer products (baby walkers, infant self-feeding devices, jequirity beans and items containing them, lawn darts with elongated tips, etc.) • Certain items, like strollers and car seats, that fail to meet regulation. Visit beaware.gc.ca for more information.

What Food, Plant, Animal and Related Products can I bring into Canada? This is an abbreviated list of commonly imported food, animal and plant products you can declare. For changes, and more detailed information, contact the CFIA National Import Service Centre (NISC).

Animal fat or suet • up to 20 kilograms per person

Baked goods, candies, etc. • no goods containing meat • up to 20 kilograms per person

Conifers and garden plants • restricted

Dairy products (e.g. cheese, milk, yogurt, butter) • up to 20 kilograms per person with a value of $20 or less

Fish and seafood • up to 20 kilograms per person • all species except °°pufferfish °°Chinese mitten crab (Eriocheir sinensis)

Flowers: cut • restrictions on coniferous foliage/green cones • must not be for propagation There may be some restrictions depending on the type of flowers and where they come from. Use the Automated Import Reference System (AIRS) to confirm if a specific item is allowed.

Fruits and vegetables, including herbs: dried • up to 15 packages per person • but not more than 250 kilograms

Fruits and vegetables, including herbs: frozen or canned • fruits °°up to 15 frozen packages or 15 cans per person °°but not more than 250 kilograms • vegetables °°up to 20 kilograms of frozen or chilled vegetables per person

Fruits and vegetables: fresh • one bag up to 4 kilograms of US number 1 potatoes per person and the bag must be commercially packaged • 15 packages or less up to 250 kilograms of fresh fruits and vegetables per person (excluding potatoes) • must be free from soil, pests, leaves, branches and/or plant debris • some restrictions on some fresh fruit and vegetables from California, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington • in British Columbia (BC): restrictions on fresh apples, stone fruit and potatoes

Spices, tea, coffee, condiments • entry permitted

Infant formula • commercially packaged • milk based or non-milk based, (dry/liquid) formula • for personal use only • sealed

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• up to a maximum of 20 kilograms per person

Leather goods and skins • fully tanned hides and skins only

Meat and poultry products (for example, jerky, sausages, deli meats and patties,fois gras) • up to 20 kilograms per person • packages must have identifying marks, indicating what the product is • proof of country of origin may be required

Meat and poultry: fresh, frozen and chilled • up to 20 kilograms per person • one turkey per person • packages must have identifying marks, indicating what the product is • proof of country of origin may be required

Sea shells and sand • sea shells and items made from them are allowed • must be clean and free of sea life, soil and sand

You are not allowed to import sand. Vegetables: fresh • See “Fruits and vegetables”.

Wooden souvenirs • must be free of bark, insects or evidence of insect activity

Know Where You’re Going Whether you’re visiting a friend, or just shopping, be as detailed as possible when talking with border agents. When visiting people, make sure you’re able to provide their address, duration of stay, and any other details about what you’ll be doing during your trip. The more details you provide will help make your crossing that much quicker.

More general info can be found at: beaware.gc.ca

NAFTA: North American Free Trade Agreement

Other great news sources

Goods made and/or assembled in Canada, United States, and Mexico may qualify for preferential tariff treatment under NAFTA. These goods require special documentation such as a certificate of origin. For more information on items accepted under NAFTA, and where to find the appropriate documentation, visit this website: international.gc.ca

Contact the CFIA National Import Service Centre (NISC) for more information on what you can bring across the border.

Adventures NW

All Points Bulletin

Bellingham Alive

Bellingham Herald

Bellingham On Tap

Cascadia Weekly

Entertainment News NW

Grow NW

Mt. Baker Experience

The Northern Light

Waterside NW

Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Up Magazine

inspection.gc.ca

For more detailed information, you can review the import requirements for specific products using the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) Automated Import Reference System (AIRS). airs-sari.inspection.gc.ca

Border Traffic Hereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a link with border traffic information, updated by the minute. Knowing the best place to cross could save hours off your trip. Make sure to check this site for the best place to cross the border. wsdot.com/traffic

JUNE 12 OneRepublic with The Script OneRepublic, the pop-rock group perhaps best known for their hit song “Apologize,” will be playing with The Script opening at Comcast Arena. comcastarenaeverett.com

JUNE 22 Snoqualmie Casino Presents Joan Rivers A pioneer for female stand-up comedy, Joan Rivers is a classic and always hysterical comedienne. Come see her latest stand-up routine at the Snoqualmie Casino.

AUGUST 1-3 Anacortes Arts Festival A three-day music festival held in downtown Anacortes. Two stages of continuous free entertainment, artisan booths, fine art, activities, and food! anacortesartsfestival.com

snocasino.com

JUNE 14 National Get Outdoors Day: Free Day Washington state parks will have free admission. Come see the gorgeous trails and parks that northwest Washington is renowned for. nationalgetoutdoorsday.org

JUNE 27 John Legend “All of Me” Tour John Legend’s “All of Me” Tour is coming to Bellingham At the Mount Baker Theatre! Legend is a critically acclaimed singer/ songwriter with several hits in his repertoire.

AUGUST 7-10 Summer Meltdown A three-day music festival hosted at Whitehorse Mtn Amphitheatre! STRFKR and Lord Huron are headlining, along with several local bands. summermeltdownfest.com

mountbakertheatre.com

JULY 17 PFC’s Opera in Cinema Series Puccini’s Manon Lescat. PFC’s Limelight Cinema presents an early Puccini masterpiece. pickfordfilmcenter.org

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JULY 26, 27 Harbor Marine Salmon Tournament

AUGUST 19 The Northwest Massive Recess

Calling all avid fishing fans! A three-day weekend salmon fishing tournament in Everett!

A massive festival combining the magical Lookout Arts Quarry with the Recess Massive. Swimming, hiking and dance workshops by day, dance festival with live music by night at the Lookout Arts Center.

harbormarine.net

lookoutarts.com